Sarah Maughan
Mike Hernandez left his dream job as East High’s principal for a chance to influence school policy citywide.
A little over two years ago, East High School principal Mike Hernandez had no interest in climbing any career ladders. He’d found his dream job. “Honestly, I hope to retire here,” he told Isthmus in a May 2017 cover profile.
But after four years leading East High, he is doing what he said he wouldn’t — taking an administration job in the central office as chief of staff for high schools. It’s a role that will take him away from what he loves about being an educator, interacting with students.
Hernandez is known for his ability to connect with students and their families. At East High, he was often seen wandering the hallways, calling out students by name and asking about the clubs and sports they’re involved with.
“I’ve turned down other positions because I love my student contact time,” he tells Isthmus.
So what’s changed? “I thought that this was going to be an opportunity in which I might be able to help influence some practices citywide,” he says.
The district administration approached him about the job. “Before I agreed … I wanted to be able to change some of the requirements in which I would be able to spend more time in schools then maybe some staff is able to,” Hernandez says.
Hernandez’ role is new to the district. Prior to the 2019-2020 school year, there was a single chief of staff for all secondary schools. Now, Hernandez will lead the city’s high schools and Tremayne Clardy will lead the middle schools. Hernandez will also oversee alternative high school programs and athletics.
While he’s excited about the opportunity to take what he’s put into place at East districtwide, he agonized over the decision.
“It was extremely hard,” says Hernandez. “Over the last couple of years I’ve seen things that I’ve questioned at the district office, in which some decisions were being made and I couldn’t understand the benefits for students.”
As he contemplated his decision, his wife reminded him of those moments. “She was like ‘Now’s the time to either step up or shut up. If you are confident and you are confident in what you can do, take the job. If not, still make a difference in a building,’” he says. “I’m a pretty confident person, so I said ‘All right.’’
Hernandez also asked for input into naming his successor at East. Brendan Kearney, who was an assistant principal there, is replacing him as principal. “We wanted somebody that was going to be there and be — I use the word all the time — an equity warrior,” he says. “And I couldn’t think of a better person.”
Kearney has been at East for three years. He was an English teacher and content team leader before becoming an assistant principal. Prior to that he taught in New York City and the Dominican Republic. He’s coached both boys and girls soccer, and Kearney says, he’s worn “a pretty wide variety of leadership hats.”
Kearney knows he has big shoes to fill. “Both at Sherman and at East, Mike was somebody who built systems and structures and put people in the right places and empowered them to build things that would last,” Kearney says. “As much as Mike taking this position will be felt, and is already felt by the community, one thing that I’m really excited about and really confident about is that the systems that are in place will hold up and that we’ve got the right people in the building to keep them moving forward.”
Kearney assures both current and incoming Purgolders that the school isn’t changing. “East’s going to continue to be a place where they’ll be welcome, they’ll be included, their educational goals can be met, their goals for beyond high school will be supported regardless of who they are or how they identify themselves,” he says. “The work that was happening that has built a community in that place … is going to continue and we will continue to include them and their voices — and I include that to mean family and community voices also,” he says.
Hernandez believes East High will be in good hands. “I don’t expect anything to change, everything that we have built is bigger than one person,” he says. “And I feel very comfortable about that.”
