 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Seminole High School principal to retire
By LORRI HELFAND
© St. Petersburg Times, After months of soul-searching, Seminole High School principal Richard Duncan said Thursday that he has lost trust in the school system and has decided to retire rather than take a demotion and a pay cut. Duncan, 55, a Pinellas County educator for 29 years, said he came to his decision after the administration gave him the runaround. He had heard he would be transferred to a different school last July. Three months later, he learned from a newspaper article that the move would be a demotion. He said he considered staying in the system and asked that his salary be maintained, but the district took too long to respond. When he did not get an answer, Duncan said he was humiliated and decided to move on. His retirement goes into effect today. "It wasn't just about money. My decision was based upon principles. It was just the final straw. I don't feel like I could have kept my integrity and worked for the school system. The trust was just not there," Duncan said. At first, Duncan said, he was bitter. Now, he said, "I'm just thrilled to get out." Duncan said he didn't commit a major infraction but was treated as if he had. He doesn't know why he was demoted but said he has suspicions. "Everybody is looking for some smoking gun that's not there. It's political and it's personal," he said but declined to elaborate. Student Advisory Council member and volunteer coordinator Judy Serata didn't understand the demotion either. "I felt like he was being railroaded, and I didn't now why," she said. No red flags were raised in district evaluations, although administrative comments raised questions about his leadership. One incident occurred last June over class standings. Jody Berman and her mother approached Seminole High administrators, believing that there was a mistake in class standings. Jody believed she was salutatorian, even though the title was given to another student. After recalculating the rankings, the school told her she was indeed co-salutatorian. Two weeks later, the Pinellas County School District overruled that decision and said the original calculations were correct. Area superintendent Cathy Athanson could not be reached Thursday, but in April she told the Times that Duncan's leadership didn't meet district expectations. He needed to run the school more effectively, create a climate conducive to changeand implement new teaching strategies, she said. In May 1999, Athanson had rated Duncan a "highly effective" leader, and in March 2000, she rated him as an "effective" leader. She also checked a box recommending a salary increase. News of Duncan's retirement surprised Dr. Mitchell Kroungold, former Student Advisory Council chairman, who said he was disappointed to hear the news: "I know that he had the support of the PTA and many of the faculty were very distressed to hear he was leaving. Seminole High School is going to be losing a very competent administrator. I'm sorry to hear that he's leaving the system," he said. English teacher Carol Parzik put a positive spin on the news. "I think he'll be fine no matter what he does," she said. "He's just a really good person." Duncan, whose career as an educator spanned 31 years, received his bachelor's degree from Ohio University and his master's degree from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, where he later served as an assistant coach and athletic instructor. After two years of teaching, he moved to Florida and began teaching at Riviera Middle School. Over the years, he worked his way up the ladder at several district schools, including Madeira Beach Middle School and Northeast, Pinellas Park and Countryside high schools. In 1992, Duncan took the helm of Seminole High after serving as assistant principal at East Lake High School. Duncan said he's leaving the school on a high note: Seminole High's grade jumped from a C to a B, the football team had a winning season and school morale was at an all-time high Over the next few months, he plans to visit his daughter, Whitney, in Georgia and relax at a home in the North Carolina mountains. After that, things are a bit up in the air. When he returns to the area he plans to work with the North Pinellas Humane Society, where he serves on the board, while he looks for a job. Duncan said he has a positive outlook on his future. The events of the past few months and a recent medical scare put life in perspective for him, he said. "I love my job at Seminole High School, but it's just a job. There's more to life," he said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
