CHARLOTTE — Ardrey Kell High School in Ballantyne has selected its next principal, according to reporting by the Charlotte Observer.
Parents were informed Tuesday that David Legrand will take over leadership of the south Charlotte school in November. He has served as principal of Rocky River High School since 2023.
Legrand will replace current principal Susan Wills, who announced her retirement Aug. 12.
Wills faced controversy after a student painted the school’s spirit rock to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his death. School leaders painted over the display, saying it was unauthorized. The student later sued the district and reached a settlement.
Wills’ last day at Ardrey Kell will be Oct. 31.
Legrand will become the school’s third principal in recent years as Ardrey Kell continues a period of leadership transition.
District officials said they spent several weeks gathering parent feedback before announcing the new Ardrey Kell principal.
However, some parents felt the decision had already been made by the time they were included in the process.
Jennifer Kelleher, who has a second child attending Ardrey Kell, has been critical of the leadership changes.
“They’re selecting already sitting principals, so we really don’t have a say in the profile,” Kelleher said.
Legrand has been an educator for 24 years, serving in several roles across the district.
“I would love to be excited about Mr. Legrand. I don’t know anything about him except for what I can find on Google,” Kelleher said. “I don’t care who you are or what your background is. I just want to know that you have shown in the past that you can do things effectively.”
Legrand is coming from a school that has over 1,500 students to the district’s largest, which has more than 3,000.
It’s not clear who is going to replace Legrand at Mint Hill’s Rocky River High.
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