MCPS pauses search for new Montgomery Blair High principal

Damascus High’s Kevin Yates to take on acting role at Silver Spring school

June 10, 2024 3:29 p.m.

Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 11:29 a.m. on June 10, 2024, was updated at 11:40 a.m. on June 11, 2024 to include comments from Principal Kevin Yates.

An acting principal will take over for retiring Montgomery Blair High Principal Renay Johnson for the next school year because the county school system has not found a suitable replacement, according to a letter sent to families from Montgomery County Public Schools.

In the June 5 letter, first reported by The MoCo Show, Acting Associate Superintendent Sean McGee wrote the district had paused its search for a new principal because of difficulty in finding qualified candidates interested in taking the helm of the county’s largest high school. The Silver Spring school had more than 3,200 students enrolled during the 2022-2023 school year, according to MCPS.

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Beginning Aug. 15, Damascus High School Principal Kevin Yates will take over and serve as the acting principal of Montgomery Blair, according to the letter. Yates planned to retire July 1, completing a 30-year career as an MCPS educator. He began leading Damascus High in 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Yates “has a wealth of leadership experience that will support the Montgomery Blair Community,” McGee wrote.

“Although I am retiring, I am not yet ready to stop working as a school leader,” Yates wrote in response to questions from MoCo360. “Having been a student in MCPS, and then a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and having all three of my own children graduate from MCPS schools, it feels great to be able to give back to MCPS by working for another year.”

Johnson announced in late January that she would retire July 1. Her 33-year career with MCPS included 13 years as the principal at Montgomery Blair, where she was the first woman to hold the role. Prior to serving at Blair, she was the principal at Takoma Park Middle School.

McGee said MCPS had conducted “several interview panels” to find a replacement for Johnson, but multiple candidates withdrew their applications throughout the interview process.

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“Due to the time of year and our desire to find the most qualified candidates, we have decided to pause the search for the selection process,” McGee wrote. “We will resume the search and selection process during the 2024-2025 school year.”

When the process resumes in the fall, the district will conduct a nationwide search, McGee said.

In the meantime, Blair Assistant Principal Adriana Burgos will serve as acting principal from July 1 until Yates takes over, McGee said. Burgos has served as the assistant principal at Montgomery Blair for the past seven years.

According to McGee, Burgos and Yates will begin working with Johnson and Montogmery Blair staff to “ensure a smooth transition,” and the leadership team at the school will receive support from McGee as well as Yolanda Allen, a director in the Office of School Support and Well-Being.

Yates wrote that he would be visiting the school before July 1 “to learn about the traditions, the staff, students and the goals for the upcoming school year.” He said that he believes his “open and actively engaged” leadership style will be a good fit at Blair and his goals for the next school year are to keep students safe and engaged in learning.

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