William Allen High School's fourth principal in four years resigns

By Colin McEvoy | The Express-Times
on June 25, 2013 at 8:02 PM, updated June 26, 2013 at 10:26 AM

William Allen High School Principal Shannon Mayfield has resigned, after holding the position for one year.

Mayfield, who submitted a letter of resignation last week, was the first black principal of the 126 North 17th Street school.

 Shannon Mayfield

Efforts to contact Mayfield were unsuccessful, and the district declined to immediately provide a copy of his letter of resignation on Tuesday.

Superintendent Russell Mayo said he does not know why Mayfield chose to resign, and that the resignation letter was a “pretty standard” one.

“Shannon’s resignation came as a surprise to me, I will say that,” Mayo said.

School board President Robert Smith Jr. said he believes Mayfield has received other job offers in Philadelphia and Detroit. Smith praised Mayfield’s performance at William Allen and said he would be willing to offer him more money to stay in Allentown.

“It’s a great disappointment,” Smith said. “I’ve been so impressed with his leadership at the school. He really brought parents, students and communities together at William Allen. It was a school again.”

Mayfield was the fourth William Allen High School principal in four years, Smith said. Mayfield had replaced Stanley Landis, who had been the interim principal after the departure of Michael Rodriguez.

The Allentown School Board will formally vote upon whether to accept Mayfield’s resignation during its meeting Thursday, the same night they also plan to vote on the 2013-14 budget. Read more