We had almost the same thing happen to us. On the last day of school this past June, rumors were going around about our Principal leaving. We knew there was a vacancy at another elementary school in our district and just thought the facts were mixed up. As outgoing President, I left a thank you gift for her on the day before the last day of school and on the last day of school, our incoming Pres & Treasurer were there to hand out the end of year gifts. They spoke to her for several minutes in the privacy of her office about the year and the upcoming year.
I was approached the following week by a mother that had a friend in another town and apparently our Principal was at that school to introduce herself as the new Principal for the new year!! This happened two weeks before the end of our school year and even though she left voluntarily; she never told one member of the PTO or any parent. When some parents had asked her, she replied with something like 'Oh, you know how rumors are!'
I totally understand how you could be offended by the actions of your Principal. He/she should have had the decency to call you personally to thank you for your support and give you the news. Details would not have been necessary. Our Principal waited until July to admit it to the new PTO president and she felt hurt as well.
Although your situation appears to not have been a voluntary departure, a call could have been made. Our district only sent a letter to announce the change in mid August which parents did not like because it came from our old Principal that left to be an Assistant Superintendent. And like you, we had 5 Principals (or acting principals) in 4 years due to illness or "politics".

After the many, many changes our school has experienced, I would have expected more from our principal and board of education. It was a clear indication of the small amount they value parent involvement and support. I have a feeling they will have a very hard time passing the budget the next election!!!

nothappy --- 6 princiapls in 3 yrs?? wow, sure sounds like there are issues in your district...maybe the prinicpal up and quit, and admin couldnt preadvise even staff because THEY were the last to know.

in any event, dont give it another thought, there is a reason that person left and they do have every right to their privacy (and the district will NEVER tell you the real reason, if they even know it -privacy rights and such, and lawsuit prevention mode the districts are always in).

CC - around here the teachers say "get to know the custodians,,,they know all the 'dirt'"! LOL how true it sometimes is.

The other part to this is that this temp is the sixth principal since 2004, so as a parent how happy would you be to find this out by a letter less than one week before school starts? I know I am going to get bombarded with questions and I am not sure I want that!

Yeah--I'd feel pretty bad about it too (I've been thinking about it since my last post) and if I felt like a partner with the school (part of the triad I always tout) I'd be angry to not be in on such a significant aspect of the leadership shifting and not knowing. There are times I REALLY realize that I'm not an employee of the school (holiday celebrations always make me feel really left out) but oh well....it goes with the payraise I don't get each year
d

Thanks for the replies, I understand the whole procedure thing. I just don't feel good that he had actually cleaned his office, the temp replacement came in last week and I just found out by the custodian.
I was told that it hasn't been official but think about it when the name plate is gone, his stuff is gone and a temp is in there I think people would catch on. All this one week before school starts. I have no clue what the role of PTO will look like or anything, not a thing. I am frustrated and have been talking with higher up about the whole timing of this as it could have been done at the beginning of summer.

There may also be legal confidentiality issues at stake. If sharing information was in violation of anyone's rights, then it just can't be shared. The fact of the matter is that he was an employee of the school district and PTO officers are not.

A discreet heads up from a trusted staff member might have been a kind gesture, but, again, depending on the nature of the situation even that might not be possible.

There were times when I, too, felt slighted by the school or school board. It's a stark reminder of how a PTO is really related to the school. It's hard not to feel like the stepchild sometimes. You go along feeling like part of the family and then, boom, something happens to remind you that you really, officially, are not.

Please continue to do the work you do. The kids need you!

Oh yeah, and the janitor knows everything, all the time. They are the true center of any school.