By CLAYTON PARK

Ballard High School Principal David Engle shocked students, faculty and School District officials alike when he announced at a school assembly April 25 that he planned to resign his position, effective June 30.

"This decision is the most difficult decision I have ever had to make, but one I make with complete conviction," Engle explained in a letter he sent to Ballard High parents.

Engle's reason for resigning: to protest a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to strike down the Seattle School District's racial tiebreaker criteria for enrollment assignment purposes.

"The legally mandated diminishment of access for minority students to Ballard High School, especially during times of high demand for our programs, is especially repugnant to me," Engle wrote. "From a professional standpoint, my students will be progressively cheated of the learning environment they deserve for their future well being. From the perspective of a concerned citizen, this diminishment of access will only further intensify the racial divide in this city."

Engle, 53, is a Phinney Ridge resident who has been an educator the past 23 years. He told the Seattle Sun that he made the decision to resign after attending church the previous Sunday with his family.

He acknowledged that his one-man protest isn't likely to change the appeals court's ruling, but hopes it will serve as a real-life example to Ballard students of the importance of standing up for one's convictions.

He received a standing ovation following his announcement from those at the assembly, and has continued to receive words of support, both from students as well as his colleagues, including principals from other schools.

Engle expressed concern that the court ruling will result in undoing the School District's longstanding efforts to desegregate its schools, which he says have been achieving results. At Ballard High, for example, white students currently comprise 57 percent of the school's total enrollment, compared with the racial mix during the 1979-80 school year, when white students accounted for 88 percent of the total enrollment.

Engle said he informed School District Superintendent Joseph Olchefske that he refuses to be talked out of his decision.

"I told him that I have to make a hard landing on this in order to make a statement," Engle said.

Prior to taking over as principal at Ballard two years ago, Engle spent seven years as principal at Interlake High School in Bellevue. He said has not yet begun looking for a new job because "when I made the decision (to quit), I promised myself not to look beyond it. I have faith that there will be new work ahead of me. I'd sure like to stay in education because that's where my heart is."