I was told something similar by a principal a few years back. Said principal wanted to bring in a "more energetic" director (read: younger) who could "commit to the program" (read: didn't have a family) and who would "better engage the students" (read: change the marching band away from corps style).

I stuck it out for awhile, but then said principal tasked an AP with observing me weekly and finding every possible fault they could. When the admin presented me with a growth plan I tendered my resignation and didn't look back - and somehow, said growth plan magically vanished and was never referenced again.

Never mind that the school got the highest UIL scores in both C&SR and marching under me that they had ever gotten in the school's history, and they haven't come close to those scores since. They wanted "energy" and "engagement" - and they've had plenty of that since I left half a decade ago - they're on their fifth director since then.

If you're truly discouraged, step away for a year and teach elementary or perhaps another subject altogether, if you can pass a certification exam. Don't let one idiot principal or FAD ruin your career.

Remember that MOST FAD have worked in ideal situations almost their entire careers. A few spend a year or two in a truly tough situation before they move to suburbia and spend ten-fifteen years building or maintaining a good program, then get promoted to administration. Two years in a "rough" school in the 90s isn't anything like what kids deal with today, and we all know it.

You know what you can do and what you're capable of - is one or two people's opinions being different than yours enough to make you give up what you've spent decades of your life doing?