Doug Prater is no longer principal at Brewton Middle School, but he has no intention of ending his education career.
Prater, who retired Wednesday after he was caught in the same conundrum as many other Alabama educators faced with the choice of retiring now or paying more for health insurance later, plans to continue teaching.
“I’ve spent 30 years in education and I’m not finished,” Prater said. “This was just the time to make that decision.”
Prater will take another position at a private school in Prattville.
“I’ll be teaching Bible classes to seniors at Prattville Christian Academy beginning in January,” Prater said. “My first teaching job was at Alabama Christian Academy teaching Bible classes. It turns out I can finish my career the way I started it.”
Prater spent 14 years at Brewton Middle School, starting this school year in a brand new building he watched grow from the first brick.
“Even though I’m sad about leaving Brewton Middle School, I am excited for this opportunity to change,” Prater said. “To have a change might be rejuvenating for everyone. New leadership isn’t always bad. Some changes give new life to schools, teachers and administrators. It can be easy to get stale and stagnate. This change can be good for everyone.”
Even though Prater will be moving on to a new position in education, he has no regrets about his work in the Brewton City School System.
“I’ve tried to do the best that I could for the kids in our school,” Prater said. “It has been my responsibility to do what I could for the children, and I feel good about what has been accomplished here. I’ve spent 14 years at Brewton Middle School and have built a lot of close relationships with students, parents and teachers. This is home and I’m sad about leaving early.”
Brewton City School officials say an advertisement for Prater’s position has been made with a recommendation for a replacement expected at the December meeting of the City Board of Education.