Newport Harbor principal to take district-level position

Newport Harbor High School could soon have a new principal with its current top administrator moving up to a district-level position.

Principal Michael Vossen has accepted a job as director of career pathways and business partnerships for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, the district announced Friday.

If the school board approves the superintendent’s recommendation to move him to that role, he’ll start on July 1, according to a statement from school officials. The governing body’s next meeting is Tuesday night.

Vossen would oversee career technical education, filling a vacancy that had been open for a year after the previous director retired, Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Laura Boss said.

“During his tenure at NHHS, he has been a strong advocate for the enhancement and expansion of career technical programs both on the campus and district wide,” the district’s statement read. “The NHHS Culinary Arts Program is a nationally recognized award winning model.”

Vossen was hired as the assistant principal at NHHS in 1998 after working as assistant principal at Costa Mesa High School.

He took NHHS school’s top job in 2000. He previously taught math in the Corona-Norco Unified School District.

If his new move is approved, the school district will immediately start an open search for a replacement, taking into account input from staff, parents and other stakeholders.

“The goal is to have a new principal in place before the start of the new school year,” Boss wrote.