The day he began his new job with the Glynn County school district, Steven Ballowe was named to a newer job as interim principal of one of the county’s two high schools.

Ballowe will head Glynn Academy following the unexpected resignation of Davis Baker, who had held the post for two years. He submitted a letter dated Monday. The resignation was effective at the end of business that same day.

Baker cited "personal reasons to pursue other professional opportunities outside the immediate area."

The school had attained adequate yearly progress for the first time in 2006-07 and was named by Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s top public high schools. The school, however, failed to meet AYP in the last school year.

Ballowe, who had taken a temporary position as executive director of school improvement, was introduced to the faculty on Monday. Classes do not begin in Glynn County until Wednesday.

The Glynn County school system is headed by Michael Bull, who was an assistant to Ballowe in Gainesville prior to taking the superintendent’s post in Brunswick in 2005.

He hired his former boss to a newly created position last week before naming him interim principal at the academy.

"While we anticipated Dr. Ballowe fulfilling another role with the school system, in prioritizing our immediate needs I felt it was most important to have an experienced educational leader to take the reins at Glynn Academy," Bull said in a statement released by his office. "Steven Ballowe graciously accepted this new challenge."

Bull said he has no plans to fill the job Ballowe originally accepted.

A published report in the Georgia Times-Union said Ballowe would be paid an annual salary of $116,000.

Ballowe was fired by the Gainesville school board July 3 after the system ran up a budget deficit of more than $6 million.

"I’m excited to be here," Ballowe told the Brunswick News. "We’re going to be here to guarantee that every child’s dream becomes a reality, and we will continue to accept the responsibility of each child’s success."