This Raleigh high school is getting its 6th principal since 2011. He plans to stay.
A Raleigh high school is getting its sixth principal since 2011. But the new leader hopes to be there for many years to come.
Eddie Harden was hired on Tuesday to be the new principal of Southeast Raleigh High School, which has experienced frequent leadership turnover over the past nine years. It’s a homecoming for Harden, who spent more than a decade at Southeast Raleigh as a social studies teacher, athletic coach and later assistant principal before leaving in 2012.
“My heart has always been with Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, the families there, the community where I was heavily involved,” Harden said in an interview Wednesday. “My passion is just connected with Southeast Raleigh.
“You hear about situations where it’s not where it was when I left. It’s time for me to step up and lead.”
Harden will start March 9 with a salary of $129,0001. He’s now an assistant principal at North Mecklenburg High School near Charlotte.
Southeast Raleigh High opened in 1997 boasting the most advanced technology in the district. Enrollment would grow to nearly 2,200 students with nearly 500 magnet school applications a year.
Enrollment now is down to 1,455 students and 129 magnet applications a year. The school has undergone multiple changes to its magnet theme to try to attract interest.
Stephanie Smith, who became principal in 2017, was transferred in January to a position in central office. No reason was given for the move, but it came around the same time that the Wake County school system agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit over how a special-education student was treated at the school.
New principal is coming home to Southeast Raleigh
Harden left Southeast Raleigh in 2012 when he was recruited by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. Harden said he’s focused now on helping Southeast Raleigh, which he calls the “diamond” of Wake County.
“From my perspective, I’m coming home,” said Harden, 49. “I’m not going anywhere, the Lord willing. I’m there to continue the legacy and bring the pride back in the community and all of the excitement from alumni.”
Harden’s return has drawn praise from those who remember him from his days as the school’s former track coach.
“Principal Harden’s placement reflects that WCPSS listened and heard the parents and students of Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School,” said Dawn Blagrove, a Southeast Raleigh High parent who has lobbied for more stability at the school. “This hire appears to be an intentional and deliberate response to the unique needs of our school, students and community.
“Principal Harden has strong ties to the school during a time when the school was thriving and excelling.”
Also announced on Tuesday:
▪ Ve-Lecia Council will be the district’s new Northeastern Area Superintendent with a salary of $127,000. She’s been assistant superintendent for human resources in Pitt County Schools since 2016.
▪ Retired principal and former school board member Tom Benton will serve as interim principal of Heritage Middle School in Wake Forest from March 2 to June 30. He’s filling in for Christopher McCabe, who will become the district’s Northern Area Superintendent.
▪ Jan Hargrove’s contract as interim principal of Banks Road Elementary School near Fuquay-Varina has been extended to April 1.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
