RICHMOND, Va. -- A consultant, hired by Richmond Public Schools to help recruit candidates for principal positions, informed the Richmond School Board on Monday night that the district has received over 200 resumes.

The consultant told school leaders that 25 candidates are well into the interview process and that most of the resumes are coming from outside the school district.

The update comes on the heels of a major shake-up by the administration to fire or demote a handful of current principals as part of the school district's long-term strategic plan.

On Monday night, about a dozen people spoke in support of the school principals facing the loss of their job at the end of the school year.

"I fear this is too much upheaval at one time for this administration to take on effectively," said one education advocate.

Last week several high-level sources told CBS 6 that the administration wanted to remove 10 principals from their positions. The principals will finish out the school year, but will either resign or apply for another position within the school district.

While superintendent Jason Kamras would not speak on personnel matters, he listened intently to the pleas of teachers, parents, and community members, mainly who spoke in favor of Thomas Jefferson High School principal Tamera Mines and George Wythe High School principal Reva Green, a long-time administrator.

"She's been there for 21 years and she hasn't had a write-up, nothing negative at all," said Robert Winfrey. "What she has done that a lot of people don't know, is she's held the community together."

The school board didn't make any decisions on Monday night about the firing or hiring of school principals.