New principals named in Hart County schools

HART COUNTY — This story has been corrected from its original version.

Two Hart County principals will be leaving their jobs at the end of this school year.

Hart County Board of Education members took the action at last week’s regular board meeting on the recommendation of Hart County Superintendent David Hicks, but didn’t release the information publicly until after the two had been notified.

Leaving will be North Hart Elementary School Principal Barbara Setchel and Hart County Academy Principal Richard Sutherland.

Replacing Sutherland will be Mark Burns, currently principal of South Hart Elementary School. Hart County Academy is the county’s alternative school. Replacing Setchel will be Kathy Leard, now principal of Hartwell Elementary.

Hicks said the changes will be good for the school system.

“My job is to make those recommendations that I feel are in the best interest of the overall school system,” Hicks said.

Beth Hendrick, currently assistant principal at South Hart Elementary, will be promoted to principal to fill Burns’ position. The school district will be advertising to fill Leard’s position at Hartwell Elementary, Hicks said.

Hicks said he knows the change might be difficult for some.

“Change is hard,” he said. “People certainly struggle with change and I understand that. But part of the responsibility that I’m given by the Board of Education is to make those recommendations, based on a year and a half of being here, of what I feel is the best thing to move the individual schools forward and the school system forward.”

He said alternate positions might be available in the school system for Setchel and Sutherland.

Angie McGee, a Hart County school board member, said she agreed with the changes proposed by Hicks.

“I felt like it was in the best interest of the school system to support his recommendation,” McGee said.

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