The Haines Borough School District is back in the market for an assistant principal this week, after unforeseen personal circumstances forced its recent hire to resign.
Aimee Romeijn had been named to the job in the spring and moved to Haines earlier in the summer, with a contract start date of Aug. 1.
But last week she informed the board she would not be able to fulfill her contract because of “unexpected personal reasons,” principal Lilly Boron told the CVN. “She was very much looking forward to working here, but we can’t always foresee what will come our way.”
Superintendent Roy Getchell agreed. “I know she had every intention of starting and was excited to be here,” he said.
Although the school is now advertising the position, both Getchell and Boron said they don’t want to rush into finding a replacement. “We’re not just going to settle and fill the position if it’s not the right fit,” Getchell said. “We want to make sure it’s the right person.”
Until then, he said, he and other administrators will “multitask,” with various staff members “picking up different pieces.”
“Every position in education is hard to fill now,” Boron said. Administrators told the CVN in May that they were receiving about a tenth the number of applications for each open position compared to a decade ago.“But I know we’ll do the best with what we have, and we’re looking forward to a good school year.”
Still, she said, “long term we will need an assistant principal. That’s not a position that can be absorbed for the long term.”
The assistant principal’s responsibilities include “student services” (such as discipline), oversight of testing, professional development, applying for federal grants and supervision of the school’s day-to-day operations.
The 2022-23 academic year begins for faculty and staff next week, with students returning to the classroom on Aug. 23.