Harper Woods

Harper Woods School District makes some changes

By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

HARPER WOODS — The Harper Woods School District is looking at some major structural changes, and one of those changes concerned some of the school board members.

It involved reworking the structure from one principal for the middle school and one for the high school to having one principal for all students in grades seven-12, plus an assistant principal.

While the middle school has its own wing, some of the board members felt that those students need their own principal or they’ll risk falling into the cracks, as the high school could possibly take up more of the principal’s time.

“I can see a whole middle school being left behind,” Board Secretary Tracy Purnell said.

Board Vice President Margaret Wagner agreed.

“I am very, very hesitant to promote this and endorse this,” she said. “I just believe that our middle school students will end up getting lost.”

The motion to create the position of secondary principal passed by a 4-3 vote during the board’s Aug. 24 meeting, with Purnell, Wagner and Trustee Brian Selburn voting against the change.

Selburn said he felt the district was going full circle, since this is how things were set up in the past before they changed to having separate principals. He said it didn’t work with one principal in the past. He was concerned parents wouldn’t know who to go to when their children are in middle school.

“That principal was focused on the high school,” he said of when his children were in the situation with one principal for both levels.

Yet Superintendent Todd Biederwolf said this change is going to be positive because it will make transitioning from the middle school to the high school easier for students because they’ll already know the principal from their middle school years.

He also emphasized that the district isn’t decreasing the number of administrators who deal with issues at the middle and high school levels.

Some people are retiring or moving on in the district, and others are moving around. For instance, middle school principal Heather Blum will be taking over the new role of director of academic accountability and student services, and current teacher at the secondary school Lindsey Grange was chosen to perform dual roles of teaching and serving as the new director of special education.

The board also approved hiring Thomas Parker to fill the new role of secondary school principal by a 6-1 vote. Parker has worked as an administrator in some districts in Detroit and has experience in a 7-12 campus.

“Parker is known in public schools as a change agent and a difference maker,” Biederwolf said.

Because of his reputation for being able to turn things around quickly, Parker has held some of his positions for short periods of time before moving on, according to Biederwolf. His short periods in certain districts raised some questions at the board table. Selburn said the school needs stability, and while they cannot predict how long someone will stay, he asked Biederwolf if there was a discussion on what Parker’s intentions are for Harper Woods.

Biederwolf said he feels confident that Parker will be staying on for some time.

“I’m grateful and thankful for the opportunity to become part of the Harper Woods family,” Parker said, adding that he plans to assess things in the district to determine what steps need to be taken to move toward the future.

A new position of dean of students was created. This person will be responsible for making sure students stay on track, like getting to class on time, as well as handling discipline issues and acknowledging student success.

“This is a sorely needed position for the secondary building,” Board Treasurer Richard Maddigan said.

There was some concern that the role would lean less toward the realm of acknowledging student success.

“It’s going to be a dean of discipline,” Selburn said.

As for budget concerns and the changes that are being made, Biederwolf said that this will not negatively affect the district’s financial situation and may even result in small savings depending on enrollment numbers.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1043.