"In an early August email, sent as teachers and administrators were preparing to welcome students back to school, Oakland Unified School District made a surprising announcement: this year, OUSD added only six new principals. It was the lowest number of new school leaders in years. In 2022, coming out of COVID remote schooling, the district had to fill 18 principal vacancies."
""It takes years for a principal to master skills but also to understand their school community and to build relationships and trust," Hong said. "When you have principal turnover, it disrupts the ability to create that trust and to understand the nuances of that community. Anytime you have a new leader, you have to start that process all over again and it leads that community to lose focus.""
Oakland Unified added only six new principals, the lowest number in years, compared with 18 vacancies in 2022 after COVID remote schooling. Every middle and high school principal returned to their roles, increasing leadership continuity across those campuses. Principals serve as instructional leaders who support diverse students and staff, manage school facilities, and respond to emergencies. Building a cohesive school culture and vision requires years of relationship-building and consistent leadership. Principal turnover disrupts trust and understanding of community nuances and forces a restart of focus. The district faces $100 million in budget cuts and reduced federal education support, which could strain resources and complicate principals' work.
Read at The Oaklandside
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]