The principal of Stuyvesant High School, the crown jewel of New York’s public education system and one of the top high schools in the nation, will depart for a new job at the end of the month, the Department of Education announced and sources said Wednesday.
Eric Contreras will step down from his post atop the elite Lower Manhattan high school effective July 31 and will become principal at North Shore HS on Long Island.
Contreras has held the position since 2016 and been with the DOE since 1996.
In a letter sent Wednesday to school staffers, Contreras portrayed the decision to move on as a personal one as much as a professional one.
“The decision is deeply personal and one that I’ve made in consideration of the needs of my family and my own reflection as a husband, father and educator,” wrote Contreras in the letter, obtained by The Post.
Sources at the school said that Contreras is grieving the recent death of his father, lost to the coronavirus.
“For the past four years I have served the Stuyvesant community with a great sense of awe and pride,” said Contreras in a statement through the DOE. “I’ve been humbled and inspired in unimaginable ways by the work and dedication of staff, students and families. It has been a privilege and honor to serve the school, and I will continue to promote and champion the needs of our community, staff and students.”
Contreras previously indicated that he was stepping down in 2018, only to reverse course, according to Chalkbeat.
If the DOE can’t find a permanent replacement for Contreras by month’s end, an interim principal will be named, the agency said.
Contreras’ departure comes amid controversy over the single-test admissions system for specialized high schools, and the low levels of black and Hispanic enrollment at the prestigious institution.