On the day of his sixtieth birthday, Principal Howard Weiner made a startling announcement: this year, his sixth year at Miami Palmetto Senior High, would be his last. While his retirement came as a surprise to many of his colleagues, Weiner states that this was not a spur of the moment decision.

“I’m completing my twentieth year of employment with Dade County Public Schools and it’s time for me to move on and take the next step in my life,” Weiner said. “This was a decision I’d been pondering for some months now, and over Memorial Day weekend I was sitting with my family and we came to that decision.”

On May 31, Weiner informed administrators that he will retire at the end of this school year. That same day Weiner told the Region of his plans to retire, and, according to counselor Harry Nerenberg, “He [Weiner] didn’t want to make the announcement himself [to the faculty]; he asked Bales to do it.”

While there has been no indication as to who will take Weiner’s place next year, teachers and administrators look back fondly on the six years spent under Weiner’s leadership.

“He was a great mentor for me; he personally taught me how to handle myself around students, parents, teachers and community members. I appreciated his support and his direction, his friendship, and I will miss him on a variety of fronts,” Bales said.
Teaches such as Susan Kaplan, Math Department Chair, agree.

“He’s going to be sorely missed because he’s the type of leader that had a very strong structure underneath him. He didn’t micromanage. He was very proud to be a Panther, that’s for sure,” Kaplan said.

Weiner thinks it is time to move on, but he also recognizes the impact Palmetto has made on his life.

“Let me say that being the principal of Miami Palmetto Senior High was a tremendous experience to me personally and professionally. The working relationships I’ve established with my teachers, faculty, staff and community are friendships I’ll have the rest of my life,” Weiner said.

While Weiner uses the word “retire,” he doubts he will stay out of the workforce long.

“The future is a blank piece of paper because I’m too young to sit around and do nothing, and after maybe spending six months to a year recharging my batteries, I may look into new working opportunities. But for now, I’m taking a rest, with a lot of time dedicated to family and fishing.”