The Knoxville School Board approved the hire of Jory Houser as the new West Elementary Principal in a special session Thursday night.

Two candidates had been interviewed for the position after the recent resignation of former principal Amy Taylor. Houser, the Bussey native has spent the last four years as Assistant Principal at Crocker Elementary in Ankeny. Houser, who has also been a school counselor, has spent time teaching abroad in Mexico, Turkey, and China.

Houser released a statement following his hire.

“I am very honored and excited to join West Elementary as your new Principal. My passion has always been to assist as many students as possible. It led me to start my career in education in school counseling so that I could broaden my impact on students and work with students multiple years in a row to build relationships with them and their families. I have previously worked in elementary, middle, and high school. I have education experience in the USA, Turkey, Mexico and China that have helped me grow as an educator. I have experience in urban and rural school districts that assist me in bringing ideas to the table. I have also worked at court ordered institutions for youth. I hope these varied experiences will enhance my impact in this position.” 

Houser will officially take over this role sometime in July. Hear from the newly hired principal on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.