The district also said goodbye to Charles Street School Principal Mark Pease
The Palmyra Board of Education voted June 20 not to bring back an art teacher at the Charles Street School and a popular counselor at Palmyra High School for next school year.
Jeffrey Graiff, the art teacher, and Christina Birch, the high school’s student assistant counselor, were let go “as a result of a reduction in force,” according to the board’s agenda.
In addition, the board voted to abolish their positions as well as an additional position in the district’s art department.
Last month, more than a dozen high school students and several parents and residents urged the board to retain Birch and Graiff. However, at the June 20 meeting, there was no public comment on the issue and board members did not discuss the action.
All board members who attended the meeting voted in favor of the move. Board members Nicolas Sarracino and Tonya Washington were absent.
The Board of Education made several other personnel moves during the meeting.
Lisa Sabo was appointed as Palmyra High School’s new principal. She will replace Kenneth Holloway, who will become the district’s chief academic performance officer, a position established at the May board meeting.
Sabo will receive a salary of $115,000 for the 2018–19 school year and start her new position July 1 pending a background check and contract release. She currently serves assistant principal at Bordentown Regional High School, according to that district’s website.
The board also bid farewell to Charles Street School Principal Mark Pease. He was recently approved as the new superintendent for the Somerdale School District.
Pease has served as principal at the Charles Street School since 2013, and Superintendent Brian McBride praised him for improving the school’s test scores and atmosphere.
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount in these six years working with him,” McBride said.
“He’s just done an amazing job changing the culture inside the Charles Street School,” he added. “We’ve seen our academic grades in Charles Street School go up over these last couple of years.”
Last month, the Board of Education voted to appoint McBride as the administrative principal at the Charles Street School for the 2018–19.
The board also appointed Christopher Tracey as the assistant principal at the Charles Street School. Tracey currently serves as the assistant principal at the high school.
