Principal to Leave Post at Troubled Canyon High

The principal of Canyon High School, which has been rocked in the past year by reports of racial tension and episodes of violence, has announced that he will step down in June from his position at the Canyon Country school.

William White volunteered to take an undetermined job at the district level as part of an administrative reorganization designed to cut costs, said Dennis King, president of the William S. Hart Union High School board of trustees.

“Although this has not been an easy decision to make, change allows us to continue to grow in our profession, and I’m looking forward to new experiences,” White said in a letter Friday to teachers and staff at the high school. “In the meantime, we’ll continue to work together toward making Canyon the best school possible.”

White, principal since 1984, faced harsh criticism in December from parents claiming that the school was awash in racial tension and violence. Some called for his resignation.

The attacks on the school and its administration were prompted by the Dec. 5 stabbing of Pat Butterfield, a 16-year-old junior who was seriously wounded during a confrontation with another youth. Butterfield is Anglo and his alleged assailant is Latino. It was the third incident of violence involving Canyon students since last February.

In May, anger over how head cheerleaders were chosen led to death threats against a school official and prompted unfounded morals charges by parents against the 26-year-old cheerleader coach, school officials said.

King said he did not know whether those problems had a role in White’s decision to leave the school, and White could not be reached for comment. But King characterized the change as a new opportunity for the principal and said he did not think White was pressured to give up the position.

“I know that there have been a lot of people in the community unhappy, but he has a lot of supporters too,” King said. “I’ve known him for a number of years and he certainly has been devoted and dedicated to his work.”

White said in his letter that he notified the district of his decision early in the school year to leave plenty of time to search for a new principal. The specifics of White’s job have not been decided, King said.

However, it is part of an effort to shift some duties currently performed in schools to the district level, thereby reducing the number of administrators in the schools, King said. The district is trying to cut its 1992-93 fiscal budget by about $1 million, the school board president said.

“What this really boils down to,” King said, “is he asked for a reassignment of his duties.”