By Kevin Collins
Staff Writer
Carrboro High School Principal Kelly Batten has announced he will step down at the end of this school year to join Chatham County Schools as the district’s executive director of secondary education at the start of July.
Batten is the second principal in Carrboro High’s history, and he joined the school in August 2008, a year after it opened. He said his longtime goal, even before his teaching career, was to be a high school principal.

“It happened a lot sooner than I thought it would,†Batten said. “I began to look at other ways of leadership within schools, and I became really interested in district-level leadership.
“I suddenly came upon this opportunity. The timing’s never right because change can be difficult, but this was appealing to me to get to work on the district level.â€
Batten does not know who his replacement will be, but he said the school has already announced their hiring timeline and process. He’ll miss the relationships with students and teachers at Carrboro High and the tight community that formed under his leadership, but also the positive direction in which the school is headed.
“There’s this real passion, and always has been, among the staff for constantly looking at what we do and getting better, smarter, more efficient,†Batten said. “I’m going to miss that environment.â€
He said his replacement will inherit a school with great potential, and he’s sure the next principal will continue to build on the tradition of excellence Batten worked to develop during his tenure.
“I think this school is a wonderful opportunity for leadership, for instructional leadership,†Batten said. “I’m going to miss being part of that, but I just think the school is a fantastic place.â€