Update : As of Tuesday, July 9, the district had trimmed the list of principal vacancies down to 15. An inquiry from The Sun on July 1 about the 25 previous vacancies advertised last week was not addressed by the district.
The Baltimore City school district is embarking upon another school year that will note a high level of principal turnover, with job postings for 25 schools as of July 3, a number the administrators union said has reached 30 and may continue to rise.
In the last six years, the district has grappled with unprecedented principal turnover under former schools CEO Andres Alonso. During his tenure, more than 90 percent of principals who were in the district when he arrived retired, resigned or were removed or reassigned.
Last school year, the school district opened with 22 schools lacking permanent leaders, with the district placing "managing principals" in charge.
Jimmy Gittings, president of the principal's union, said that he believed years of pressure on principals was responsible for the continued exodus. He said he believes it will change this year under Interim CEO Tisha Edwards, who took the helm of the district on July 1.
"Right now, morale is low," Gittings said. "But, I have a lot of confidence that Ms. Edwards will make a change in the morale in this system."
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