An email was sent out from AISD to James Bowie High School students, families, and staff on April 29 announcing the freshly appointed principal of the school was Bradley Lancaster. This email announcement was shortly followed by a letter from Lancaster himself, in which he introduced himself and expressed his excitement about taking over the position previously held by Mark Robinson.
“I am honored to serve as the next principal of Bowie High School. Joining a community with such a strong tradition of excellence, pride, and dedication to student success is both a privilege and a responsibility I value deeply,” Lancaster said. “I am excited for the opportunity to support and serve each of you as we continue building on that tradition together.”
Lancaster is not new to the South Austin public school community, as he previously served as principal of one of Bowie’s feeder schools, Bailey Middle School. Before Bailey, Lancaster held various positions at Akins High School, including special education teacher, department chair, assistant principal, and associate principal. Having grown up near the area, Lancaster stated that being a part of this community is of high importance to him.
“I’ve been in the area for a long, long time, and I am super excited to lead Bowie,” Lancaster said. “I know there is going to be plenty of time for me to connect with everyone in the community and I am looking forward to that.”
Lancaster hosted a meet and greet on May 4 in the Starlight Theatre, which was open to all staff, students, and families at Bowie. This event was designed to give a personal introduction to Bowie’s new principal. While Lancaster was speaking, he expressed his philosophy of his three big beliefs: relationships, opportunities, and accountability.
“In order to move an entire campus this big, it really starts with that relationship piece,” Lancaster said. “You’ll see me around for a little bit, so please come up and say hello.”
Opportunity for students was a large speaking point of the evening, in which Lancaster shared his view of giving back to students, whether it be with field trips or other events.
“Academics, career, social opportunities, all of those things are very important to me. It’s okay for kids to have fun,” Lancaster said. “Sometimes we forget that when we get stuck in our routines, but it’s a part of our job as educators to make sure we’re giving these kids advice and helping them through these tough times.”
Lastly, accountability. Lancaster emphasized everyone on campus holding each other accountable. This doesn’t mean students getting in trouble for breaking rules, he spoke to staff as well and encouraged teachers to hold him accountable when they feel necessary.
“Just because I’ll be leading this thing doesn’t give me a pass, you hold me accountable and I’ll hold our kids, teachers, and staff accountable,” Lancaster said. “It’s not a bad thing to hold people accountable, and it doesn’t have to be rude and scary.”
Coming into such a large campus like Bowie means coming into a lot of responsibility. Seasoned staff and those who know the ins and outs of the school are ready to help, especially Academic Director Kaylin Brett.
“I’m very excited about the transition in leadership, anytime there is a new principal that comes in, there is also a new opportunity to make changes,” Brett said. “Knowing the history of Bowie and having an understanding of the reasons behind some things will allow me to support Mr. Lancaster as he takes over this role.”
Brett has served as interim principal of Bowie during times when Robinson was on leave. Having experience in this role will allow her to help guide Lancaster in moments he may need support. With this transition in leadership, students may expect some changes to Bowie in the coming school year.
“The biggest issue I expect with this transition is that we’re going to try and tighten up on rules a bit, especially on tardies which are a huge problem for this campus,” Brett said. “I expect we’ll see a bit of push-back from students, but really we’re just trying to enforce the rules and assign consequences while being consistent.”
Lancaster’s past students from Bailey are currently walking the halls of Bowie. Those who have already had him as a principal will be seeing a familiar face in August once school returns for the 2026-2027 school year. Sophomore Addison Fey recounted her positive experiences with Lancaster during her middle school years.
“I think Mr. Lancaster will be a great next principal for Bowie,” Fey said. “He really cares for his students and I think the support he shows will really help our school thrive.”
