Economic Cutbacks Inspire a Controversial Idea: Do Schools Really Need Principals?

In the Tucson (Ariz.) Unified School District, administrators are scrambling to find ways to make an 18 percent budget cutback. Some are considering getting rid of counselors, while others are considering closing down libraries. Because of the madness that the economic crisis has reaped, some are raising questions about the necessity of principals.

Seven principals have already been informed they will be laid off in the near future. Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen says school districts across the United States work without principals, but Tucson will need to develop a comprehensive plan in order to eliminate principals from schools. Others in the community are irked and argue that the leadership a principal brings to schools is invaluable.

A handful of small schools around the country have experimented with having teachers run schools with no principals, but can a massive school district handle not having the leadership and guidance principals bring? Many opponents say that a school district as large a Tucson's would be hurt by the lack of principals even if teachers work longer hours to keep things running smoothly, as many have already said they will.

In light of the economic crisis, do you feel that schools could run well without the leadership provided by a principal?