Lemme Elementary Principal John Bacon could become the next principal of City High, Superintendent Lane Plugge said Monday.

Plugge said he recommended the School Board select Bacon to replace Mark Hanson, who announced earlier this year that he would resign.

Around 700 parents presented the School Board with a petition asking it to deny Hanson’s resignation. Some parents suggested he was being forced to resign after penning an editorial in the Iowa City Press-Citizen that criticized redistricting efforts.

Board members will likely vote on the recommendation at their April 27 meeting.

Plugge said he has observed Bacon, who has been the principal of Lemme, for five years, as both an excellent elementary-school teacher and administrator.

He said Bacon is energetic, enthusiastic, and committed to the Iowa City School District.

“I know he will work extra hard to be successful in that position,” Plugge said.

If the School Board votes to accept the recommendation, Bacon will become City High’s principal for the upcoming school year.

— by Holly Hines