Though Beverly Raines has been on family medical leave since early this spring, she had intended on returning to Lawton Elementary School where she was appointed last year.
But the principal, who spent little more than a semester at Lawton, where she replaced Ed Noe, has decided to retire.
Raines was appointed to Lawton last summer by Seattle Public Schools Superintendent, Maria Goodloe-Johnson. She was one of a handful of appointments that saw principals throughout the district making lateral moves as the district reorganized schools and made adjustments through attrition.
Raines had spent the last 18 years as principal at Brighton Elementary School in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of South Seattle, where she had wanted to stay. Raines had felt coerced by the move and said she had been the victim of discrimination by SPS administration-including Goodloe-Johnson, according to a lawsuit she filed with the U.S. District Court.
While Raines was on leave, interim principal Kathy Bledsoe, a former principal at McClure Middle School and an educational consultant, had been tapped to take her place until her return.
Bledsoe had made it clear that her appointment was temporary and would not accept a full-time position if asked.
So far, SPS has not found a replacement for Raines and there is no word yet if another interim principal will fill the void.[[In-content Ad]]
