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The Newark Board of Education has named six new principals – all stepping into the role for the first time – with the majority coming from within the district.
Four of the new principals will be at elementary schools, and two will work at high schools, including the new Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design opening this fall after a three-year delay. The majority are veteran educators and administrators and, combined, they bring decades of experience to the job.
Other leadership changes include the appointment of Sandra Marques as the new assistant superintendent of the East and Central School Leadership Team and Corey Dawkins, who comes from a community college in New York, as the new executive director of facilities.
Candidates for principal roles must have the New Jersey principal standard certificate or a certificate of eligibility for principal and complete an application for the position. Each candidate interviews with multiple departments and staff members before a final interview with Superintendent Roger León.
This year’s announcement of top leaders follows last year’s efforts to diversify the ranks of school principals and vice principals and create teacher-to-leader pipelines. Four of the six principal promotions are for women of color, one is for a Black man, and another for a Latino man.
It also follows the district’s trend of hiring first-time principals while reshuffling school leadership. In previous years, the district’s support of first-year heads had been under scrutiny after it replaced first-year principals at Science Park and Vocational High Schools and last school year demoted Avon Avenue Elementary School’s first-year principal to a teacher.
The new principals “bring a deep commitment to academic excellence and student success,” said León in a district press release last week. The appointees “have demonstrated the expertise, integrity, and passion” to lead district schools, added school board President Hasani Council in the release.
The school leaders must also work to help students learn and create inclusive spaces, as recommended by a district consulting firm following allegations of racism and harassment at the Newark School of Global Studies. More than 90% of the student body identifies as Latino or Black, but the district’s teaching force doesn’t always match.
Six first-time principals to lead Newark schools
The Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design is expected to welcome students in September, and district leaders tapped Soraia Mendes, the former vice principal at Technology High School, to lead the new school. The new trade high school opening in the East Ward is set to focus on three trades – plumbing, electricity, and HVAC – and allow students to study architecture and interior design. It was originally scheduled for a 2022 fall opening, but stop-work orders issued by the state over wage complaints and changes in contractors have delayed the project.
Mendes taught English at East Side High School for six years before assuming the role of vice principal at Technology for 12 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in modern languages and literature from the University of Coimbra in Portugal and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Scranton. As a child, Mendes attended Wilson Avenue School before moving to Portugal.
The district also recruited Kean University assistant professor Dr. Rafael Inoa to lead Bard High School Early College. This is Inoa’s first time in a K-12 administrative role. He will replace former principal David Cutts, who was appointed to the principal position in 2023. Inoa brings more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, researcher, and program evaluator. He holds a bachelor of arts in Hispanic and Caribbean studies from Rutgers University, a master of arts in educational leadership from Saint Peter’s University, and a Ph.D. in educational research and program evaluation from Seton Hall University. He started his career as a middle school English teacher in Jersey City.
The district also hired Michael F. Dixon, the former assistant principal at Orange Preparatory Academy, to lead Belmont Runyon Schools. He will replace former principal Robin Williams, who was appointed last school year. Dixon started his career in 2000 as an eighth grade teacher at the district’s former Miller Street School and later became a teacher coach at Ivy Hill Elementary School. He holds a bachelor of arts in management with a minor in retail merchandising from Montclair State University, and a dual master’s in curriculum and instruction math K-14 and leadership from Concordia University.
At the elementary school level, Tania Sousa-Vilar will lead Wilson Avenue Elementary School after former principal Margarita Hernandez-Abeigon retired after more than two decades in the district. Sousa-Vilar graduated from Wilson Avenue and previously served as a teacher at Ann Street Elementary School and a teacher coach and vice principal at Wilson Avenue. She brings 20 years of experience working in the district.
Najie Kennedy was tapped to lead Rafael Hernandez Elementary School this year, replacing former principal Jessica Rios, who was appointed in 2023. Kennedy began her teaching career in the South Bronx and, most recently, was the vice principal at Elliot Street Elementary School. She earned a bachelor of business administration in accounting from Adelphi University and a master’s degree in childhood education with a specialization in special education from Brooklyn College, and another in educational leadership from the College of Saint Rose.
The district also promoted Qadriyyah Williams to a principal role at South Seventeenth Street School. She will replace former principal Clarence Allen, who led the school for more than 10 years. Williams was the vice principal at South Seventeenth and began her career as an English language arts teacher at the district’s former Harold Wilson Middle School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Seton Hall University.
District leaders also recruited two other individuals for top roles.
Newark appointed Marques as the district’s new assistant superintendent of the East and Central School Leadership Team. She brings more than 25 years of experience working in district schools. She is the former district director of career and technical education.
The district appointed Dawkins as the district’s new executive director of facilities, bringing more than 20 years of experience in facilities management. He recently served as the director of campus facilities and chief sustainability officer at SUNY Orange, a public community college.
Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
