NEWS

Three principals retiring from Newark City Schools

Emily Maddern
emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

NEWARK – The Newark City School District is losing three principals at the end of the school year.

Mark Fullen, at Newark High School, Sara Brlas at Carson Elementary School, and Martha Harmon at William H. McGuffey Elementary School all will say goodbye to the district in the coming weeks.

Superintendent Doug Ute said it's atypical for the district to see three administrators leave at the same time as administrative positions have had very little turnover in the past few years.

"We've had longevity and consistency out of these positions, and I think that's been great for the district," Ute said. "Our big challenge is replacing these three in our buildings because they are effective leaders and they've done a good job for us."

Newark High School hosted a public forum Monday, inviting teachers, students and other interested community members to provide input on traits to look for in the next Newark High School principal.

Fullen is retiring after six years at Newark High School and a 30-year career in education. It's been a good 30 years, Fullen said, and with the changes to the State Teachers Retirement System, it felt like the right time.

"The changes in the retirement system kind of made the decision easy," he said. "I've pretty much had my fill after 30 years. It's just not about the kids anymore, it's about all the hoops we have to have kids jump through and make kids uniform in terms of what they're capable of doing or not doing."

For Fullen, it wasn't uncommon to work a 12-hour day, and sometimes more. He would check in at the school around 7 a.m. and sometimes not leave until after the school's sporting events and other activities were over, getting home around 10 p.m.

So the short days and more down time will be a welcome change to his schedule when he retires, Fullen said. But he's heard from his colleagues over the years that it's hard not to miss the kids, and he thinks that will be true for him as well.

"I think being around the kids invigorates you and keeps you younger, and I'm sure I'll miss that," he said. "The kids have always been the most important thing to me, it's why I got into education. I always tried to go out of my way and develop relationship with kids because I wanted to help them be successful and see them overcome the challenges they have."

Each one of the retiring principals have been an asset to the district over the years, Ute said, and although he is sad to see them go he wishes them the best of luck on their next adventure.

"I'm really excited for them as they take their next step. ... We are very appreciative of their efforts and are thankful that they chose to spend time here in Newark," he said.

Public forums will be scheduled for the Carson and McGuffey principal positions in the coming weeks. Ute hopes all three positions will be filled by the end of May.

emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @emmaddern