Principal Macri resigns, Jack Carney named interim principal

David Macri was brought on as the new principal of Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School in August of 2018. One year and seven months later, however, he has resigned from the position. Teacher Jack Carney has taken over the role as interim principal for the remainder of the school year.

"Effective immediately, Jack Carney will be the principal for Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School," Superintendent Debbe Lancaster wrote in an email on March 25. "This arrangement will end on May 31, 2020. Please forward all questions, comments, and concerns to him from this point forward. He will be working in PLC groups, assisting staff during our online education process for grades 6-12, and working with parents to coordinate graduation for our seniors."

"It was his [Macri's] decision to resign, it was my decision to accept it," Lancaster added in a later interview.

Lancaster explained that Macri offered his resignation to her on March 16, which she accepted. His resignation was set to take effect on June 5. Macri said there were a variety of reasons for his decision to resign. One reason, he said, is his father's health has been declining and he wants to move closer to help care for him. Macri said he had a phone conversation with his father the Monday before resigning, and the next day his father reportedly had no recollection of that conversation. That was a sign that he needed to move closer to help care for him, he said. He did not go into details about his other reasons for leaving, but said he had done all he could for the district. He had used all his favors he had on hand, he said, and it was simply time for him to move on.

"I took that school as far as I could under the current circumstances," Macri said.

Despite his resignation not taking effect until June, Macri said that he was put on administrative leave on March 24. However, Macri said he did not want to go into detail about why this action was taken.

"It wasn't what I would call both sides verbally agreeing to it," Macri said. "It was more vicarious ... we parted amicably."

Lancaster said she could not confirm nor deny that Macri was put on administrative leave. She did not want to violate anybody's personal rights or privacy, she said. However, she did say that as superintendent she always has the right to put school staff on administrative leave until the end of their contract, for a myriad of reasons. Macri said his father lives in Ohio, and he will be moving to that area as soon as possible.

Carney has been working for the Wrangell School District since 2012, he said, and is in his eleventh year teaching in total. On the district's website, the high school classes he teaches include Alaska Studies, U.S. History, World History, Government, Economics, Physical Education, Strength Training and Health, and middle school English. He said that he has three main points of focus for his time as interim principal. He wants to make sure students are staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, that they are receiving a good education through their online curriculums, and that senior students are accomplishing their final projects and will have a memorable graduation.

"Obviously there was a need for me to step in," Carney said. "As far as next year goes, I'm not interested in being principal next year."

Carney encouraged parents and students to regularly check their emails and online classes. If they have questions, he asked that they call or email him or a teacher. He wants the student body to end this school year strong, he said, and wants to do his part to help them reach that goal.