Aurora Central High School to have new principal this fall

As Aurora Central High School embarks on major reforms to try to lift student performances, the school will do so with a new leader.

Mark Roberts, who was principal at Central for two school years, is being moved to another position within Aurora Public Schools.

In a statement from APS spokeswoman Patti Moon, district administration said the decision was part of the broader effort to pursue “innovation status” for the school, a move district leaders say will help Central make changes while on the state’s accountability clock for struggling schools.

“In light of this desire for change, APS will be hiring an interim leader with unique experience to assist with this change. We have offered Dr. Roberts a new opportunity in the organization, and he is considering his options. Until he shares his decision with us, we are not releasing further information,” the statement said.

Roberts did not return an email seeking comment this week.

Moon said the district hopes to have an interim leader in place “as soon as possible” and will start the search for a permanent principal during the upcoming school year.

“We will look for a leader with the skills and experience to match the turnaround plan developed for Aurora Central High School,” she said.

Board member Mary Lewis said with the changes coming for Central, a change at the school’s top job could prove beneficial.

“Sometimes I think what’s needed is a set of fresh eyes,” Lewis said.

Under state law, schools such as Aurora Central — once placed on a five-year “Priority Improvement Plan” — have to launch dramatic changes after the fifth year if they haven’t turned things around by the end of the fourth year. The recently ended school year was Central’s fourth on the clock. As of now, 30 other schools around the state are facing the same situation.

Superintendent Rico Munn has said the innovation model will allow Central staff some autonomy and give them the flexibility to improve student performance as they see fit. Plus, Munn said, the model requires cooperation between staff, community members, district leaders, state officials and others.

As of now, what the model will look like hasn’t been determined, and that vagueness caused some trepidation among the APS Board of Education and the Colorado Board of Education, though both boards signed off on initial plans for how to develop the model. Munn has said further details will be released later this year.