Schools

Letter to Ralston Parents Says Carson is Resigning

There is some confusion among parents as to whether Ralston Middle School Principal Scott Carson resigned or was terminated.

 

[Editor's note: The following letter was sent to Ralston Middle School parents and guardians on Wednesday regarding the employment status of Principal Scott Carson.]

 A Letter from the District Office and Principal Scott Carson:  

Dear Ralston Middle School and Belmont-Redwood Shores School District Teachers, Staff, Parents, and Community Members;

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Mr. Scott Carson, the Board of Trustees and Interim Co-Superintendents, Nellie Hungerford and Dr. Suzanne Roy would like to thank the community for its outpouring of support for Mr. Carson and Ralston Middle School.  Having an engaged community is a wonderful tradition in Belmont and serves us all well.  After a lot of thought, Mr. Carson has decided that this will be his last year as principal at Ralston Middle School.  The District supports this decision and the Board thanks Mr. Carson for his hard work this year and looks forward to finding his successor.  

The District and Mr. Carson would like to ask for everyone's continued support to ensure a smooth administrative transition for Ralston Middle School.   

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Dr. Roy and Mr. Carson are working on a transition plan to assist the school and its next principal. They agree that the next principal must be able to lead a school with approximately 1,200 students while supporting the ongoing work of the District related to Common Core Standards, narrowing the achievement gap, and integrating technology. The new leader will also have responsibility for implementing the new school website and the parent portal component of School Loop.

School District officials are planning to have a new principal in place for the next school year, ideally by the end of May. The District has already advertised for the position and will begin screening applications within the next week. The District will be following the established protocol that includes: the opportunity for parents, staff, and teachers to provide input on the leadership profile and to participate in the preliminary interviews. Top candidates will be forwarded to the final interview panel which consists of the Interim Co-Superintendents and Board members.  The Interim Co-Superintendents will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, who will then meet in a nonpublic session to vote to select the chosen candidate.  Dr. Roy said that ideally, she would like the new principal in place by the last May meeting of the School Board.

"It is heartwarming to receive the support that I received from parents,  teachers and students," said Mr. Carson, "Now it's time to focus our energies on the students and ensure a smooth transition." Again, Mr. Carson and the District would like to thank everyone for their continued support of Ralston Middle School. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Scott Carson                         Mr. Robert Tashjian

Principal                                     President of Board of Trustees

Dr. Suzanne Roy                         Ms. Nellie Hungerford

Interim Co-Superintendent         Interim Co-Superintendent  

 
Related stories on Patch:

School Board Takes No Action on Carson

Parents Rally Around Fired Principal

Ralston Principal to Leave at End of School Year

Ralston Has New Principal


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