by Brad Meeks
Special to Thisweek Newspapers

It is not a surprise that many parents are upset to see their children's principals be reassigned to other schools. Knowing and working with Karen Bergman, Jon Reid and Ben Januschka for the last four years, I understand why parents and students have become close to them personally. As a parent myself, I understand the apprehension that accompanies any change in your child's education.

As superintendent, though, I am charged by the School Board with assigning administrative staff in a way that will best help the district achieve its mission of developing all of our students into citizens of integrity who excel in and beyond the classroom. Similarly, I expect our principals to assign teachers in a way that best meets the needs of those students. They are in the best position to know the skills of those teachers, the requirements of the job, and the needs of their students.

Reassigning staff is not a decision to be made lightly, and the decision to rotate these principals was not made in a vacuum. Among many other considerations, I feel strongly that it is important to have principals in place prior to the major changes that will occur when the new high school opens in 2009, which will include shifting staff from building to building as well as boundary adjustments. The presence of an established administrator will help ease that transition.

Discussion of this possibility has taken months, and I truly believe that each of the three schools will benefit from the experience, skills and new ideas that their new principals will bring next fall. At the same time, I know that each principal will benefit from the experience, skills and new ideas that their new staffs and parents will bring to them. In my previous experience in other school districts, as both a superintendent and as a principal, I have seen it work and work well.

I regret very much that many parents and other community members found out about these changes through the grapevine, instead of through more appropriate channels. That was never my intention. Instead, I intended to finalize the changes first with the affected principals, then to announce them to the staff and to discuss them with parent leaders at those buildings, and then to present them to all parents and the public. I believe very strongly that the staff had a right to hear this first and directly from the district, before a public announcement was made. Unfortunately, those plans were compromised, which left parents feeling understandably slighted.

Mr. Reid, Mr. Januschka and Ms. Bergman have all assured me that they are ready for their new assignments and I am positive that they will excel in their new buildings. The outpouring of support each has received is a testament to their abilities. Change is often difficult, but focused and purposeful change is both positive and necessary for any healthy school district.

Brad Meeks is superintendent of the Farmington School District. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.