Edison Principal Speaks About Decision To Step Down

After weeks of protests and students, parents, and faculty voicing their concerns, there's new leadership at Edison Preparatory School Tuesday.

Principal Dixie Speer announced Tuesday that she is stepping down.

Speer spoke at Tuesday's school board meeting and to News on 6 about her decision.

Parents at the meeting say they are happy with Speer's decision, but are still skeptical if the right changes will be made at Edison moving forward.

Edison parents and teachers quietly looked on as Speer announce her decision to step down as Principal of the college prep school.  A decision that came after weeks of controversy surrounding the environment at Edison.

"I made this decision based on what was best for the students at Edison so they can get focused back on school and their education," said Speer.

Parents blame administrators for poor discipline in the classrooms and a lack of productive leadership.  It's a problem they claim led to the incident where a teacher threw a desk in the classroom.

Speer says she's not upset, but is using this experience as a way to grow.  "I just look at it as an opportunity to improve myself," said Speer.  "I look back on it very reflectively, and I look at maybe things that could have been done different."

Speer will now be working with new Interim Principal Clay Vinyard as he transitions into the position.

He will be taking over until Tulsa Public Schools finds a permanent replacement.

Vinyard says he hopes to work with parents and teachers on moving forward.  "Get back to some normalcy," stated Vinyard.  "We want to get back to them being kids at school, them socializing, being in class, teachers doing their jobs and getting back to some normalcy that hasn't been there for the last month."

Vinyard came to TPS just this last year as principal of the Tulsa Learning Academy.

Before that he was a principal at two different Oklahoma City high schools.