Omar Newell Says Board Has Done its Work, Minister Must Do Hers to Allow School Settled Leadership
HIGHGATE, St Mary; Ag 31, 2026
Member of Parliament for St. Mary Central, Omar Newell, wants the Minister of Education to urgently approve the appointment of a principal for St Mary High School, recommended by the Board.
Mr Newell said the school should not enter another school year “without settled leadership.”
(Central St Mary MP Omar Newell)
According to Newell, following the resignation of the previous principal, Julett Frazer Sadaar, the Board undertook a recruitment process to identify and recommend a new principal. In a release, he said, “The necessary documentation was subsequently submitted through the Ministry’s structures, and the matter proceeded to the Teachers’ Services Commission.”
Christine Wright has been acting as principal for the Highgate-based school.
He said the Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Dr Dana Morris Dixon, stated on radio last week that all Principal appointment recommendations from the TSC the prior week were signed off by her.
“My understanding is that the Board did what was required of it. It conducted the recruitment process, made its recommendation and the necessary reports were submitted. With the new school year upon us, there should be no unnecessary delay in providing St. Mary High with the settled leadership it needs,” Newell said.
Asked by the North Coast Times why he felt the appointment had not been done by the Minister, the MP said he would not speculate, but there were many reasons being given in the public space. He said he simply wanted the Minister to act.
(North Coast Times file photo of members of the graduating class of St Mary High in 2025)
Mr Newell, himself a past student of St. Mary High, said in a release the absence of a permanently appointed principal limits the school’s ability to undertake the long-term planning and execution necessary for its continued development. “St. Mary High should not begin another school year in an unnecessary leadership interregnum. A school of this importance needs a full-time principal who can plan for the long term, lead the staff, work with the Board and school community, and execute a clear vision for its continued development.” Mr Newell is urging the Minister to conclude the appointment process without further delay.
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