Schools
Batavia School Board Approves Principal Swap
Batavia School Board members on Tuesday approved the transfer of some elementary school principals. Here are the ones affected and why.
Three Batavia elementary school principals will leave their buildings at the end of this school year for other positions in the district.
- Cynthia Sikorski, principal, will become the district's Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
- Dr. Kristine Webster, principal, will move to fill Sikorski’s spot at H.C. Storm.
- Kevin Skomer, principal, will take Webster’s place at Louise White.
- All changes will begin July 1, 2012.
The district is now in search of a principal for Grace McWayne School. The position will be posted today (Wednesday) or Thursday, said Batavia Superintendent Jack Barshinger.
The Batavia School Board on Tuesday approved the Barshinger-recommended transfers during their regular meeting.
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“I will miss working at H.C. Storm, which I have called home for the past 18 years,” Sikorski said in an online message to school district residents.
Based on the new Performance Evaluation Reform Act and other Senate Bill 7 requirements, the district must build elementary capacity to implement a new teacher appraisal system, the district said in the message.
Sikorski will be involved in the development of mandated Common Core Curriculum and required grade-level common assessments. She will report to the district's Chief Academic Officer, Brad Newkirk, formerly of .
Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Coping With Change
The district acknowledged that the change will not be easy for each affected school's community, and their principal.
“It will be difficult to leave my friends and colleagues at Louise White, but I look
forward to the new assignment given to me by Dr. Barshinger,” said Webster, who taught at Louise White for eight years before serving as principal for the past three years.
The new assignments use strengths of the district's elementary school leaders to prepare for new state and federal mandates that will begin next school year, the online message said.
“I am excited about the opportunity Superintendent Barshinger has given me,” Skomer said in the online message about the swap. He has served as principal at Grace McWayne Elementary School for 14 years. Skomer moved with the school from its former downtown location (converted to ) into a new building in 2001.
Another Batavia school already had a recent leadership change. Jan Wright, former administrator in the district's main office, became principal .
For more Batavia school news, visit batavia.patch.com/school-news.
