Wawasee Stays Mum On Principal’s Reassignment
As StaceyPageOnline.com first reported, Don Harman was reassigned from his role as principal at Wawasee High School (see story). The reassignment was announced during the Wawasee school board meeting last night.
Effective July 1, Harman was reassigned within the school corporation, but no details have been released about what position he may be filling. Harman was replaced as principal by Mike Schmidt, who had been the assistant principal since June 2011.
Harman’s reassignment was officially approved by the Wawasee school board — quietly — during the regular monthly meeting April 12. His reassignment was not included with the regular agenda that month, but was added just prior to the meeting. His status was also not discussed and his name was not mentioned during the April 12 meeting. It is not unusual for items to be added after the agenda is released, but typically those are explained or discussed during a regular school board meeting.
A few days prior to the June 11 regular meeting of the school board, Wawasee Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington recommended WHS Assistant Principal Mike Schmidt be promoted to principal and Harman be reassigned as an eighth-grade science teacher at Wawasee Middle School for the 2013-14 academic year. This was discussed further in an executive session prior to the June 11 meeting and then during the regular public meeting, the board voted — again quietly — to promote Schmidt to principal.
Edington explained the reasoning for keeping Harman’s status quiet. “We wanted to keep it under the radar because we felt it was only fair to him to be given some time to find another position,” he said. “He has been looking elsewhere for a job.”
After Tuesday’s regular school board meeting, Edington did not give specific details about where Harman has been reassigned and would only say the science teaching position at WMS is still open and Harman being moved there is still an option. It is certain, though, he will not become the assistant principal at WHS because that position has now been filled by Geoff Walmer.