BROOKSVILLE — Just three months after state educators stepped in to help boost long-struggling Moton Elementary School, its principal has announced his resignation.
In a letter to the Hernando County School District Tuesday, Principal Joe Frana said "The distance from home and the hours have become a hardship on my family." His last day will be Jan. 29.
According to district spokesperson Karen Jordan, Brent Gaustad, principal of Parrott Middle School, will serve as Moton's interim principal until a permanent replacement is found. Parrott's vice principal Susan Deen will take over Gaustad's responsibilities for the time being, she said.
Jordan said Hernando Superintendent Lori Romano "is out of town and unavailable at this time" to comment on the sudden switch.
But Frana, in a letter notifying parents of Moton students of the change, said the superintendent "remains committed to Moton and has assured me that the additional staff who were assigned to help our teachers and students succeed will remain in place to prepare for statewide testing."
Frana, who, property records show, owns a home in Lake County, was hired for the spot in October 2016 as the school's third principal in a year. At the time, he promised the School Board that Moton would "be a great school again."
In recent years, Moton has faced high teacher turnover, a rotating administration and student behavior problems.
Soon after being hired, Frana rolled out a plan that he said had the Title 1 — or school with a high number of low-income students — on track to improve.
Last summer, however, the Florida Department of Education released school grades, rating Moton a D for the second year in a row. It earned the lowest score in the county and fell again on the list of the state's 300 lowest-performing schools.
In October, exactly a year after Frana took over, the Florida Department of Education joined the district's effort to turn the school around. The state's plan included classroom tours and meetings with school and district staff.
The department's next scheduled visit to Moton is on Jan. 26, three days before Frana's last.
"It has been an honor to serve as your principal," Frana said in the letter to parents. "I wish much success to the Leopard staff and students. Thank you for letting me be part of your family."