Central Valley Grade School Principals Do The Shuffle

Olivia McCarthy admits she’s a packrat.

So, on this last week of school the principal at Keystone Elementary has quite a job. She is filling boxes, sorting files, trying to decide what’s a gem, what’s chaff.

After eight years at Keystone, McCarthy is moving down the street to McDonald Elementary. Among the gems she’s particularly interested in are materials she’ll be able to use as a new principal.

“I’m delighted to be going to McDonald,” she said. Her role in the first year, she explained, will be primarily learning and listening, to understand the children’s needs and the teachers’ strengths.

McCarthy is one of four Central Valley School District grade school principals transferring to new schools next year. The chain of moves started with Liberty Lake Elementary, now under construction.

“I think change can be very healthy from a leadership perspective,” said Central Valley superintendent Wally Stanley.

After deciding to move Chester Elementary principal Dennis Olson to Liberty Lake, district officials met with Chester parents. “We asked ‘What are your needs for the next principal?”’ Stanley said. “What they identified was, we felt, a perfect fit for Linda Uphus.” And so on.

Here are the other reassignments in Central Valley:

Uphus, principal at Sunrise Elementary for four years, will move to Chester.

Jan Struthers, principal at McDonald for five years, will move to Sunrise.

Val Anderson, vice principal at North Pines Junior High, will move to Keystone. “Val started in elementary education. She taught there for years,” said Billie Gehres, head of personnel. “That’s where her real heart is.”

Jerrol Olson, a fourth grade teacher and administrative assistant from the Robert Reed Lab School in Cheney, is moving to Adams Elementary. Adams principal Glen Bailey is retiring.

At Evergreen Junior High, where principal Lance Erie is retiring, Dave Feldhusen will serve as principal. Feldhusen, a former University High School teacher, most recently was assistant principal at North Central High School.

, DataTimes