Eric Juli has resigned as principal of Shaker Heights High School, effective Nov. 26.
In comments made during a staff meeting after school, he cited exhaustion and the obstacles created by critics. “I have decided to resign my position as principal of Shaker Heights High School. Next Tuesday will be my final day,” Juli said.
“I have become a lightning rod for the community,” Juli said. “It gets in the way of the work.”
Juli’s hiring was announced May 10, 2019. His tenure began in August 2019. “The rumor mill will go wild,” he said. “I’m not being fired.”
Isaiah Wyatt, assistant principal of the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning, has been named interim principal for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year.
Throughout his career, Juli has served as a principal for 14 years and as a building administrator for 20 in six states. “I’m tired,” he said.
“I believe our school needs a different voice,” Juli told staff during the meeting. He said that he does not have another job but that he looks forward to using his skills in a new environment. “The last time I didn’t work in a school, I was the manager in an ice cream shop,” Juli said.
Wyatt will take on the role of interim principal Dec. 2. A weapons detection system is to be operative at the high school that day.
“If I’m being honest, it’s not easy,” Juli told staff. “I do a lot of fighting in our community. Fighting itself is never joyful, but I want the job to have more joy than it does at this minute. There ought to be a lot of joy in the work.”
“We thank Mr. Juli for his leadership and wish Mr. Wyatt the best,” said Dr. John Morris, SHTA president. In this district, “the only constant is change.”
