By: Jaden Steggell
We all know that being a principal is not an easy job. They are continuously working to maintain the school and its image. Their focus is to ensure that the school is actually preparing its students for the future, both inside and outside of the school. But what happens when there isn’t a principal at the school? This is the problem SMHS has faced over the last few years.
With Principal Rinehart resigning this past month due to health concerns, where does this leave SMHS and their leadership? Who will step up to the plate and take on the challenge?
Right now Superintendent Cardona has said that SMHS won’t have a new principal until next semester during the 2024-2025 school year. However, this is not a surprise to students and staff who have blamed the culture of the school and how it has plagued the school in recent years. I personally think toxic culture is the leading cause as well and something that both staff and students need to work together and fix as it is having a huge impact on the success of the students and the school’s future.
Mrs. Smith, a math teacher here at SMHS who has been working here for years now and is loved by almost all her students and coworkers, said “Although I don’t believe the school has a toxic problem, it does have a behavior and discipline issue that the staff members are constantly working on to try and fix.” She also went on to say that “Most of the students are good and do what they are supposed to do, it is a small percentage of kids who cause most of the issues.” Strong leadership could fix these constant small issues.
SMHS has struggled over the last few years with being able to keep principals at the school for a long period. Back in 2016 the then-current principal of the school, Kelli Lopez, resigned after a scandal came out of her changing over 100 different students’ grades for them to pass. In 2021 we also saw Principal Presley resign after a short stint. This begs the question…. What is really going on, and do Principals really matter?
In a two-decade-long study, researchers have found that successful principals not only help run and maintain the school but also help have major positive effects on the schools they run. This study also shows that principals contribute to important student and teacher success and achievements. This is only the surface when it comes to the major benefits of having a professional principal run a school.
Without a Principal the school loses a dedicated leader and a proper chain of command and is challenged to have clear visibility of what the path to success looks like without a leader to lead that success. SMHS has faced a serious teacher shortage these past few years with the rest of the nation, and this is seriously affecting students’ growth and their learning path, one would beg to question, is this why we can’t seem to secure a long-term principal here at the school? Would a company be as successful without a CEO? Would a football team be as successful without a QB? Would a ship be as successful without her Captain? Seems like an easy answer.
