More Morgan Hill Unified School District employees—including Live Oak High School Principal Tanya Calabretta—have submitted their resignations from the local district since the last regular board of education meeting.
Administrative employees who resigned from MHUSD in August are Human Resources Supervisor Kristin Stonehouse and Human Resources Executive Assistant Dora Mendoza, according to a personnel order included with the Sept. 5 board meeting agenda.
Certificated employees who submitted their resignations in the last month include Sobrato High School teacher Ashley Keck, Paradise Valley teacher Rosalinda Lemus and San Martin Gwinn teacher Hsuei-Shian Lioa.
Replacing Calabretta on an interim basis at Live Oak is Glen Webb, an “icon” of Morgan Hill education who retired last year as MHUSD’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, according to district staff.
Calabretta announced her resignation to students and parents on Sept. 1, less than one month into the current school year. She had served as Live Oak’s principal for seven years, and worked for MHUSD for 16 years.
In her resignation letter to Live Oak families, Calabretta said she is leaving for a position at the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
She wrote that her years at Live Oak and MHUSD “have been truly rewarding and fulfilling.”
“The decision to resign has not been an easy one,” she added. “It comes after much reflection and consideration of personal and professional goals. I am proud of the progress we have made as a school community, and I am confident that the positive momentum will continue in the capable hands of our dedicated staff and administration.”
Webb began his local career at Live Oak High School in 1985, teaching science and math, according to the district. He also coached football for 25 seasons, wrestling for 14 seasons and track for eight seasons.
He later served as assistant principal at Martin Murphy Middle School, then principal of Britton Middle School before joining the district office as curriculum director.
Webb will begin his interim principal position at Live Oak on Sept. 11.
The district’s August resignations follow the departure of numerous other MHUSD employees—including those in top administrative positions—in recent months. Two of the resignees—former Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Fawn Myers and former Transportation Director Kathleen Rael—have cited concerns with Superintendent Dr. Carmen Garcia’s management decisions and leadership style.
Also resigning from MHUSD since April are former District CFO Kirsten Perez and Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Pilar Vazquez-Vialva.
Garcia, in a statement regarding the August resignations, said, “As is common in school districts throughout the county and the state of California, there is a lot of movement among employees to new opportunities. We wish nothing but the best to those who have moved on to new roles. The district is actively recruiting to hire and backfill any vacancies with qualified candidates.”
During the public comment portion of the Sept. 5 MHUSD Board of Education meeting, a handful of parents expressed their concerns about the direction the schools are going in, placing blame with district leadership.
Matt Wendt, who has three children attending MHUSD schools, said he was speaking on behalf of “numerous parents” who have complained about a number of changes and trends in the schools since Garcia joined MHUSD in 2021. Those changes include the quality of academic instruction, new bell schedules that make it nearly impossible for parents to pick up kids at different schools in a timely manner and a decline in transparency.
The latter of these relates to a June board meeting, when trustees decided to take a vote on Garcia’s performance evaluation after Trustee Pamela Gardiner had left the meeting, not knowing that such a vote was scheduled to take place, Wendt said.
“If you are truly inclusive, we need to hear Pamela Gardiner’s perspective as well,” Wendt told the board.
If Ms. Calabretta is leaving for the County’s assistant superintendent position, that is great for her and congratulations!
Glad Glen Webb is back & leading Live Oak high school. He was my children, Math & Science teacher @ Live Oak high school. He is principled, thoughtful and all about our children. Thank you Dr. Garcia for asking Mr. Webb to come back and lead Live Oak high school.
Great comment!
Change is inevitable. You can either get on board with a shared vision or not. There are always resignations when there is a leadership change- the public sector is no different. MHUSD is behind the times and needs to innovate. Dr. Garcia was brought in to do just that.
When I left the district in 2022 to pursue a career change into higher education, I met with Dr. Garcia. I shared with her that her ideas were exactly why I became a teacher in the first place. I respect her intentions and the vision. In my time as both an MHUSD parent and employee, Dr. Garcia was the ONLY superintendent who acknowledged my students and their backgrounds. The previous executive leadership was almost always dismissive, not just to my students but also to me. Perhaps it would have been different if they or I had blond hair.
The selective outrage I am observing is nothing but sexism, racism, and refusal to change the status quo that has ruled this district for decades.