Diaz announces resignation as St. Patrick Catholic School principal

Eddie Diaz announced his resignation this week as principal of St. Patrick School in Perry.

Diaz broke the news in a letter to the Rev. Chris Reising, the St. Patrick School Board and the teachers, staff and parents, indicating he would not renew the employment contract that expires at the end of the this school year.

Diaz, who endured a stormy 10-day period last August during which he was fired and then reinstated as principal of the K-8 Catholic school, did not indicate in his letter a reason for leaving St. Pat’s after two years in the leadership position.

He did, however, thank the school community, the parish and Bishop Richard Pates for the support they have shown him during his tenure. Pates himself announced his retirement in February after 10 years as bishop of the Des Moines Diocese, which serves about 100,000 Roman Catholics in the diocese.

“My family and I love Perry and hope to continue making it our home,” Diaz said in his letter. “I appreciate the trust that parents placed in us by sending their students to our little school and all the support that the community has given St. Patrick School.”

Diaz did not specify his future plans.

“Moving forward,” he said, “please know that St. Pat’s will always be near to my heart. As my family and I move forward, I ask for your prayers so that God continues to show us the best path to follow.”

Reising also communicated the news in a letter to parents Tuesday. He praised Diaz for his accomplishments.

“We want to thank Eddie for his hard work and dedication to our students and school,” Reising said. “During his time here, enrollment has been the highest it has been in many years. He has forged good relationships with the public school and found ways of working together for the benefit of our students. He has helped with recruitment of Latino and Hispanic students. He also done a lot for our teachers.”

Reising said the search for Diaz’s successor has begun, and a committee of stakeholders will help select the new principal.

St. Patrick School Board President Trish Roberts said, “We will post the job, and a hiring committee will interview candidates. As a school board, we will go through and do our best to find the best candidate to lead our school into the next phase.”

St. Patrick’s Catholic School is one of 17 schools in the Des Moines Diocese. Enrollment is about 120.