UPDATD: Hopkins Charter Director Named Washburn Principal

UPDATE 8:32 a.m. 8/2/13: In an email to district staff, Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson announced Patrick Exner's appointment to lead Southwest Minneapolis' Washburn High School.

"I am happy to name Patrick Exner as the principal of Washburn High School. Mr. Exner joins MPS from Ubah Medical Academy High School in Hopkins, where he served as principal," Johnson wrote. "During his tenure, Mr. Exner increased math and reading proficiency and reduced student discipline reports. Enrollment at Ubah also increased 25 percent under Mr. Exner’s leadership."

The email also announced a number of promotions and new hires.
South High Principal Cecilia Saddler was named Associate Superintendent for Area C—which covers Southwest Minneapolis, Uptown, and Downtown. Susanne Griffin-Ziebart was named Chief Academic Officer and Rich Valerga was tapped to be Chief Information Officer. Griffin-Ziebart comes to the district after a tenure as deputy and acting superintendent of the Bibb County School District. Valerga most recently helped oversee the $1.6 billion merger of IT systems and services between the Memphis Public Schools and the Shelby County Public Schools.

Original Post, 7:38 p.m. 8/1/13: According to parent David Brauer, Patrick Exner is Washburn High School's new principal. He is replacing Carol Markham-Cousins, who was reassigned earlier this year after student protests over the departure of athletic director Dan Pratt.

Pratt recently left the district in favor of a job leading all athletics and non-academic activities in the Rockford, MN schools.

Brauer tweeted that an automated phone message sent to Washburn parents Thursday night announced Exner's appointment. School spokesperson Larissa Chinwah said an official announcement will be made Friday morning, "first thing."

Exner comes from Ubah Medical Academy, a charter school in Hopkins, where he is the Assistant Director. According to his bio on the Ubah website, Exner was previously the the Director of Teaching and Learning West Metro Education Program, or WMEP. WMEP is intended to offer integrated learning environments to students from several west metro public school districts, including Minneapolis.

Exner, the bio adds, has a B.A. in English from the University of St. Thomas, a Masters in Curriculum Design and his K-12 Principal license from Saint Mary’s University. He was previously an administrator in the Robbinsdale Area Schools.

“He helped a lot with the kids here,” Ubah Director Musa M. Farah told the Star Tribune. The Star Tribune also reported Exner was Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson's favorite for the post. 

Washburn's diverse 1,234 student body will be a significant jump for Exner, who helps guide the education of 319 students at Ubah.

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