Solon High School begins 2026-27 year with new principal and assistant principal

Solon High School began the 2026-27 school year with a new principal and assistant principal on August 1. Dakota Berg took over as principal and Paige Zenovic became assistant principal, putting a new administrative team in place as students, parents and staff started the academic year.

Solon City Schools announced the appointments May 4. The district identified leadership continuity and student-focused administration as goals of the transition. The change affects the school’s administration as it manages curriculum, staffing, operations and student support.

Retirement set the transition in motion

The Board of Education accepted Erin Short’s retirement effective August 1, 2026. Short’s retirement followed 26 years in school administration at Solon High School, according to a district announcement published Jan. 26.

The approved announcements do not characterize the retirement as involuntary. They also do not report a policy change, staffing change or change in academic performance resulting from the leadership transition.

Berg takes over as principal

Before becoming principal, Berg led work involving curriculum development and assessment, staff recruitment and evaluation, school operations and budgeting, and partnerships with parents and community organizations.

That experience is the background he brings to the principal’s office as the school begins the new year. The district announcement names Berg as principal but does not provide his salary or contract terms.

Zenovic joins the administration

Zenovic previously taught English at Mayfield City Schools and served in leadership roles there. Her appointment as assistant principal took effect on the same date as Berg’s appointment.

Together, the appointments establish the high school’s new leadership structure following Short’s retirement. The district’s announcement does not describe either appointment as permanent beyond the official appointment information.

For the Solon High School community, the immediate next step is the new administrators’ work during the 2026-27 school year. The approved announcements provide no additional deadline or follow-up action, and they do not list salary or contract information for either new administrator.