D-11, D-20 work to fill high school principal jobs

A search for two high school principals in Colorado Springs School District 11 was launched this week — just as Academy School District 20 was wrapping up a similar search.

End-of-the-school-year retirements were accepted by the D-11 board on Wednesday for Coronado High School Principal Susan Humphrey and Mitchell High School Principal Larry Cutter.

The jobs were posted on the district Web site on Thursday and also will be posted on state educational Web sites, said Linda Thompson, administrative assistant in human resources.

D-20 lost principals at Air Academy and Rampart high schools last fall when both took jobs overseas at international schools. The principal of Antelope Trails Elementary School also left.

Since the school year was under way, D-20 hired former administrators as interim principals and launched a search to hire for the next school year.

D-20 spokeswoman Nanette Anderson said names of the top candidates for the high school jobs are expected to be submitted to the school board next week for approval. The district conducted a national search and had 39 applicants for the two jobs.

Preliminary interviews for the elementary position are being scheduled, she said.

Both districts use search committees of students, parents, staff and community members to help identify finalists for high school principal positions, which are among the top administrative positions for school districts.  The finalists are interviewed by the district superintendent, who makes a hiring recommendation to the school board.

The four high schools hiring now have student populations ranging from about 1,100 at Mitchell to 1,600 at Rampart, and the principal salaries range from about $95,000 to more than $100,000.

Humphrey has been with D-11 since 1984, and is in her sixth year as principal at Coronado.She previously was assistant principal at Coronado and also held that job at Wasson High School.

Cutter was hired by D-11 in 2003 as an assistant principal at Mitchell, and moved into the top job there in 2006.

Last year, D-11 had a bit of controversy in its effort to hire a principal at Doherty High School. The board rejected the first recommendation to hire Dennis Vigil, saying the search and interview process was flawed.

The district re-advertised the job and held public interviews with three finalists before Vigil’s name again was forwarded to the board and he was approved.

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