Vincent Baxter, principal of the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Falls Church, has resigned from his position effective next month, and the Falls Church School Board has accepted his resignation at its meeting last night, a statement from the City Schools reported this morning.
Vincent Baxter, principal of the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Falls Church, has resigned from his position effective next month, and the Falls Church School Board has accepted his resignation at its meeting last night, a statement from the City Schools reported this morning.
Superintendent Dr. Lois Berlin announced that TJ Assistant Principal Bob Palermo will be promoted to principal upon Baxter’s departure. Baxter served as principal for two years, replacing Trudy Taylor. He has been with the Falls Church Schools since 2006, beginning as an assistant principal at Henderson Middle School.
Following on Taylor’s efforts to initiate exploration of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the City’s elementary schools, Baxter has been charged with implementing it at TJ. While the first phase of implementation is underway, the school continues to work for formal recognition as an IB school.
The City Schools’ statement today quoted Baxter saying, “My decision to leave is personal and stems from a desire to work a little closer to home so that I can be more involved with my own children’s lives as well as the lives of the students I serve in school.”
With Palermo becoming principal at TJ next month, the school’s IB Primary Years Program (PYP) coordinator Mary Kay Howard will assume the role of assistant principal. Dr. Berlin made her decisions on the new principal and assistant principal public this morning. “Mr. Palermo and Ms. Howard have been a part of the school culture for many years, and they are well-respected by the faculty, staff, students and parents. They are well-versed in the PYP and its attributes. All of this will help ensure a smooth transition,” she said in today’s release.
