Issue with principal remains unsettled

District administrators said Newport Harbor High School faculty members’ calls of no confidence in their principal is a personnel decision and will observe the situation from afar for the time being.

Newport Harbor faculty said they expected to have a response from the district by Monday following a Friday morning vote that some characterized as a vote of no confidence in school Principal Michael Vossen. That official response never came, however.

District Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard said he has not seen the letter, which appears to be making its way through administrators’ hands.

Assistant Supt. of Secondary Education Chuck Hinman said he’s read the letter, but he declined to comment on its contents, saying only, “I’ll obviously continue to work with the principal to make sure things are going well at the school site.”

Vossen’s decisions have gained widespread attention lately, including his move to rescind teacher Eric Tweit’s position as athletic director a year before he was scheduled to step down. Tweit’s co-director, Fletcher Olsen, stepped down two days later. Vossen also fired Evan Chalmers as baseball coach after four years and a 35-62-1 record. All three remain teachers at the school.

Many faculty members interviewed said Vossen has a tendency to make decisions without fully explaining them or seeking input, which, though it isn’t required, lets faculty know their voices are heard.

Efforts to reach Vossen for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

“Typically, we try to hire the best folks we can and let them do their jobs,” Hubbard said.

“This is strictly a school matter, and I place every confidence that Mr. Vossen with the support of the district will have a good resolution to this, and if there’s teacher concern he will address them,” school board member Martha Fluor said.

Vossen has said the recent athletics department shake-up is part of a “new direction,” which he outlined for parents in a letter over the weekend. In the letter, Vossen said Newport Harbor athletics must refocus on victory with honor and the school’s student athletes.