Two of the three lead adminstrators at Isabella Bird Community School, Sonny Zinn and Traci Bushnell, recently announced they will not be returning next year. Zinn and Traci, along with Traci’s husband, Jeff, started the school in 2013. Jeff is currently planning to stay on next year to run the Family Resource Center, which helps immigrant and refugee families transition to their new lives.
Zinn and Traci resigned for similar reasons: stress, long hours, health complications related to stress, and little time with their families. “…I hope I’m modeling for our staff and our families that sometimes in life it’s really important to pay attention (to health and family needs),” Zinn says. The two are confident in the staff and parent community and believe the school will continue just fine without them.
Susana Cordova, Chief of Schools says DPS will post the principal position in December, with opportunities for parent input to take place by January. She says parents can provide input on principal selection in various ways: a subgroup of the Collaborative School Committee (CSC) can serve on the selection committee; parents can vote on committee representatives; schoolwide meetings can be held, etc. Cordova says DPS believes in the original vision for the school but acknowledges that implementation evolves over time based on the principal’s particular strengths and interests. DPS’ goal is to have new principals for 2016-17 hired by May 1, 2016.
Isabella Bird Community School started in 2013 with 89 students in K-1. It has expanded to 472 students in ECE-5th grade.