Parents, staff upset with principal shake-up in this Pierce County district

The Peninsula School District announced new principal staffing changes that will take effect July 1 across nearly half of its schools.

The district — which operates 17 schools across the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas — announced on April 10 that it would be implementing “principal transitions” for the upcoming school year.

The changes will impact principals and assistant principals in two high schools, three middle schools and three elementary schools.

David Morill, a spokesperson for the Association of Washington Principals, told The News Tribune via email that principal changes within a school district are not uncommon in Washington state. Morill added that districts will sometimes move principals and assistant principals around as a strategic tool to match their strengths to school needs and give their staff broader experience.

Peninsula High School and Gig Harbor High School will trade assistant principals, as will Goodman Middle School and Kopachuck Middle School. Pioneer Elementary’s principal will become principal of Goodman Middle School, while Goodman’s current principal will become the principal of Purdy Elementary. Meanwhile, Purdy Elementary’s current principal will become the principal of Pioneer Elementary. Lastly, Harbor Ridge Middle School’s assistant principal will become principal of Minter Creek Elementary, whose current principal will become the assistant principal of Harbor Ridge Middle.

No changes are planned at Henderson Bay High School, Key Peninsula Middle School, Artondale Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Evergreen Elementary, Harbor Heights Elementary, Swift Water Elementary, Vaughn Elementary and Voyager Elementary.

Local parents and school staff expressed surprise and confusion at the announcement. Some criticized the decision, raising concerns about disruptions to school management and education, as well as what some found to be a lack of rationale and transparency from the district.

Jessica Gamble, president of the Parent-Teacher Association at Minter Creek Elementary, shared communications to parents from the district with The News Tribune that listed the reasons for the changes being a need for fresh perspectives, professional growth, equitable leadership and a strengthening of the bonds between schools across the district. An email from the school district said the choice to make reassignments was “a standard approach used by educational systems nationwide.”

“These changes bring fresh perspectives and opportunities for our school communities,” an email from the school district read. “We deeply value the strong relationships formed between students, families, staff, and principals, and look forward to building new connections.”

Jake Voss, a spokesperson for the Peninsula School District, said the district does not have a specific amount of time after which administrators will be moved going forward, but said they would be reconsidering the needs of the schools every four to five years, which could come with future leadership changes.

A Minter Creek Elementary teacher, who spoke with The News Tribune on the condition of anonymity due to fear of repercussions to their career, said that due to the implementation of the school board’s “Staff Expression” policy 5254 in the fall, teachers have felt unable to speak up about their concerns and criticisms of the decision. Policy 5254 states that “employee expression that has an adverse impact on district operations” may lead to disciplinary action up to termination, and declares that “employees who use social media platforms are encouraged to remember that the school community may not be able to separate employees as private citizens from their role within the district.”

Gamble told The Tribune the community was blindsided by the announcement of the upcoming changes, with the parents finding out only hours after school staff were informed on April 10.

She said Minter Creek Elementary principal Todd Hering has been a positive force on the school, which is one of the smallest and less-resourced in the district. The decision to move Hering, a beloved school administrator, to Harbor Ridge Middle in Gig Harbor particularly stings, she said, because of Gig Harbor’s greater wealth compared to the Key Peninsula. According to data from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Minter Creek Elementary serves a 40.4% low-income student population, while Harbor Ridge Middle has an 18.5% low-income student population.

At Minter Creek Elementary, students organized to chant their principal’s name at recess, Gamble said. The Minter Creek Elementary School PTA posted a video of the chant on its Facebook page on April 15.

In an email exchange shared with The News Tribune, Gamble expressed her concerns to the office of PSD Superintendent Krestin Bahr, which defended the district’s decision by citing guidance from the Wallace Foundation’s Principal Pipeline Initiative, stating that “districts that rotate leaders strategically, provide mentoring, and align roles to skill-building are more likely to retain effective principals, strengthen school climate, and boost student achievement.” District leadership further added in the email that the decision is part of a “proactive strategy” to build leadership that meets schools’ needs, writing that Hering’s expertise qualifies him to combat harassment and bullying in his new assignment at Harbor Ridge Middle School.

Although she noted she was grateful to have received a phone call from her local school district board member, Gamble said there has been little discussion with parents about the merit of the decision and that she has felt unheard and unsupported by the district.

“If they’re moving him because they think another school needs him more, that is a problem,” Gamble said.

Hering’s work to build trust among teachers and parents at Minter Creek Elementary over his five years as principal has helped transform the school, she added. Many local parents feel his removal would hurt their school in the long run, and they have been unsatisfied with the scant communication from the school district, Gamble said.

On April 12, the Minter Creek Elementary PTA started an online petition calling for the current principals to remain in place, for the district to be transparent about its rationale and for the school board to host an open forum with parents. People have been eager to sign and ask about how to make their concerns be heard, Gamble said.

“We have a small building, we don’t have a lot of resources — what we do have is a great principal that cares about our culture, and it shows,” she said.

As of April 14, the petition had more than 160 signatures.

Gamble said the lack of parent or community input in the changes was an important issue to raise with the board because it could be a preview of how future decisions will be made, adding that although some district schools are not affected by the April 10 announcement, they might feel the next one. Parents and staff at Purdy Elementary and Pioneer Elementary have also expressed their own dismay, she said.

The Purdy Elementary School PTA was reached by The News Tribune on the phone but declined to comment.



The Minter Creek Elementary PTA plans to take the petition to the upcoming school board meeting on April 22 and some parents hope to give speeches there, she added.

“It’s us this year, but who will it be next year? Who’s going to be upset next year?” Gamble said. “The principal and vice principal of my kid’s (Key Peninsula) Middle School have really turned it around as well — will they be moved next?”

This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 5:15 AM.