A former Chicago charter school principal has been tapped as principal at the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary.
Seeking to improve struggling academics, Richard Glass was appointed earlier this month, said board chairman Michael Suggs.
He will succeed former Bowman 7-12 principal Sarita Stevens. A former Gary Community School Corp. teacher and spokeswoman, she had been principal at the school since 2015.
The move has been approved by Drexel Foundation for Educational Excellence Inc., he said. Drexel holds the school’s charter.
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Suggs expressed “appreciation for all of her efforts” at the school. The board had opted not to renew her contract, he said.
Glass and Stevens could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to its website, Glass previously worked as an elementary school principal at the Legacy Charter School of Chicago. He was a high school principal at the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men in Chicago for seven years.
He previously worked as a middle school principal in Chicago Public Schools.
Last year, the Education One board at Angola-based Trine University unanimously agreed to sponsor the charter of the Drexel Foundation, which operates Bowman, one of the Gary’s oldest charters.
In 2016, Thea Bowman had just under 1,300 students — including around 600 in middle and high school, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Since 2013, Thea Bowman has struggled with a D state accountability grade.
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