Samoset principal to move to combined Orange Ridge-Rogers Garden school for fall; Manatee district announces other changes

MANATEE -- When the combined Orange Ridge-Bullock and Rogers Garden elementary school opens in the fall, Pat Stream will take over as principal.

Stream is now principal at Samoset. The principal move was announced Wednesday by the Manatee County School District among a slew of other principal and administrative moves.

Last year, transfers were minimal, but retirements and the realignment and creation of new positions at the district level ended up in a number of principals being promoted, said Cynthia Saunders, deputy superintendent of instruction.

"A lot of it does depend on retirement and vacancies as well as requests of principals feeling like they might need to have a different opportunity or different experience," Saunders said.

Orange Ridge Principal Maribeth Mason will take over as principal at Samoset, and Rogers Garden Principal Latrina Singleton will move to Blackburn Elementary.

Stream was a part of district committees that helped change attendance zones through the central corridor to move students out of

Orange Ridge and into surrounding schools. Orange Ridge is the first school to close under a long-term district plan to help balance enrollment.

When it came to the Orange Ridge-Rogers Garden combination, Saunders said the district wanted a principal able to unify the two staffs.

"When you're combining two schools you also have to look at fairness in your decision making as well. How do you pick one over the other? It really did make sense that we needed to look at an existing principal," Saunders said. Stream came to the top of the district's list, she said.

Stream, 59, said she is extremely excited to take on the new responsibility, which she and other district officials likened to opening a new school.

Stream said she was little sad to leave Samoset, but knew Mason would do an excellent job.

One of her top priorities will be combining the staffs and creating a new family feel at the school, as well as focusing on student achievement, she said.

"That's how my school runs, all part of that extended family," Stream said.

The district announced a number of other shifts, filling new positions and positions open due to retirements.

The district still has three open positions: principal at Daughtrey and Stewart elementary schools and principal at Buffalo Creek Middle School.

Those positions will be posted Thursday or Friday. Before the district makes a decision, principal finalists will have a chance to speak to members of the school staff and the community.

Here is the list the school district sent Wednesday to the Bradenton Herald:

Vacant retirement positions

Executive director of curriculum: Ryan Saxe, from executive director of secondary schools.

Executive director of elementary education: Mike Rio, from principal of Mills Elementary.

Director of district support: Frank Pistella, from principal at Kinnan Elementary School.

Assistant director of Manatee Technical College: Omar Edwards, from principal of Horizons Academy.

New district positions

Director of student services: Willie Clark, from principal at Palmetto High School.

Director of secondary curriculum and professional learning: Anthony Losada, from principal at Buffalo Creek Middle School.

Director of elementary curriculum and professional learning: Kimberly Organek, from instructional specialist in the district.

Transfers

Executive director of secondary schools: Jim Pauley, from principal at Southeast High School.

Principal Southeast High: Rosa Daughtrey, from principal at Sugg Middle School.

Principal Palmetto High: Carl Auckerman, from director of personnel.

Principal Sugg Middle: Ann McDonald, from principal of Daughtrey Elementary School

Principal Kinnan Elementary: Paul Hockenbury. from district coordinator of leadership development.

Principal Mills Elementary: Jim Mennes, from principal at Freedom Elementary School.

Principal Freedom Elementary: Guy Grimes, from principal at Prine Elementary School.

Principal Prine Elementary: Lynne Menard, from principal at Stewart Elementary School.

Principal Tillman Elementary: Marla Massi-Blackmore, from principal at Blackburn Elementary School.

Principal Blackburn Elementary: Latrina Singleton, from principal at Rogers Garden Elementary School

Principal Rogers Garden Bullock: Pat Stream, from principal at Samoset Elementary School

Principal Samoset Elementary: Maribeth Mason, from principal at Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary School.

Principal of Horizons Academy: James Hird, from principal at Tillman Elementary School.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 11:52 PM with the headline "Samoset principal to move to combined Orange Ridge-Rogers Garden school for fall; Manatee district announces other changes ."