The tune
”
We are family
”
might as well have been playing at the school board meeting June
22 when four longtime educators and administrators with Morgan Hill
Unified School District were introduced as new principals and the
director of student services, a reinstated position at the district
office. Current Ann Sobrato High School Assistant Principal Lloyd
Webb, 51, will replace retiring Nick Boden at Live Oak High School
as principal; Assistant Principal Glen Webb, 50, at Martin Murphy
Middle School will lead Britton Middle as principal after Carol
Coursey retired; Nordstrom teacher Miora Barker will take over at
Barrett Elementary since current Barrett Principal Lisa Atlas was
promoted to student services director.
The tune “We are family” might as well have been playing at the school board meeting June 22 when four longtime educators and administrators with Morgan Hill Unified School District were introduced as new principals and the director of student services, a reinstated position at the district office.
Current Ann Sobrato High School Assistant Principal Lloyd Webb, 51, will replace retiring Nick Boden at Live Oak High School as principal; Assistant Principal Glen Webb, 50, at Martin Murphy Middle School will lead Britton Middle as principal after Carol Coursey retired; Nordstrom teacher Miora Barker will take over at Barrett Elementary since current Barrett Principal Lisa Atlas was promoted to student services director.
Lloyd, Glen’s older brother, taught biology and chemistry and was a football line coach at Live Oak from 1995 to 2005. He was promoted to assistant principal at Live Oak until 2007 when he moved to serve as an assistant principal at Sobrato.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I love Live Oak and I feel very positively about the school,” Lloyd Webb said.
“I know a big chunk of the staff from having worked with them. It’s a very good school and I look forward to working with the entire community to make sure every kid gets a good education,” he said.
Co-LEAD, a local group of Hispanic parents, were not pleased with the appointments by MHUSD.
“The district continues to maintain a status of low Latino representation, except for Central (Continuation High School),” Julian Mancias said, a Co-LEAD spokesman. “That is totally unfair. Am I surprised? No.”
When Superintendent Wes Smith was hired in November 2009, Co-LEAD was outspoken in its dissatisfaction toward the district for not hiring a Hispanic superintendent. About 42 percent of MHUSD students are Hispanic. English language learners, the term used frequently in California school districts, account for 2,062 students of the more than 8,500 students in MHUSD. In 1995, that number was 1,004 students.
Smith said that the administrators he hired “rose to the top of the candidate pool in all areas: Qualifications, experience and commitment to the children of Morgan Hill Unified.”
Glen Webb was first hired by MHUSD in 1985 as a Live Oak High School biology teacher and football coach. In 2008, he was appointed assistant principal at Martin Murphy and has overseen the student expulsion process for the district during the past year.
“Glen is respected by the district school community as a competent and skilled administrator. He is passionate about student academic success and a safe, secure learning environment for students,” Smith said.
Taking Atlas’ position as Barrett’s Principal is Barker. Barker has taught at MHUSD for more than 20 years, most recently as a sixth-grade teacher at Nordstrom Elementary.
As director of students services, Atlas will be in charge of special education, expulsions, child welfare and health services. This fall marks Atlas’ 28th year in education. She has taught elementary and middle school classes and was principal at Barrett for 10 years.
The district received more than 150 applications for the three principal positions, Smith said. Two paper screening committees reduced the pool of candidates to 22 who then went through a panel interview: a 17-member panel for the jobs at Britton and Live Oak and a 10-member panel interview for the Barrett position.
The panels comprised of teachers, department chairs and community members. Six finalists were selected and presented to Smith for his review and interview.
“It is rewarding to be able to promote qualified candidates from within our school district, and we are grateful to the employees and community members who gave of their time to assist us in this process,” Smith said.
The new positions are effective July 1.
