Principals at RMHS have had a high turnover rate since 2010 causing the school community to question why.
People were shocked to find out that the former principal Mr. Kevin Tracey was leaving after only his second year at RMHS. There is a lot of talk around the school about who the new principal will be after the one-year interim principal, Ms. Callanan, completes her term. RMHS has had 6 different principals in the past decade. According to a wealth of sources, inconsistent leadership in schools can have negative effects on the school, faculty, and student body.
Principal turnover causes disruption to the school environment and creates a new school culture that people need to adjust to. This period of adjustment distracts students and teachers from performing to the best of their ability. Research has proven that principal turnover leads to teacher turnover, as well as lower test scores.
New people come with new expectations and new policies. Mr. Skehan, a math teacher at RMHS, commented, “I think it becomes very disruptive to the students because expectations change.” Teachers are not the only ones that feel this way. Senior Kelsey Murphy said, “I expected to have an open campus this year, like the seniors had last year, and was very disappointed when I heard that was no longer allowed.”
The assistant principal at RMHS, Ms. Theriault, shared that the turnover has impacted her job in many ways. Ms. Theriault listed, “having to get used to a new boss each time, having to build a new team, build a new relationship, find out how the person works.”
Interim Principal Callanan worked in schools in Woburn and Reading, as well as New Jersey. She explained, “I think that to some degree in all schools it’s important to have consistency. I also think that it is important for schools to have people with new ideas, so I think the best schools have a little bit of both.” Ms. Callanan has taken the things she learned from her other teaching jobs and brought them to RMHS to try and improve the school.
According to research done by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, there are many reasons why principals leave their school. The main reasons are, lack of adequate preparation, low salary, poor working conditions, inability to control the environment, and high-stakes accountability policies.
Both Callanan and Theriault explained that the job of principal is very difficult. There are a lot of responsibilities and parts to be in charge of. Callanan commented, “Sometimes when people take the job, it’s not a great fit.” A lot of principals do not understand the obligations of the job and realize that the job is not for them.
In the past, most RMHS principals have not disclosed the exact reasons for their departure. Mr. Skehan did not comment on specifically why past principals have left, but did share, “I don’t believe the adequate level of support from either the community or at times the school administration, central office.”
Principal turnover is not a problem unique to Reading, and schools all over the US are starting to create plans for improvement. The responsibilities of principal are expanding and Mr. Skehan shared that as a school, “We haven’t adjusted other support structures to account for that change in job.”
The process of finding a principal is a long and difficult process. It takes a lot of steps to make sure that the right person is hired to be the leader of the school. Students, faculty, and administrators are all interested to see who the next principal of RMHS is and if the turnover will continue in the future.
