Noel Maloof considers his recent hiring as principal of Dunwoody High School more of a homecoming than a new assignment.

Maloof gave up his post at Vanderlyn Elementary to return to the Dunwoody High campus where he served an administrative stint several years ago.

“I’m excited to get back here,” he said. “We have an excellent staff and Dunwoody High School is both an academic and athletic powerhouse. What we intend to do is continue that tradition of excellence.”

Accomplishing that task is all the more difficult amid the circumstances of ongoing tough economic times.

DeKalb County School District staffers are coping with tens of millions of dollars in cuts and two additional furlough days approved as part of the district’s 2012–13 budget.

“Times like this are when you have to reach out to the community for support,” Maloof said. “I have a never-say-die mentality … and I have some good relationships with [sources] throughout.”

Focusing on teacher quality and development will be the benchmarks of Maloof’s administration, he said.

“It’s about us building a culture of learning,” said Maloof. “It’s not about bringing new expertise into the building — it’s about finding the expertise you already have and tapping into it.”

Maloof’s teacher professional development agenda will include additional certification and course opportunities as well as stipends, whenever available, for other enrichment endeavors.

Maloof’s track record in boosting student achievement is substantive.

After a three and a half-year stint as assistant principal of instruction at Dunwoody High, he took over principal duties at Vanderlyn. On his watch, the implementation of programming centered on literacy and mathematics culminated in Vanderlyn’s receipt of the prestigious 2011 School of Excellence award for academic achievement.

Maloof’s departure from Vanderlyn is part of a small incoming wave of local chief administrator hires.

Jennifer Pittman Sanders, current Dunwoody Elementary assistant principal, will take over as principal there. Meanwhile, Tracey Crenshaw will move up from the assistant principal’s office at Vanderlyn to helm Maloof’s former post.