South’s Principal Moussa Hamka will be transitioning from his current position to be GPPSS Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources (HR). During the Dec 9, 2024 board of education meeting, the switch was approved in a 6-0 vote.
Hamka has been South’s principal for 11 years, helping the school through the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of it. To both staff and students, this announcement has come as a surprise.
”I would not be standing here today without our custodians, engineers, support staff, our teachers, our parapros counselors and secretaries,” Hamka said during a speech to the board during the meeting. “You’ve all helped shape who I am today. 11 years have been marked with tremendous success, achievements, setbacks, failures, most importantly, growth.”
Along with this change, the board also voted to give four central office administrators position promotions and gradual raises over the next four years, with all of them moving up to be Assistant Superintendents or Deputy Superintendents.
“I find him [Hamka] to be the most excellent choice for HR Director,” Superintendent Dr. Andrea Tuttle said, later adding, “There is a quote ‘you hire people better than you’. I always look for someone who will not only fill our team but make our team better and I think Principal Hamka is that individual.”
The top HR position has been vacant for a number of months, adding to the board’s pressure to fill such a critical position for a school district.
“I think that Principal Hamka is a fantastic choice for this position,” Board President Sean Cotton said during the meeting. “He’s a great leader at South.”
Currently, it is unclear who will fill Hamka’s position as principal at South. Tuttle made it clear that Hamka will still be heavily involved with the graduating class of 2025 and will likely still sign the graduates’ diplomas.
“As you can all imagine, it’s a bittersweet moment for me. I’ve been grappling with mixed emotions,” Hamka said. “I’ll miss the relationships and bonds formed [at South] and I also look forward to expanding my advocacy and commitment to all students across the district.”
In the coming weeks, the district is expected to announce its plans for South’s open administrative spot.
“There’s not a better place for teaching and learning in the state of Michigan,” Hamka said. “I’m honored and humbled for this opportunity to continue serving our community.”
