It
’s not official until the Board of Trustees votes Monday, but
the San Benito High School District has found a new principal from
Morgan Hill to lead the school next year.
It’s not official until the Board of Trustees votes Monday, but the San Benito High School District has found a new principal from Morgan Hill to lead the school next year.
Although school officials will not discuss details of the hiring until it is finalized, Live Oak High School Assistant Principal Debbie Padilla may be presented to the board for approval next week. Padilla confirmed she applied for the position, and Live Oak High School Principal Nancy Serigstad said she will not return to that school next year.
“She won’t be returning in the fall unless something changes before Monday,” Serigstad said.
Current Interim Principal Duane Morgan also applied for the position but didn’t get it. Instead, he will return to an assistant principal position working with student services.
“Debbie, I don’t know her at all, but the committee made a decision and we’ll stick by it,” Morgan said.
San Benito High School District Superintendent Jean Burns Slater said the interview panel narrowed the candidates from nine to three, and she chose the final applicant with the Director of Human Resources Evelyn Muro and Board Member Jan Joseph.
“I feel very confident that we’re presenting a very highly qualified administrator,” she said.
As for Morgan’s position, Slater said he has excellent skills and she is happy he will continue working at the school.
“He has been very instrumental in developing student support teams and he’ll continue to be a part of it,” she said.
Morgan has helped create these teams, which include an assistant principal, a counselor, a guidance technician and an attendance/discipline manager that follow a class of students throughout their four years of school.
“It gets me closer to the kids,” Morgan said. “It’ll be kind of nice.”
When classes start at Live Oak in August, the departure of Padilla is not the only change.
Ninth graders will be on campus for the first time since the early 1970s and a number of former Acorns will be attending Sobrato High when it opens. There also will be several other changes in the administration and teaching ranks.
Live Oak Principal Serigstad leaves the district to accept the position of principal at Scotts Valley High and Aida Fraser-Hammer has accepted a position in Washington.
Assistant Principal Brett Lee will remain at Live Oak.
District officials say they are close to naming a new principal for Live Oak allowing the incoming principal to participate in the hiring of the assistants.
With the opening of Sobrato, district ninth graders will not attend Martin Murphy and Britton middle schools next year, but will move back into the high schools.
