Retirements, shuffles between schools and some resignations mean 11 Salem elementary schools and one in Keizer will have new leaders this fall.
Houck and Judson middle schools in south Salem are also getting new principals.
For the first time since the fall of 2019, all six major Salem-Keizer School District high schools will keep the same principal as last school year.
The ripple effect of spring layoffs and position cuts across the district mean several former district administrators are returning to principal jobs this year.
Here’s a guide to which schools are seeing new leadership.
Bush Elementary
Jazmin Garcia, formerly an assistant principal at Scott Elementary, is moving to Bush. Bush’s former principal, Nubia Green, is moving to Scott Elementary.
Clear Lake Elementary
Joni Pruett will lead Clear Lake. She was most recently a principal on special assignment, a district level position that helps with multiple schools. Prior to that job, she was principal at Lamb Elementary in 2022.
Englewood Elementary
Dawn Holmstrom is taking over as principal after former Principal Geoff Wetherell resigned at the end of the school year. Holmstrom was previously an administrator at Auburn Elementary, according to district records, and has taught at several Salem elementary schools.
Harritt Elementary
Scott Stenlund is moving to Harritt after spending the past three years at Morningside Elementary. He was previously principal at Washington Elementary. Former Harritt principal Melinda Wilson is moving to Lee Elementary.
Kalapuya Elementary
Greg Watson, most recently principal of Clear Lake Elementary, is moving to Kalapuya Elementary to replace the school’s longtime principal, Jennifer Neitzel. Neitzel has been working on a contract since her 2021 retirement. That contract ended at the end of last school year, district spokesman Aaron Harada said.
Lee Elementary
Melinda Wilson, who was principal at Harritt Elementary for seven years, is moving to Lee. Lee’s former principal, Erica Manzo, is moving to Washington Elementary.
McKinley Elementary
Sandie Price will become McKinley’s principal after serving for more than a decade in district administrator positions. She was a longtime elementary school director and most recently was director of school improvement for the district. She has not been a principal in Salem-Keizer, but previously worked in the Yoncalla School District as a principal and elementary school teacher, according to her LinkedIn.
McKinley’s previous principal, Michelle Nelson, is moving to Pringle Elementary.
Morningside Elementary
Kristi Auvinen, an assistant principal at Lamb Elementary, is moving to be a principal at Morningside. Scott Stunlund, who was Morningside’s principal for three years, is moving to Harritt Elementary.
Pringle Elementary
Michelle Nelson, who was principal at McKinley Elementary for seven years, is moving to Pringle. David Berthoff, the school’s former principal, retired.
Scott Elementary
Nubia Green, former principal at Bush Elementary, is moving to Scott. She replaces Tom Charboneau, who spent two years at Scott and is moving to a district job as a principal on special assignment, working on curriculum and efforts to support struggling students.
Washington Elementary
Erica Manzo, who was principal at Lee Elementary for three years, will lead Washington. The school’s previous principal, Madga Romero, is moving to Houck Middle School.
Yoshikai Elementary
Longtime principal Zan Payne retired at the end of the school year. Jesse Leonard, who was previously working as a district-level administrator, will lead Yoshikai.
Houck Middle School
Madga Romero will become Houck’s third new principal in five years. She comes to Houck from Washington Elementary and has also been a principal at Cummings Elementary. The school’s previous principal, Rosa Diaz-Avery, resigned at the end of the school year after two years leading Houck.
The school will also get a new assistant principal. Former Assistant Principal Shirley Richardson is moving to Stephens Middle School. Replacing her is Joe Valencia, who’s been working at the district as a principal on special assignment.
Judson Middle School
Jordan Radke replaces longtime principal Alicia Kruska, who retired at the end of the year. Radke was previously an assistant principal at Stephens Middle School.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
