Annual changes in top school leadership began last week with the promotion of Antonio Esquibel, who is leaving his position as principal of Abraham Lincoln High School after five years.
Lincoln is looking for a new leader.
Many other high schools in Denver soon will be doing the same, despite past recommendations by state education officials who warned against high turnover among the principal corps.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg could not say exactly how many schools will start the academic year with new leadership. Last fall, three Denver high schools began the school year with new principals.
Esquibel, who will finish this school year as Lincoln’s principal, has been hired as executive director of turnaround schools for west Denver. He will begin that work over the summer.
Esquibel will be in charge of a portion of low-performing and turnaround schools in the northwest and southwest regions of Denver, including Lincoln High.
The new leader at Lincoln will not come in and make drastic changes, Esquibel said. “The goal is to have someone who can come in and really focus on refining and tweaking systems or gaps that were left, but also to capitalize on areas we built on,” Esquibel said.
