###

UPDATE, 3:50 p.m. : After publishing, the Outpost received an email response from Superintendent Roger MacDonald, saying that Perry will remain in the principal position for the remainder of the school year and will be “reassigned” to a teaching position in the district starting in August. 

“Mr. Perry has disclosed to the school community that he was released from his position as Principal though he is absolutely completing the school year in this position,” McDonald wrote to the Outpost. “I just spoke with him and he is focused on continuing to lead Arcata High and do his best to serve our students.” 

He could not comment on the reason for the decision. 

###

In a surprise move that has upset parents and teachers, the Northern Humboldt Union High School District Board voted on Tuesday night to remove Ron Perry, principal of Arcata High School, from his position. 

“It’s been a shock,” Tiffany Bullman, a teacher at McKinleyville High School, told the Outpost in a phone interview. “No one seems to know what the reasoning is.”

Bullman said that she had heard rumors that Perry was being let go, and she and many teachers and community members attended the meeting to voice their concerns over the agenda item titled “Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release,” which the board was slated to discuss in closed session.

The meeting recording does not include the public comment period held prior to closed session, so we can’t see exactly what happened or what was said. The same goes for the closed session, which boards often use to discuss employment decisions, and are not recorded or observed by the public. But the board did report out of closed session, saying that the item had been approved. 

Ron Perry | Photo from Arcata High School website

“The board took action to authorize the superintendent to notify an administrative employee…that the employee will be released from his or her administrative position for the 2024-2025 school year,” Board member Natalie Gianinni reported after the board reconvened. The decision, Giannini said, was 4-0, with four board members voting in favor of the dismissal, and one board member abstaining. 

Since the decision, the Outpost has received multiple messages from people dismayed by the board’s vote. Anne Hartline, a retired teacher from the district, gave a statement during the meeting in support of Perry, saying that she was thrilled when he was hired by the NoHum school district.

“I have no idea why the concept of Ron Perry not being principal of AHS is even being suggested,” Hartline wrote in her statement emailed to the Outpost. “Who could possibly be a better fit for this district and this community? Losing Ron will be an embarrassment to this Board, and a huge step backward for the entire community.” 

Perry has been with the district for a while, previously serving as the principal of Six Rivers Charter High School. He has been principal of Arcata High for about two years. 

The Outpost reached out to Perry and Superintendent Roger MacDonald, but did not hear back by the time of publication. We’ll update if we learn more. 

In the meantime, it’s unclear how soon the decision will take effect and if Perry will be leaving immediately, or if he will simply not be returning at the start of the 2024-25 school year. Either way, the decision has left a lot of people concerned for the future of AHS, which has already been through three principals in the last six year, and concerned about what it means for the district.

“I worry about our district in general,” Bullman said. “Is my principal next? Who else needs to worry?”