When students walk through the doors at Dublin Jerome and Dublin Coffman high schools on Thursday, Aug. 20, they'll be greeted by principals who grew up in Dublin City Schools themselves.
Two of the district's three high schools have new building leaders this fall, part of a five-principal shakeup that marks an unusually large leadership turnover for the nearly 17,000-student district. The changes arrive alongside a new superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Schwanke, who took over Aug. 1 after nearly three decades in the district.
Jerome: Dr. Bryan Arnold
Dr. Bryan Arnold, a 2002 graduate of Dublin Scioto High School, is Jerome's new principal after serving as assistant principal there since 2021. Arnold spent his entire K-12 career in Dublin City Schools, teaching social studies at Coffman before moving to Jerome.
"I always joke that I've been at all three high schools … I understand what Dublin is like," Arnold said in the district's July 31 profile introducing him as principal. "They are all unique, but they are all great places to be."
Arnold briefly left Dublin to pursue a Ph.D., intending to become a college professor, but returned after realizing how much he missed working with high school students. His first-year priority: ensuring graduates leave with problem-solving skills and engaged citizenship rather than rote memorization.
His favorite Jerome tradition? The annual staff clap-in on the first day of school, where teachers line the hallways to welcome students back.
Coffman: Wayne Tsai
Wayne Tsai, a 2004 Scioto graduate, takes over at Coffman after five years as assistant principal there. Tsai taught high school math for a decade at Hilliard City Schools and served as an assistant principal in the Olentangy Local School District before returning to Dublin.
Tsai told the district in its July 29 profile that his first goal is setting the tone and building trust with staff. He also refereed Coffman's student dodgeball tournament for five years, an experience he said let him "get to know all the kids from every corner of the district and their personalities."
Three elementary changes
The leadership wave extends beyond the high schools:
- Nick Bertrams steps up from assistant principal to principal at Olde Sawmill Elementary, where he has served for three years. His focus is building the school's "Clovers" identity and increasing parent involvement.
- Monica Woodson takes over at Abraham Depp Elementary, bringing seven years of experience as an elementary principal in Hilliard and prior Dublin City Schools experience as an intervention specialist and assistant principal. Her priorities are relationships and early literacy.
- Travis Woodworth arrives at Thomas Elementary from Delaware City Schools, where he spent 16 years as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. He has been meeting with Thomas staff throughout the summer to learn the school's culture.
A deliberate pipeline
The district has described the high school appointments as part of an intentional pipeline, using an administrative intern program that feeds into assistant principal roles and eventually principalships. Both Arnold and Tsai were promoted from within their buildings, according to a CityScene Columbus article authored by the district's public information officer.
Redistricting backdrop
The leadership changes come as the district continues to navigate the aftermath of a contentious redistricting process. New high school attendance boundaries, finalized in June 2026 after a pause last fall due to parent pushback, take effect for incoming freshmen in the 2027-28 school year. Schwanke said July 23 that the district does not intend to reopen the process.
For families at Jerome and Coffman, the combination of new principals and looming boundary changes means the next two years will bring substantial transition.
The first day of school is Thursday, Aug. 20.
