WCPS shifts school leadership personnel
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 17, 2014 1:46 PM
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Dean Sauls has been named acting associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Wayne County Public Schools has announced more administrative changes on the heels of the superintendent's pending retirement next month, including naming principals at the two new schools slated to open in the fall.
Last week, Superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor met with the school board before gathering his staff to share plans for his imminent retirement Dec. 1. The announcement prompted a called meeting of the board Thursday evening, during which Dr. Sandra McCullen, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, was named interim superintendent.
Mrs. McCullen, who had announced her own retirement plans mid-October, will postpone her retirement, which was to have begun Dec. 1. Instead, she accepted the interim position for the remainder of the school year, from Dec. 1 until June 30.
Her vacated position will be temporarily filled by Rosewood High School Principal Dean Sauls, named acting assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction/athletics. He will transition into the role, effective Jan. 22, 2015, which marks the beginning of the second semester of school.
Sauls returns to the administrative offices after having been at Rosewood for five and one-half years. Prior to being named the school's principal, he had served for six year as the district's director of secondary education, health/physical education, social studies and driver's eligibility.
He had previously taught at Norwayne Middle School and Charles B. Aycock High School, where he also served as athletic director until 2003.
Taking over the reins at Rosewood High on Jan. 22 will be Karen Small Rogers, currently assistant principal at Southern Wayne High School. She started her career in 1997 as an exceptional children's teacher at Southern Wayne before transferring to Tommy's Road Elementary School three years later. In 2005, she became Title I leader teacher, a teaching and learning coach and a lead teacher for human resources/Title II.
She had moved into administration, as assistant principal at Southern Wayne, in 2011.
Principals at the district's two newest middle schools, Grantham and Spring Creek, were also named, effective July 1, 2015.
Rosewood Middle School Principal Kevin Smith will take over the leadership duties at the new Spring Creek Middle School.
He has spent 20 years in education, serving in his present position since 2011. Prior to that, he was assistant principal at Spring Creek High and had taught at Charles B. Aycock and Norwayne Middle.
Replacing Smith at Rosewood Middle is his assistant principal, Freda Allen.
She had also started at the school in 2011 and has more than 18 years in the profession. Her career began in 1996 as a math teacher at Southern Wayne, a position she held for 15 years before the transition into administration.
Lisa Tart, principal of Grantham School since 2006, will move into the new Grantham Middle School. With more than 20 years experience, she began her career in 1994 as an English/language arts and social studies teacher at Forest Hills Middle School in Wilson, joining WCPS in 1996 as an English/history teacher at Rosewood Middle and High schools.
She was named assistant principal at Rosewood Middle in 2000, becoming its principal two years later.
The new principal at Grantham Elementary School will be Carver Elementary School elementary curriculum specialist Antoinette Ward.
Mrs. Ward has been in her present position since 2008 and has more than 23 years experience. She started out as a second-grade teacher in Winterville in 1991. She then taught in Georgia before joining WCPS in 1995 at Brogden Primary. In 2002, she transferred to North Drive Elementary, serving as a teacher, early intervention reading specialist and a Title I coordinator/home school coordinator.
Other administrative shifts include Ms. Allen's replacement as assistant principal at Rosewood Middle, Allen Williams. Williams is currently a sixth-grade teacher at Mount Olive Middle School. His new role will take effect July 1.
On Jan. 1, child nutrition program supervisor Dewanna Faison will step into the role of child nutrition program director now held by Barbara Ward, who is retiring.
Mrs. Faison has 25 years experience in the child nutrition program and has been in her present position for the past six years.