Principals gather for welcome back meeting, prepare for new school year
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As nearly 300 principals gathered to prepare for the new school year, it was a look back that drew the most spirited response.
The district’s welcome back event for campus leaders featured brief speeches by Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt and recent Booker T. Washington High School graduate Ty-Rinetta Sanders-Washington.
Huewitt addressed the principals and thanked them for their leadership amid the superintendent search and the district’s budget shortfall due to the state’s public education funding formula and resulting “recapture” payment.
“I want all of you to know that it’s been my honor to serve as interim superintendent,” an emotional Huewitt said. “You have reaffirmed why I chose public education.”
In return, the crowd gave him a standing ovation, and Chavez High School Principal Rene Sanchez spoke on behalf of HISD’s campus leaders.
“You have definitely been the leader we needed during this time of uncertainty,” Sanchez said.
The day-long event gave principals a chance to network with their peers as well as participate in team-building exercises to get to know other leaders in the district’s new areas organizational structure. New principals were introduced, and then Chief School Support Officers led their own breakout sessions to ensure their teams were ready for the school year.
But prior to heading off into their sessions, principals received an emotional and powerful reminder of how their jobs can positively affect the lives of their students.
Sanders-Washington, who is part of the inaugural Teach Forward Houston class, thanked them for their dedication, which allowed her to blossom into one of the top students at her school.
“(Teachers and campus leaders) acted as the parents I needed,” she said. “You guide the teachers to be able to guide us. The impact you have on our lives is greater than you know.”
Board President Manuel Rodriguez Jr. also addressed the principals, commending them for a job well-done during the last school year and in preparation for the new one. As once the school year begins, he calls on all principals to engage with their staff and local communities to help ensure all HISD students have the right educators and resources in order to succeed.
“It can’t be done by any one person,” he said. “It’s a team, hence Team HISD. And that includes the parents and community.”
