Slemp to Retire in June

On Wednesday morning, a major announcement was made at Berkeley High School: Principal Jim Slemp, who is currently in his seventh year at BHS, will be retiring after the end of this school year.

The administration got word of the decision on Monday. The search for a new principal has not yet begun in earnest, but Slemp will not have a major part the selection process, and will be focusing instead on school operations until his official departure on June 30.

“I’m not going to be here, so it needs to be the folks who are going to be here — students, parents, and staff,” said Slemp. “That will be set up by the Superintendent.”

Some members of the BHS community have speculated on the logistics of a change in leadership at this time, due to the several major changes that are planned for the 2010–2011 school year.

“There’s a sense of direction,” said Slemp. “I’m the responsible person, but there are many joint decisions. I feel comfortable leaving at this point because we have great people in the right places, and I feel totally confident in their leadership to keep things moving forward.”

Slemp came to BHS in the fall of 2003, following a period during which the position of principal had been held by a number of different individuals, none of whom stayed in the position for longer than 18 months.

As principal, Slemp has overseen significant developments at the school, including the formation of the current six small learning communities. In recent years, Slemp has been active in the determination of a new bell schedule, and recently spearheaded the creation of the BHS Action Plan, a collection of changes for the coming school year that will include advisory for all students and an altered schedule.

This plan also contained a provision for the incorporation of science labs into the school day that has drawn significant controversy both locally and outside of the Bay Area, and has not yet been resolved. Some conflict between the administration and staff has arisen due to this and other recent issues. However, Slemp has stated that these issues are not relevant to his announcement.

“I really feel that the school is in a good place,” said Slemp. “This is not a negative thing. People who take any kind of leadership position and make it about them — those are the crazy people. It’s about the school, and it’s about the kids. Nothing is dependent on one person ... I love what I do, and I’ll keep doing it up until the 30th.”