At Year's Outset, A Power Shuffle

Special-Ed Position Filled; 20 Principals To Begin New Jobs

The academic year begins next week with 20 new or reassigned principals in the D.C. public schools and one new face in a long-vacant top administration position.

Marla C. Oakes, a 30-year education veteran, will take over as executive director of special education, filling a post that has been vacant for nearly a year. Oakes has served as an assistant superintendent in the St. Louis public schools, where roughly 6,000 students have disabilities. There she worked with agencies, nonprofit groups and specialized schools to coordinate special education services.

Oakes comes to the District at a critical time for special education. According to a recent Washington Post analysis, the school system spent $118 million last year on tuition for special education students attending private schools, an expense that was 65 percent higher than in 2000. Records show that officials have covered the rising costs by transferring tens of millions of dollars a year from public school programs.

About one in five special education students in the District attend private schools, compared with one in 11 in Prince George's County and one in 27 in Montgomery County.

Oakes started working in education in New Orleans as a reading therapist and later was a speech pathologist. She previously worked in Fairfax County and Prince George's County public schools, and she has been an adjunct instructor with the special education department at Howard University.

New Principals

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· Dana Leigh Nerenberg is the new principal at Hyde Elementary School. Nerenberg previously was a principal in training at Amidon Elementary School, and she has taught at Gage-Eckington Elementary School and Friendship Public Charter School.

· LaShada Ham, a D.C. public school graduate, will be at Raymond Elementary School, moving up from the assistant-principal ranks last year at McGogney Elementary.

· Ximena Hartsock, formerly of Tubman Elementary, will become principal of Ross Elementary.

· Linda Williams, new principal at Young Elementary, participated in the New Leaders for New Schools program and was previously an assistant principal at Winston Educational Center.