Sharon Oldfield from Western Australia will take up the job from the start of the first semester.

Ms Oldfield will take over from the popular Dan Murtas who has left after a year in the top job.

Prior to being appointed as the principal of Katherine High School, Mr Murtas was the principal of Katherine South Primary and assistant regional director for the Katherine region.

The Education Department has sent a letter to parents today about Ms Oldfield's appointment.

The advice says Ms Oldfield "has held a number of leadership positions in a wide range of settings, including Aboriginal communities, English as a additional language or dialect schools and farming communities".

"One of her key strengths is developing high performing teams through acknowledging strengths and achievements," the department's letter reads.

One of the first major issues Ms Oldfield will have to confront is the changes to teacher retention initiatives forced on the school by budget cutbacks from the NT Government.

She was most recently deputy principal at Dongara District High School on the WA coast, north of Perth.

Dongara is a P-12 school which had 432 students in 2018.

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