By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — The Principal of the Newport Middle School has announced that he will be leaving Newport to return to the Fall Mountain School District.
Tom Ronning, who has served as the Middle School Principal in Newport since 2020, was Principal of Fall Mountain High School for nine years from 2009 until 2016. He has cited personal reasons for his transfer.
With the first full day of school at the end of the month, administrators have worked diligently to find Ronning’s replacement. According to Newport Superintendent Donna Magoon, they have two plans to fill the position. An interview was conducted with a potential fit for the position, but should the district decide that the interviewee not be the person they are looking for, they have a contingency plan to place an interim middle school principal. Ronning currently has a 90 day contract with the Newport School District that would be finished on November 2,2022, but the school plans to release him from the contract in the coming week after they position has been filled.
“We have worked around how we are going to open our doors successfully and all of our kids are going to have a great education. We are moving forward and we are excited to start fresh,” Magoon said of the upcoming school year.
Like many schools across the country, Newport is currently facing staffing shortages for the upcoming school year. Recently, a number of staff including teachers, administrators and school board members have resigned from Newport, many citing issues with what they claim to be harassment and aggressive behavior from school board member Bert Spaulding Sr. The Newport School District also faces difficulty hiring and keeping staff as their, “teachers aren’t the highest paid in the district,” according to Magoon. Lastly, Magoon also cited the current nationwide perception of a career in the education field for the dwindling number of hire-ready teachers.
“When you watch the news or listen to the radio a lot of the things that you’re seeing aren’t happening in New Hampshire. You see teachers not feeling respected or supported, those things do happen in New Hampshire but that’s the nationwide perception. So what’s happening is if I’m graduating from high school and thinking of a career path and I’m seeing this negativity I’m not going to go that route. I’m going to do something that’s perceived as more fun,” said Superintendent Magoon.
The Newport school administration intends to continue to work diligently to change that perception, however. Representatives of the school district feel as though the amount of money in their annual budget shouldn’t necessarily be the deciding factor in regards to the success of the children’s education.
The school is also utilizing their teacher mentor program, in which long-time educators help to mentor the school’s newer teachers in an effort to encourage a positive workplace and therefore a positive learning environment. The school is also rethinking the scope of more traditional roles within the administration, with High School Principal Shannon Martin actively pursuing coaching a sports team in the upcoming year. Traditionally, principals have not coached teams, but the staff believe it is opportunities like this that will increase the bond between students and staff.
In-fighting among school board members has ceased in recent months as well. Administrative staff has said that constructive conversations with the school board have encouraged positive change. Both members of the board and administrative staff have said that their goals align and look forward to working together in the upcoming school year.
Recently, an effort made by Superintendent Magoon to have a School Resource Officer in Newport hit a speed bump when the town asked that the school pay the officer time and a half for their time at the school. After a conversation with the school board in which they stated they were not in favor of paying that amount, the board went as a united front to the next selectboard meeting to discuss other options for retaining an SRO. The school board will also be at the upcoming Apple Pie Crafts Fair on the Newport Common, giving out backpacks and meeting with the families whose children will be entering school in the upcoming school year.
“We are really focused on writing our own story. We want to change or undo any negative thoughts on Newport. To have a focus on changing the culture to make the school a warm welcoming place and that everyone feels supported and I believe that is what we are going to do,” Magoon said of her thoughts on the changes the school is making.
Ronning will be going to Fall Mountain High School where he will be replacing Principal Richard Towne. The announcement for who will be replacing Ronning will be announced either Friday evening or Monday morning by SAU 43.
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