Six Pinellas County schools will get new principals for the upcoming school year. More shifts are anticipated to fill the spots of the newly appointed leaders.
The changes approved Tuesday by the school board are:
Karen Huzar, currently principal at East Lake Middle School, will transfer to Carwise Middle School. She replaces Chad Eiben, who is retiring. Huzar has worked in the district since 2001, becoming East Lake principal in 2015. The district has not yet named her replacement.
Edward Ste’Phan Lane, currently acting principal at Kings Highway Elementary, will transfer to Bayside High School. He replaces Brad Bernstein, who is moving to the principal job as Osceola Fundamental High. Lane has worked for the district since 1997, and has been an assistant principal at Lakewood and Boca Ciega high schools. Bernstein joined the district in 2010, and served as Countryside High assistant principal from 2018 to 2025.
The Kings Highway job has yet to be filled.
Michael Vasallo, an assistant principal at Gibbs High School, will be promoted to lead Northeast High School. He replaces Michael Hernandez, who was recently named district executive director of high school education. Vasallo joined the district in 2000 as a teacher, and previously served as principal of Dunedin Highland Middle School from 2017 to 2022.
Brandice Miller, assistant principal at Cross Bayou Elementary, will be promoted to principal of Anona Elementary School. She replaces Denise Ballard, who transferred to an assistant principal position at Tarpon Springs Elementary. Miller joined the district as a Lakewood Elementary teacher in 1999.
Jolene Jackson, currently district director of professional learning, will become principal of Oakhurst Elementary. She replaces Kelly Kennedy, who is retiring. Jackson joined the district in 2022 after working as an educator in Kansas.
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