J.L. Long Middle School
As mentioned earlier this month, J.L. Long Middle School lost its former principal Danielle Petters at the beginning of the summer. Up to last week Long hadn’t picked someone to fill her position, according to Dallas ISD.
Yesterday Long sent out an email announcing it extended an offer to Chandra Barnett, who was formerly the assistant principal at J. L. Long, and she accepted.
Barnett has fourteen years of experience serving as a coach, a reading teacher, an inclusion teacher, an SAT/testing coordinator and assistant principal in Dallas ISD. Her “most recent administrative experience has been shaped as an assistant principal at Lincoln High School and Humanities/Communications Magnet and J. L. Long Middle School,” she says.
Long PTA board member Maria Hasbany says this decision has been made at the “ninth hour” after a “summer of revolving principals.” Several weeks ago the school extended an offer to Dan Cummings, but he ended up accepting an offer at MacArthur High School in Irving instead.
After Petters left at the beginning of the summer, Barnett took the reins at Long during summer school and did a great job, making her “the superhero of the summer,” Hasbany points out.
Because of that, Hasbany says the staff at Long is enthusiastic about Barnett taking on the position of principal full time.
“She’s very straightforward with the kids and the staff likes her,” Hasbany explains. “She has solid experience. She has been at DISD in both middle school and high school. Plus she worked under Danielle Petters, so she can always reach out to her with any questions, so she basically has a built in mentor.”
