The Permian shuffle

Permian High School principal Roy Garcia started the fresh new school year with a fresh new administrative team.

Last year, the school only lost a few teachers to job changes, moving or retirement, but by the end of the school year, Garcia knew he’d be losing all but one of his counselors and all but one of his five attendance clerks.

Over the course of the summer, his vice principal Shelia Stevenson became the principal at Bowie Junior High and two assistant principals took jobs in different parts of the state.

Garcia had to replace his entire administrative team for the 2010-’11 school year. After a difficult school year, where Permian started out as an academically unacceptable campus, and then became the focus of a national news story when it was discovered that a 21-year-old man, Guerdwich Montimer, was posing as a 15-year-old sophomore. That shocking news was followed in late May with the arrest of a math teacher who was charged with having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

There was good news for Permian — the school is no longer listed as unacceptable. In fact, TAKS scores showed improvement on all levels and scores that far exceeded Odessa High School in every category.

But, after a tumultuous year, Garcia had a choice. Starting the new school year with a new administrative team could be a challenge or a chance. Garcia said he’s looking at it as a chance.

In any school, the teachers run their classrooms, but it’s the administration’s job to keep the school running. The assistant principals take care of their allotment of the student population. The vice principal is the second in command, and the principal is the one commanding the ship. If everyone does their jobs, the school keeps running.

And at Permian, a new team is settling in.

The duties for attendance clerks have changed since last year. Last year, attendance clerks were assigned to grade levels, but this year the students have been divided up alphabetically and assigned to dens.

Garcia has said he wants to see attendance above 95 percent this year. The attendance clerks will be expected to be vigilant about making personal calls to parents when students are absent, keeping careful track of the number of absences and handling possible truancies.

The new system has been an adjustment, but Marta Morris, formerly an attendance clerk at Bonham, said she likes her new environment.

“The new system has been an adjustment, it’s a new way of doing things, but the staff has been really welcoming and helpful,” Morris said.

Permian lost its most experienced counselors last year, Garcia said. The counseling staff spent the first week of school swamped with paperwork as they desperately worked to untangle schedules, register students and make sure all of the students had the right schedule.

“Everyone’s been really supportive. It’s been hectic, because anytime you start a new job, there are going to be things to learn, but everyone’s been really supportive,” new counselor Lori Jones said.

After Stevenson left, assistant principal Gregory Nelson became vice principal. Nelson was the sophomore principal last year, and he spent two months dealing with the fallout from the impostor scandal. Nelson had already served as a high school principal in Fort Stockton and after his experience juggling the Montimer scandal and his daily responsibilities as administrator for the largest grade level in school, he said he knew he could handle stepping into Stevenson’s shoes. Still, he said he’s been working hard to settle into his new job.

“It’s been an adjustment. There’s just been so much to do, but it’s been great. Change is good because you may lose the experience you had, but putting new people in new positions can give you a whole new perspective on things,” Nelson said.

Assistant principal Val Hernandez agreed.

“I think it’s great. The start of any new school year can be hectic, but I think it’s going really well. The new personalities are working well together, and I’m happy to be a part of this leadership team,” Hernandez said.

Garcia said he was sorry to see his old administrators go, but that it’s healthy to have some changes in the administration. Every new person brings a new perspective to the school, he said, and that’s what you want.

“We have differences in how we approach things, but you need different opinions. I don’t want anyone who just agrees with me. That’s what great about getting new people in,” he said.

Garcia said he thinks they’re going to have a great year at Permian.

“We’re going to be really focused on academics. We want to be exemplary and this is our last chance, and we’re really on the same page. I think this is going to be a great year,” Garcia said.