In Bellaire, parents and others active in St. John Central High School learned Wednesday that the Steubenville Diocese granted them a seat on the committee that's searching for a new principal at the school.

Michael Shaheen has a child who attends St. John, and he said that he couldn't be happier about the news.

Shaheen said that parents and others have been trying to get a seat on the committee for about a month now. And he said that parents and others feel it will help the school find a leader who can really turn things around.

"Obviously we don't know who they're going to pick as principal, but they're at least going to hear what the parents think," Shaheen said.

Jeff Paolina, an alumni of the school, is the man who the diocese elected to sit on the committee and represent the parents and others involved.

"The right principal that's willing to work with our group ... can definitely make a difference," Paolina said.

Paolina told NEWS9 there are issues with the school's facilities, enrollment numbers, and academic achievements -- all of which the parents and others involved are concerned about. He said those topics, among others, are the ones that many are hoping a new principal can address and change.

Paolina told NEWS9 the school has received 15 applicants for the principal position at the high school, and he said the diocese hopes to fill the position by July 1, 2009.

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