St. Paul Public Schools is working to fill 10 vacancies at principal and soon will have two openings at assistant superintendent.

Nine of the departing administrators, including three at the high school level, are retiring. The other three have found work in another school district.

Human resources director Laurin Cathey characterized the number of openings as “not extremely high.” Seven principals left their jobs last year.

Still, the retirees include stalwarts of some of the city’s largest schools. The district’s three largest high schools by enrollment, as well as its largest elementary school, will get new leaders next year.

“You can’t plan for it. It’s just one of those things,” Cathey said.

Those retiring this year include Central High School’s Mary Mackbee, Harding High’s Doug Revsbeck, and Mike McCollor, who leads the grades 6-12 Washington Technology Magnet.

McCollor’s wife, Melissa, is retiring too after leading the North and South campuses of Nokomis Montessori. The district will name two principals to replace her but will eliminate two assistant principal positions, Cathey said.

Patrick Bryan last week announced he is retiring from Capitol Hill, the gifted magnet school.

Those six schools alone account for one-fifth of the district’s enrollment.

Others retiring are: Heidi Bernal, Adams Spanish Immersion; Stacey Kadrmas, Frost Lake Elementary; and Celeste Carty, Crossroads Science and Montessori.

Bryan Bass is leaving Linwood-Monroe Arts+ to become assistant superintendent for the Edina district.

With the exception of Capitol Hill’s Bryan, the retirees notified the district by February that this would be their last year. Cathey said their positions attracted 51 applicants, which he considers a strong number.

“This is a destination district for people in the education field,” he said.

The new principals should be named around May 10, district spokesman Kevin Burns said.

“We are deep into the (hiring) process,” he said.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

Meanwhile, two of the district’s four assistant superintendents are leaving soon for other jobs.

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Lisa Sayles-Adams, in charge of middle school principals, is resigning at the end of this month. She declined to comment for this story.

Cathey said Sayles-Adams took a job with the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale district.

Both assistant superintendent positions will be filled, Cathey said.