Principal of Secondary Schools Jason Caudill will become principal of just the high school in the 2025-26 school year, as approved by the Board of Education Feb. 13.
Superintendent Jason Fine said the decision has been in process for a while, and it has involved multiple conversations with administrators and staff.
“I began talking officially with our school leadership team about a change several months ago, and I followed up with Mr. Caudill to get his feelings on a potential change,” he explained.
Caudill said the decision was necessary, as managing both the middle and high school has been difficult. An administrative intern had been helping in the middle school until last year, he added.
“He graduated from his program and moved on to his own principal job, so it made it hard to get everything done,” he explained.
Although it was a heavier workload, Caudill said he enjoyed learning about both schools and connecting with different students.
“I really liked doing both jobs and being able to do so many different things in a day,” he added.
As for deciding which building to work in, Caudill said it was an impossible task.
“I asked Dr. Fine where he wanted me because I did not want to make that choice,” he said.
In the end, Fine said he recommended Caudill to be principal of the high school.
“Thanks to Mr. Caudill, his administrative team and our amazing faculty, we are in an optimal moment to restructure to continue our success,” Fine explained.
Assistant Principal of the middle school Jerome Price said he is in his second year as an assistant principal and is ready to assume a new role.
“My experiences as an assistant principal have been wonderful and prepared me to take on the principalship,” he said. “I am really looking forward to building on our success while also impacting meaningful change for our students and staff.”
Caudill said the benefits of the change don’t just end at the middle school. He explained the decision will define the roles and responsibilities of the administrative team.
“Mr. Cook is going to take the lead on the summer school, and Mrs. Kearns is going to take the lead on the online school,” he added.
Caudill said there will also be a gradual athletics transition. He explained in two years, the athletic director will report to him.
Although Caudill will eventually be supervising athletics, he said he thinks his role in the high school will be overarching.
“A lot of the meetings Mrs. Kearns and Mr. Cook are in this year, I’m going to take over so they can be more responsive in the moment,” he added.
Caudill said for him the change is bittersweet, because he’s moving on from something he’s invested in but starting something new.
“I’ve been at the middle school for 15 years, and I love the middle school,” he explained. “But just getting to know the high school, and having a chance to learn so much more, that’s a new challenge.”
