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Richmond Elementary School principal Stacy Eto-Tharp is on indefinite leave, Portland Public Schools announced in an email to parents last Thursday.
Eto-Tharp has been the principal at Richmond since the 2023–24 school year. She came to PPS from the North Clackamas School District, where she had been principal of Clackamas High School.
Eto-Tharp declined to comment on the nature of her leave when WW reached out for comment. Stephanie Engelsman, the School Board representative for the zone that encompasses Richmond, said she could not share additional information. Sydney Kelly, a spokeswoman for PPS, says the district cannot comment further on the matter at this time.
Neither the Thursday email—written by chief of schools Isaac Cardona—nor a Saturday message from Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong expand on the reasons behind Eto-Tharp’s leave.
“Out of respect for everyone involved, there are limits to what can be shared. I know that can feel difficult, especially in a close-knit school community,” Armstrong wrote. “In the meantime, our focus remains to maintain stability, continuity and strong support for our students, staff and families at Richmond.”
In a message to the Portland School Board and other district leaders, the Richmond Parent Teacher Association wrote that parents respect that personnel matters deserve confidentiality, but added that the lack of transparency was eroding trust in the school community.
“The sudden and limited nature of the communication about Principal Eto-Tharp’s leave has created significant concern within the Richmond community,” the PTA board wrote. “Many of us are left wondering whether this leave is a personal matter or a district-initiated action. That distinction matters because it informs how our community can appropriately and effectively respond, support the rest of the staff, and move forward together.”
Joe Galati, the former principal of Llewelyn Elementary School, will step in to the interim role.
Parents say Eto-Tharp was foundational to providing stability at Richmond, which experienced a number of years of consistent principal turnover ahead of her arrival. Eto-Tharp told The Oregonian in 2023 that her experience as a Japanese American informed how she wanted to lead Richmond, a school with a Japanese language immersion program.
“I’m planning on being there for multiple years,” she told The Oregonian. “I’m excited about what we can accomplish having some more stability and a sense of unity in the school community.”
