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GREENSBORO — Blame district leadership, poor hiring practices or a stronger economy. Whatever the cause, principal turnover in Guilford County Schools was once alarming.

Sixty-one percent of principals led their schools for a year or less from 2006 to 2008, according to district figures.

Less than 1 in 3 principals worked at the same school for at least three years during that time.

The numbers have improved since then, but school officials worry that too many principals hinder academic progress at a school by leaving too soon.

“There are a number of members of the board, including myself, who believe we’ve got to keep leadership at our schools in place,” said Paul Daniels, a Board of Education member. “We can’t continue to have the musical chairs.”

The board plans to discuss principal hiring at its retreat Saturday. Discussion likely will cover turnover rates, hiring practices and salaries, said Nora Carr, the district’s chief of staff.

“I don’t think that there’s any one issue,” she said. “There’s concern that there’s been too much movement in Guilford County Schools, and the improvements that have been made in that regard have not been enough.”

District figures show that 66 percent of principals working at a school in 2010-11 had been there for at least three years.

But Carr said the data belie perceptions about what is occurring.

“This data looks a lot better than what it feels like when we’re working on the issues internally,” she said.

Those perceptions have some validity. Data sent to board members in October show that turnover rates began to climb slightly during the first part of this school year. At that time, 48 percent of principals were in the same position for at least three years.

Nonetheless, district administrators and Board of Education members believe fewer principals are leaving their schools because of the economic recession, better support for school leaders, and stronger employee morale since the hiring of Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green.

Rhonda Copeland, principal of Fairview Elementary in High Point, said her school benefits from the regional offices and the services for low-performing schools that Green put in place three years ago. Fairview, where most students qualify for subsidized meals, gets a paid principal coach and priority access to other district resources.

But Copeland emphasized the importance of stable school-based leadership. She became Fairview’s principal in 2005 but didn’t hit her stride until three or four years later, she said.

“I have to agree with them,” Copeland said, referring to school board members. “At highly impacted schools, it takes time to build trust and relationships. As a principal, you may be making decisions that parents don’t agree with.”

It’s unclear what the district can do to keep principals in place for at least three to five years. Several board members want to reduce the number of principals changing schools midyear, and Daniels suggested suing principals or other employers who break their contract.

“We’ve got these contracts with these folks, and they say they’re going to be in place with us four years,” Daniels said. “They certainly hold us to that contract. Why can’t we hold them to these contracts?”

Board member Nancy Routh said she is more concerned about the experience level of all principals than their movement between schools. Principals had an average 3.3 years of experience at the school level, but an average 6.6 years of experience as a whole, according to the fall figures.

Limiting movement within the district has its drawbacks, Carr said. She previously worked for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and remembers how a policy that limited transfers to certain schools led to resentment among teachers.

“I don’t know that there’s a perfect solution,” she said. “It’s one of those things you have to constantly manage.”

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com