SIMI VALLEY : Royal High Principal Announces Resignation

Saying the 75-hour-a-week job has “taken a toll on me,” Royal High School Principal David Jackson announced that he will resign from his job at the 1,800-student school in Simi Valley to spend more time with his family.

Jackson informed his students by letter this week that he will leave his post July 30, he said. He said he has asked the board of the Simi Valley Unified School District to grant him a one-year leave of absence and allow him to return as a teacher somewhere in the district.

“This is a hard choice, because I love the school,” Jackson said. But he said he cannot keep up the same pace at work.

“We’re a little shorthanded at school, but I won’t do less work,” Jackson said. “I set very high standards for myself.”

In his 5 1/2 years as Royal’s principal, Jackson said he has focused on fostering an environment of respect and consideration among administrators, teachers and students.

Three years ago, the school lost three administrative positions to budget cuts, including an assistant principal and counselor, Jackson said. Since then, he said, the job has required dozens of extra hours attending meetings and events.

Jackson said he plans to use his time off to take classes and spend time with his wife and two sons, age 13 and 11. The couple also will try to expand a family-owned business, Jackson said.