Sedona-Oak Creek School District Superintendent Kim Randall announced Thursday, April 26, that she wanted a new administrative approach for Sedona Red Rock High School.

Sedona-Oak Creek School District Superintendent Kim Randall announced Thursday, April 26, that she wanted a new administrative approach for Sedona Red Rock High School.

The SOCSD Governing Board approved the request at its regular meeting the same day.

Under the new management plan, SRRHS will have two leaders for the 2007-08 school year: SRRHS Assistant Principal David Lykins and district Director of Curriculum Lisa Hirsch.

Lykins will have the title of principal and Hirsch will be director of teaching and learning. The duo replaces retiring SRRHS Principal Russ Snider.

In law enforcement, time ?on the job? counts for a lot. Some think it counts for a lot in educational services also.

Snider won?t be worrying about the late bell after 17 years in leadership roles in the SOCSD.

Snider began working at area schools before Sedona formed its own district. During his tenure, he was principal of all three of the district?s schools; West Sedona School, Big Park Community School and SRRHS.

Becky O?Banion, search committee chairwoman and a former SRRHS board president, told the board that her group made a list of desirable traits for the new principal and developed a profile for the person they wanted in the position.

?Nobody fit the profile except our in-house candidates,? O?Banion told the board.

?Together, they have 22 years of experience? in the principal?s post, Randall said.

Hirsch said she is glad to be back. She began working at the high school the first year it opened and taught and worked in administration.

Hired as the alternative school leader eight years ago, Lykins has been assistant principal at SRRHS for seven years.

Lykins laid out three guiding principles he will apply in his new job.

?Like I told the search committee, my approach may be a little different than Russ [Snider?s]. No. 1 is to determine how a decision will impact student achievement and learning. No. 2 will be how will it impact school safety and No. 3 will be how does it affect school climate,? Lykins said.

He defined school climate as the measure of student, staff and parent morale.

Lykins said that he is the default decision-maker.

Hirsch agreed. ?David [Lykins] is the principal,? she said.

Hirsch will continue to direct the school?s exhibition program and direct staff in determining No. 1, what is to be taught, No. 2, how it will be taught, and No. 3, at what rate should it be taught, she said.

The district will not fill the assistant principal position vacated by Lykins, nor will it hire anyone to replace Hirsch at the district office.

Hirsch will continue most of her curriculum duties at her new job, Randall said.