It’s the Principals of the Thing : Two Newport Beach Schools Would Swap Leaders Under Plan

Would UCLA swap presidents with USC? Would West Point and Annapolis suddenly swap superintendents?

Would archrivals Newport Harbor High and Corona del Mar High, both in Newport Beach, exchange principals?

The answers, in order, are: not likely, not likely, and quite possibly.

To the consternation of many parents and students in Newport Beach, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has proposed exchanging Newport Harbor High Principal Tom Jacobson and Corona del Mar High Principal Dennis Evans.

The two high schools are the only ones in the glittering coastal city of Newport Beach. The cross-town rivalry between the two schools--in sports, academics and parental loyalty--is a staple of everyday conversation in the city. And the proposal that the two archrival schools swap principals came as a big surprise, parents and students have said.

‘So Why Do It’

A group of parents announced Friday that they will be at the district school board meeting Tuesday night to oppose the swap. “Both these principals have done wonderful jobs, and neither one wants to swap, so why do it?” asked Esther Fine, a parent of a Newport Harbor student. “You shouldn’t fix something that’s not broken.”

District Supt. John Nicoll, who recommends swapping the two principals, had this to say Friday about his plan:

“There is nothing ominous about this proposal. And you don’t wait until something is broken before you attend to it. In my considered professional judgment, based on many years of experience, this change will be good for both men and for both schools. . . . It is simply a lateral transfer.”

School board president Jim de Boom said Friday that he believes change is good for school administrators, and he supports the proposal. “This is something that should have been done years ago,” he added.

Evans has been principal at Corona del Mar for 17 years, Jacobson for 12 years at Newport Harbor High.

De Boom said Newport-Mesa Unified School District elementary school principals usually do not stay long at any one school. And he said other school districts don’t keep principals too long at one high school.

But while de Boom strongly supported the proposed swap, he acknowledged that the proposal is causing a controversy.

“I expect we’ll have 300 to 400 persons at the meeting Tuesday night,” he said. “The pressure is going to be on the board on this issue.”

Asked to predict how the majority of the seven-member school board would vote, de Boom said: “I expect the board will support the superintendent’s recommendation.”

De Boom and school board member Judith Franco both said the proposed exchange of the two principals has no underlying motives, such as punishment for either principal.

“Absolutely not,” said Franco, who supports the proposed swap. “Both of these men are outstanding. Both high schools have won high honors.”

Corona del Mar High in 1985 was honored as a national model school, and Newport Harbor High was designated a statewide exemplary school last year.

Students From Affluent Homes

Both schools usually post California Assessment Program scores that are higher than similar high schools in the state. Students are children of the mostly affluent residents of Newport Beach.

“It would be extremely difficult for both principals to instantly switch allegiances to an ultra-competitive cross-town rival,” said Fine, who is a member of a parent committee opposing the swap.

Jacobson was out of town on Friday and could not be reached for comment. But Evans confirmed that both principals are unhappy about the proposed swap.

“Neither of us were in support of this transfer,” Evans said. “I don’t think it will do either school any good. At a personal level, I’ve invested a tremendous amount of time and energy in this school. I’ve been here 17 years, and I have a deep sense of loyalty to it.

“There is absolutely no precedent (in Newport-Mesa Unified School District) for something like this at the high school level. There is no coherent practice of rotation. The students for the most part are as puzzled as anybody by this proposal.”

Student discontent with the proposed swap has included a fiery editorial in the Corona del Mar High student newspaper, Trident. The editorial said: “If all is going well on the high seas, why create a storm that would endanger the crew?. . . . Sending these two principals to different schools for no worthy reason will upset both schools and make this district ‘a ship of fools.’ ”

Fine’s Newport Beach committee of concerned parents met last month with Nicoll, urging him to change his mind on the swap of principals.

“He (Nicoll) said he’s made up his mind and that he’s not going to change his mind,” Fine said. “I still think there’s more to this than meets the eye.”