School District 43 has hired three retired principals to fill temporary positions in local schools.
Two of the temporary postings cover administrators taking a leave of absence while the third will replace a principal who has been appointed to head a new program to get absentee students back in the classroom.
Perry Muxworthy, who has been principal at Roy Stibbs elementary school, is in charge of the new Success for All program, which the SD43 board of education approved in its 2011-'12 budget. The $260,000 program was requested by the Coquitlam Principals' and Vice-principals' Association because of concern about non-attending students, including about three dozen at the middle school level.
Muxworthy will be replaced by Pinetree Way elementary school's Tricia Tipper, who will also oversee Mountain View elementary, while retired principal Christine Lauzon will take over for Tipper at Pinetree Way.
Two other retired administrators are replacing temporary leaves: Bruce Carabine will be vice-principal at Como Lake middle school in Coquitlam (where Karen Klein is taking a leave of absence) and Craig Reitchel will be vice-principal at Port Coquitlam's Minnekhada middle.
SD43 spokesperson Cheryl Quinton said hiring retired administrators for temporary postings provides stability.
"It's a great solution for us," she said. "These are experienced principals and the schools benefit in that it provides more stability and they go in knowing they're temporary."
But she said the district needs to build its pool of administrators and will likely do some recruiting this summer.
