Dobnikar retires, Inabinet named new LPMS principal

Roger Dobnikar, a longtime presence at Liberty Park Middle School, is retiring.

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education accepted Dobnikar’s retirement during its regular meeting on Monday, May 22. 

Dobnikar has served as principal of LPMS since 2021 and was the school’s first assistant principal when it opened in 2008. Dobnikar began his career in Vestavia Hills in 1996 as an English teacher at Louis Pizitz Middle School. Altogether, he has worked in Vestavia Hills City Schools for nearly 30 years.

In a statement to Liberty Park families today, Vestavia Hills superintendent Todd Freeman expressed gratitude for Dobnikar’s years of leadership and commitment to the school system.

“Roger’s faith and character have guided his career in a way that distinguishes him as a gracious leader. Mr. Dobnikar has invested his career in providing the best education for children in our community, and I am grateful for his commitment to our school system,” Freeman said.

The board also named Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park principal Blair Inabinet as the new principal of LPMS effective July 1. Tiffany Marron, currently VHELP’s assistant principal, will become the school’s interim principal on that same date. Inabinet's salary will rise from about $112,000 to just under $127,000, while Marron's salary will rise from about $100,000 to $108,000.

-- Submitted by Vestavia Hills City Schools