New School Year Will Mark Changes For Some Principals

You stay in one place long enough and generations pass like cars. After 29 years in the Mead School District, Conn Wittwer knows the grandchildren of his former students. Mike Dunn, the newly hired principal of Mount Spokane High School, was a student.

“It’s hard for me to retire and I love what I do,” said Wittwer, 64. But he recently remarried and wants to spend time with his new wife.

“The last of the old guard,” Wittwer has worked for the school district for 29 years and lived there since the Kennedy-Nixon debates. He’s been at Colbert since 1981.

Many other principals will switch schools this summer. The North Side school district moves include:

Nelda Gaffney, principal at Indian Trail Elementary, will retire this summer.

Gaffney, 55, marks 14 years in the Spokane School District and 25 as an elementary principal. She plans to visit Ireland and relatives on the East Coast. She wants to see more of her 7 grandchildren, ages 14 months to 9 years. She also wants to volunteer for civic project campaigns, such as a long-term care facility for severely emotionally disturbed children.

She will be replaced by Holmes Elementary principal Brad Lundstrom, who has been at the West Central school for two years.

The other two Indian Trail neighborhood elementary schools will also have new principals. Woodridge’s Denise Sandbo will switch to West Central’s Holmes Elementary. She will be replaced by Bob Pedersen, principal at Wilson.

Whitman principal John Corigliano is resigning to return to teaching. Being a principal for the last five years takes too much time away from his family. The school district is looking for his replacment.

“My pie was getting too lopsided,” he said.

The district is searching for Shadle Park High principal Mike Dunn’s replacement. Dunn was hired to run Mead’s Mount Spokane High School.

Other Mead staffing changes in addition to Wittwer:

Dave Groth, principal of Midway, will resign to return to teaching. He commutes daily from Idaho and wants more time with his family.

Marcia Young, principal of Evergreen, will move to Colbert. The school district is searching the job market for her replacement.

In Nine Mile Falls Len Matlock will be a half-time principal at Nine Mile Elementary. He is currently a teacher at Lake Spokane Elementary and replaces an intern.

, DataTimes