Balas Named New Principal at MVCS

Peter Balas will be the new principal at beginning July 1, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman announced Tuesday.

Balas is currently the executive associate principal for curriculum and instruction at . He will replace Tina Radomsky, who at the end of the year to return to her home in Chicago.

"I am thrilled to have been appointed to this position and to serve the Mount Vernon community," Balas said in a statement. "I am committed to improving the academic status of the school and to helping each student reach his or her potential. I very much look forward to working with the parents, staff and students at MVCS."

last month, calling him “a rising star.” He will be the fourth principal at MVCS in the last six years.

Mark Eisenhour, currently an academic principal at T.C. Williams, will join Balas as an on-assignment principal at MVCS. Eisenhour is the parent of former MVCS students.

This month, Balas plans to hold a series of parent and staff meetings in hopes of ensuring a smooth transition to the next school year.

because of its failure to meet certain benchmarks after two years of school improvement plans and five years of failing to meet certain federal standards. According to Tuesday’s statement, current ACPS data indicates that at best the school will make "safe harbor" designation this year.

"We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are confident that we are putting the right team in place and taking the right steps toward the transformation needed to close the achievement gaps that exist at MVCS," Sherman said in a statement.