This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
About one-fifth of all Philadelphia District schools will have a new principal in charge when classes begin this fall.
Forty-two schools will see new leadership this year, according to a current list of principal appointments provided by the District. Twelve of the principals are new to the School District of Philadelphia, said Raven Hill, a District spokesperson.
Schools with new incoming leaders include magnet schools such as Masterman, Academy at Palumbo, CAPA, and Bodine, and neighborhood schools like Lamberton, Beeber, and Bartram.
Cayuga Elementary also has a new principal, Jason Carrion. Earlier this year, five former educators at the school, including the principal, were charged with crimes related to blatant cheating on the state’s standardized tests.
Three of the new leaders will be founding principals for the District’s new, innovative citywide-admission high schools opening this fall.
Schools that still have unfilled principal vacancies are Cook-Wissahickon and Lea elementaries.
Over the last two years, at least 90 schools have seen new principals at the start of the school year.
According to Robert McGrogan, head of the principals’ union, the driving force for the exodus has been districtwide instability resulting from the ongoing funding crisis, though he said a new three-year contract that includes salary and health-care concessions played a small part.
"We already have inadequate resources. Now we’re worse off than we were. We’re not adequately able to support a quality learning environment in our schools."
On Thursday, news that a vote to pass a House bill containing a $2-per-pack, city cigarette tax had been put off until mid-September devastated the school community. Superintendent William Hite said the persistent budget gap, now $81 million, jeopardizes the on-time opening of schools.
McGrogan said the crisis is sure to affect principals and assistant principals, who head back to work on Monday.
"It will dominate what should be a time to focus on things like instruction and curriculum that the District would like principals to be focusing on."
Below is a list of District schools with new principals.