After leading the pack at Lehman High for the past three years, Principal Denisha Presley next fall will make a return to where her career in school administration began.
On May 20, the San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees approved the hire of Presley as the next principal at San Marcos High for the 2019-20 school year. Presley will fill the role of Bobbi Turnbo, who will retire this summer.
Tim Savoy, Hays CISD chief communications officer, said Presley is scheduled to leave the district in June when her current contract ends and after the school’s June 7 commencement ceremony “to finish the year with the Class of 2019.”
In a letter to Lehman High parents, Presley said she was “saddened that she will no longer serve in the community that she called home,” but was grateful to return to San Marcos, where she started as an English teacher and began her administrative career. Presley said she will continue to serve as Lehman High’s principal until further notice.
Presley, a Texas State University graduate, was hired by Hays CISD in August 2016 to fill the role left by former Lehman High principal Michelle Chae.
Prior to working at Lehman, Presley spent 16 years working at Lockhart ISD and San Marcos CISD.
Presley said students, staff and parents at Lehman High will forever hold a “dear place in my heart.” She added the decision to transition to San Marcos “is not a reflection of our time, nor our work together.”
“Do not let my move contribute to the narrative that Lehman High School is a less than,” Presley said in the letter. “Instead, use your accomplishments over the last few years to catapult you into a continued journey of success.”
Savoy said Hays CISD does not have an official timeline to fill the Lehman High principal position, but plans to do so “as soon as possible.” Once the district receives a formal letter of resignation, Hays CISD will move forward with finding the next principal.
Savoy said Presley has been an “outstanding champion and advocate” for Lehman High students and an absolute pleasure as a colleague.
“We are excited for Denisha as she takes the next step in her career and for the opportunity to return to the school district where she began as a school administrator,” Savoy said. “We will miss her in Hays CISD and at Lehman High School.”
