Doggone that Granite School District!
That's what Davis School District officials are saying since curriculum director Fred Brown left Davis to become Granite assistant superintendent. Brown follows the path of former Davis Assistant Superintendent Stephen Ronnenkamp, who left Davis last summer to become Granite superintendent.While discussing with the Davis Board of Education Tuesday the process of finding Brown's replacement, Davis Superintendent Darrell White jokingly referred to Granite as "an unnamed school district."
"A move to the dark side," student board member Jeffery Hayes said.
So, now Davis has to find a replacement for Brown. And that's not all. The district is playing its annual round of musical chairs.
Let's see.
Stewart Elementary principal Sydnee Dickson is going into administration at - you guessed it - the Granite district.
Four elementary school principals and an area director, Verlan Terry, are retiring at the end of this year. Woods Cross Elementary principal Kennan Beckstrand left because of differences over his administrative style. Monte Vista Elementary principal Lee Glad is going into district administration. Morgan Elementary principal Marilyn Oberg was appointed as a new area director. Davis High principal Paul Waite was appointed as an additional area director.
Clearly, there are plenty of vacancies to be filled.
White has reconfigured district administration, eliminating one of the three assistant superintendencies (which has been vacant since he himself left it to become superintendent last January) and converting the position into an additional area directorship.
"That level of service is more directly related to what happens in the classroom," he said.
Some of the vacancies are going to people switching laterally. Sunset Elementary principal Lucinda Wagner will transfer to West Clinton Elementary. Clinton Elementary principal Les Broadhead will transfer to Knowlton Elementary, King Elementary principal Cyndee Miya will transfer to Columbia Elementary. Adams Elementary principal Steve Burningham will trans-fer to Woods Cross Elementary.
North Layton Junior High principal Scott Greenwell will replace Waite as principal of Davis High which, of course, leaves yet another vacancy to be filled.
Greenwell presented himself and his wife before the school board Tuesday. His 7-year-old son wasn't there because, given the choice between attending a school board meeting and going to a friend's house, he chose the latter.
"He's obviously a bright child," White said.