Because of retirements and other factors, MPS has a large number of schools getting new principals and the list of the first 21 new principal recommendations has emerged.
The recommendations -- below -- are made by superintendent Dr. Gregory Thornton and must be approved by the school board. The list of candidates will likely be presented to the board's Finance and Personnel Committee next week.
Among those recommended by the superintendent was Mike Roemer as new principal at Reagan High. The Reagan school community worked hard to get Roemer -- who has served as acting principal since veteran principal Julia D'Amato retired earlier this year -- appointed to the run the school on a permanent basis.
A second round of interviews will fill more positions in coming weeks. The superintendent didn't make a recommendation after the first round of interviews for at least two schools. Those schools -- MacDowell Montessori and Bay View High -- will likely go through the process again in the second round.
Nearly 40 positions will reportedly be filled during the two rounds. That's about 20 percent of the district's roughly 180 schools.
The new principals will undergo training over the summer to be ready to start the coming school year in their new buildings.
- Tyrone Nichols, Cass Street*
- Juan Baez, Hopkins-Lloyd*
- Jeff Krupar, Dover Street-Tippecannoe*
- Thresessa Childs, Carson Academy of Science*
- Keona Jones, Thurston Woods
- Mike Roemer, Ronald Reagan IB High School
- Diane Rosado, Project Stay
- Wendy Alexander, Fairview
- Rae Ellen Sena, Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning
- Eric Rian, Academy of Accelerated Learning
- Jacqueline Jolly, Carver Academy
- Erik Conner, Clarke Street
- Stephanie Maney, Curtin Leadership Academy
- Nancy Martinez, Kagel School
- Deborah Jolitz, Kluge School
- Andrew Vitrano, Manitoba School
- Joe DiCarlo, Maryland Avenue Montessori
- Tiffany Fisher, River Trail School
- Keith Carrington, 65th Street School
- Raymond Unanka, Stuart School
- Sally Schumacher, Whitman School
*--Reassigned to principal positions. The others listed are recommended for promotion or appointment by the superintendent and must be approved by the board.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
