By Celine Klosterman
IOWA CITY — Ray Pechous, principal of Regina Junior/Senior High School, will retire after the end of this school year, Regina president Carol Trueg said in a March 4 letter to parents.
Pechous told The Catholic Messenger only that his retirement was “forced.” He submitted his retirement notice to Regina’s Board of Education Feb. 24.
Mary Wieser, diocesan superintendent of schools, declined to comment, saying, “It is a personnel issue.”
Pechous has been principal of Regina’s high-school division since 2000, and before then had been principal of the elementary since 1988.
Trueg said he’s made many contributions to Regina, including “creating an environment that values service, most notably with the Christmas Basket Project, the Senior Citizen Thanksgiving dinner and the Guatemala service trip.” Under his leadership, the school has reached a top-three ranking each year that the AP (Advanced Placement) Index has been issued, and achieved the top ranking for 2008-2009. The AP Index measures the percentage of students taking AP classes.
“We are grateful to Ray” for his service, Trueg said.
Besides serving at Regina, Pechous has served as principal in Davenport at Sacred Heart School, and for three years each at St. Paul the Apostle School and St. Alphonsus School. He also has been a principal in the Archdiocese of Dubuque and taught for four years in public schools.
Regina’s Board of Education is forming a committee of administrators, teachers, staffers, students and parents to look for a new high-school principal. Trueg said the school hopes to find a new principal by May 1 who will begin work July 1.
