New Principal Named for Boys and Girls High School

New York City education officials selected an assistant principal from the Bronx to lead Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, bypassing a push by some in the Boys and Girls community to choose a new leader with an intimate working knowledge of the school and its challenges. 

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced that Grecian Harrison assumed the post at Boys and Girls on Monday. Harrison previously served as assistant principal at Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School for 13 years. 

“As a proud Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy native, I am committed to building on the progress and continuing to improve student achievement at Boys and Girls High School," said Harrison in a statement.

But despite the new principal's roots in Bedford-Stuyvesant, some employees and community members pushed for a school leader with an existing working knowledge of Boys and Girls. They hoped that Allison Farrington, current principal of Research and Service High School in the Boys and Girls campus, would be the city's choice. Farrington also previously served as an assistant principal at Boys and Girls.

"I feel that the community’s voice has once again been disregarded," said Stan Kinard, a community associate at the school. As a Department of Education employee, Kinard coordinates community partnerships for Boys and Girls.  

Kinard said that members of the school's leadership team and alumni backed Farrington as principal. Robert Cornegy, the city councilman representing the area, also supported Farrington.

“We trust her," Kinard said. "That’s the key thing here.”

The new principal appointment comes after a two-year leadership experiment in which Michael Wiltshire, principal of Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, led both Boys and Girls and Medgar Evers at once.

Boys and Girls faces significant challenges meeting academic targets, and it is now facing an enrollment crisis. Nearly a decade ago, the famed neighborhood school enrolled more than 3,600 students. The projected enrollment for next fall is just 270. 

Harrison served as an administrator at Alfred E. Smith in the Bronx during a time when it was designated as a "priority" school by the state, a designation for schools in need of improvement.

"This leader’s experience helping to turn a school around as well as her strong background in instruction will address the needs of students and staff at this school," said Devora Kaye, a department spokeswoman.

Of Boys and Girls, Kaye added, "We are extremely invested in this school community."