An educator with nearly a decade of experience at Houston Schools is returning as elementary principal.
Jody Jarrett was announced last Wednesday afternoon as the new building administrator at Houston Elementary School. She replaces Amy Dill, who in March was selected as director of the Exceptional Child Cooperative.
Jarrett, 38, the principal at Cabool Elementary School the past two years, previously worked nine years at Houston R-1 Schools. She was an elementary guidance counselor for seven of those years and spent one year as high school assistant principal before leaving for Cabool.
One of 25 applicants and two finalists, Jarrett was selected with a 5-0 unanimous vote. She and Amy Smith were interviewed before the decision.
“Our elementary building is a well-oiled machine. We were looking for someone to step in and take charge to keep us moving forward,” Houston superintendent Scott Dill said. “She knows our strengths and weaknesses. She knows our families and programs. She will be able to pick the baton up and keep running immediately. The transition will be very smooth.”
Jarrett was one of six employees hired during the two-hour meeting. Also extended positions were: Marcella Fleetwood (elementary counselor); Brett Kelley (high school social studies); Dana Harper (middle and high school special education teacher); Jeremy Smith (special education process coordinator); and Amelia Martin (speech-language pathologist).
A San Diego, Calif., native, Jarrett moved to Ruidoso, N.M., as a teenager and graduated from Ruidoso High School in 1994. She graduated with a bachelor of science in psychology from Drury University in 2000 and has master’s degrees in counseling psychology, educational administration and special education.
The board set Jarrett’s 11-month salary at $71,000 and offered $2,000 – if needed – to severe her contract with Cabool Schools. Her first official day is Aug. 1.
“Houston Schools has been very good to me and so has the community,” Jarrett said. “I am excited to come back and work with so many people that I am familiar with.”
Dill compared Jarrett’s journey to that of HHS principal Charlie Malam.
“Sometimes the perspective an individual brings after leaving the district for awhile is one of the most valuable tools they can have,” Dill said. “We’ve seen that with Mr. Malam, who came back to us a stronger and wiser administrator. I think we’ll see the same thing with Mrs. Jarrett.
“Her experiences in Cabool have visibly and measurably increased her aptitude and abilities as an administrator. I’ve seen exponential growth in her the last several years. We are eager to put her skills to the test here in Houston in service of our kids.”