Nine Anoka-Hennepin elementary schools to have new principals next school year
When the school year begins next September, nine Anoka-Hennepin elementary schools will have new principals.
The changes are the result of a retirement for one leader, a new professional opportunity for another, and the voter-approved construction of two new elementary schools in the district resulting in two current principals moving to new sites.
New elementary schools
In November of 2017, voters approved the construction of two new elementary schools — one in Blaine and another in Ramsey.
Deb Shepard, the current principal at Rum River Elementary School in Andover, was selected to lead the new school in Blaine. Dr. Anissa Cravens, the current principal at University Avenue Elementary School for Aerospace, Children’s Engineering, and Science (UAE) in Blaine, will lead the new school in Ramsey. Both will begin their new roles in July, and the new schools will open in the fall of 2019.
Retirement and new opportunity
Meanwhile, Brian Mann, principal at Champlin Brooklyn Park Academy for Environmental Science and Math (CBPA) in Champlin, is set to retire at the end of June. Matt Brain, the current assistant principal at Evergreen Park World Cultures Community School in Brooklyn Center has been chosen to succeed Mann at CBPA.
At Franklin Elementary School in Anoka, current principal Brian Erlandson recently announced he is taking a new professional opportunity outside of the Anoka-Hennepin School District. Sheryl Ray, the current principal at Evergreen Park, will take over for Erlandson in July.
Other leadership transitions
The shuffling of principal positions at those schools has resulted in some changing of roles at other schools, too.
With Shepard moving to the new Blaine elementary school, Rum River Elementary School will now be lead by Jeff Clusiau, the current principal at Ramsey Elementary School.
Moving to Ramsey will be Dr. Amy Reed, the current principal at Eisenhower Elementary School in Coon Rapids, and taking over at Eisenhower will be Lillian DeRung, a current assistant principal at Andover Elementary School.
Denise Schnabel, the current assistant principal at Adams Elementary School in Coon Rapids, will take over at Evergreen Park with Ray moving to Franklin.
The new roles for each of the principals begin in July.
Meanwhile, a principal at UAE will be selected in the next few weeks.