A longtime Atlanta principal retired, then returned to his school as a handyman

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Atlanta — Going into retirement, 58-year-old David White of Atlanta, Georgia, had immoderate preconceived notions.

"I thought it would beryllium blissful and casual and joyful," White told CBS News. "… It wasn't quite."

In September 2025, White retired aft 33 years successful education, the past 15 spent arsenic main astatine the Burgess-Peterson Academy, an simple school. It was a vocation truthful illustrious that White was erstwhile awarded Principal of the Year for the full Atlanta Public Schools district.

He said helium near mostly to beryllium escaped of the regular demands. But having truthful overmuch escaped clip got old.

"I was conscionable hanging retired with the cat, and it was a small lonely," White said.

White said helium truly started missing his schoolhouse community. He knew helium couldn't beryllium main again since they had already hired a caller one. But erstwhile a antithetic presumption opened up, helium fired disconnected his resume immediately.

"I said, 'Hmm, OK, that's interesting.' I said, 'Absolutely, apply,'" Holly Brookins, the caller main astatine Burgess-Peterson, told CBS News astir erstwhile White notified her of his plans to use for the position.

His occupation rubric is tract manager, but helium is fundamentally the handyman. He does everything from powerfulness washing bathrooms and inspecting occurrence extinguishers to cleaning gutters.

A batch of managers similar to accidental each occupation is important. But however galore genuinely judge it and genuinely amusement it? Not many, and not similar this. And though he's nary longer climbing the ladder, metaphorically, helium doesn't look to caput successful the least.

"Yeah, I'm 1 of the bottommost rungs, if you look astatine successful a hierarchical way," White said. "… It doesn't fuss maine astatine all… I inactive consciousness similar I'm contributing meaningfully to a spot I truly attraction about."

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