New principal named for Edison Elementary in Kennewick

Kennewick’s Edison Elementary School will have a new principal next school year.

School district officials picked Mia Burris Benjamin from a pool of about 15 applicants. She will replace Bruce Cannard, who is retiring.

Benjamin is the principal at Mattawa’s Wahluke High School. She previously served as principal at Mattawa elementary and at the Hoquiam School District’s Central Elementary.

She also held positions as a bilingual coordinator, a curriculum specialist and as a supervisor for music and gifted student programs.

Benjamin rose to the top of the qualified candidates, Greg Fancher, the assistant superintendent of elementary instruction, said in a news release.

“Ms. Benjamin possesses a refined skill set and wealth of experience,” Fancher said. “We expect her to be a great addition to the Edison community as well as to our whole team of elementary principals.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Seattle Pacific University.

Six of the applicants previously held administrative positions at elementary schools.

This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "New principal named for Edison Elementary in Kennewick."