The Hollister School District has different faces in 11 of its
lead administrative positions, with teachers moving into assistant
principal roles, assistant principals transferring school within
the district and principals moving to new administrative roles at
the district office.
Hollister – Parents dropping off children for the first day of school Monday may be surprised by who’s leading their kids’ school.
The Hollister School District has different faces in 11 of its lead administrative positions, with teachers moving into assistant principal roles, assistant principals transferring school within the district and principals moving to new administrative roles at the district office.
There were many more changes in administration this year than in years past, said Dennis Kurtz, assistant superintendent of human resources and administration. But he said the switches would not negatively affect the schools or students. With most hires being internal, he said, it spoke to the district’s strengths.
“The shuffling that happened, a lot of it was from within. But that’s a really solid reflection on the depth and capacity of the staff,” Kurtz said.
But for parents, it could mean re-learning the names of who to call, and when.
Kurtz himself is part of the Hollister School District’s administrative “shuffling” that occurred over the summer.
Kurtz left his position as Principal of Gabilan Hills to replace Assistant Superintendent Peter Gutierrez, who retired this year. Kurtz was replaced by Rosa Apodaca, had been Assistant Principal at Rancho San Justo. Apodaca was replaced by Karen Twaddell, who served as director of special education at the district office. “There’s a little bit of a domino affect that goes on,” Superintendent Ron Crates said.
Still, despite some confusion over who’s in what position now, Crates said the changes are a reflection of the ability to move up within the district. And the hiring from within means most staff are already familiar with the schools.
“It’s good that people have some knowledge and background, that’s why you’ll see a majority coming from inside the district,” Crates said.
Apodaca, who traded in her Bronco gear for Gecko paraphernalia, said she’s excited about opportunities available to her as Gabilan Hills principal.
Gabilan Hills will host the Dual Language Academy, one of the two new magnet schools in the district. The addition of the two new magnet schools are the reason for some of the administrative changes, Kurtz noted.
Calaveras hired Laurie Forrest, who had previously taught sixth grade at Maze Middle School, as the assistant principal in charge of the Accelerated Achievement Academy. Calaveras previously had no assistant principal.
Forrest said she looks forward to the “change and the challenge” of being an assistant principal – and in charge of a brand new program.
“I think that they like to have people come in within the district,” Forrest said.
The administrative changes also mean teachers have new supervisors. Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association President Ronna Gilani, who teaches at Calaveras, said while the changes will take getting used to, it’s nice to have familiar faces.
“It’s just been a shuffle within the district,” Gilani said. “Most of the people are people that we know and they’ve been around, so we’re used to them.”
Above all, Crates said he’s glad the district found strong leaders to fill all the administrative positions.
“Our responsibility is to make sure that we have administrative staff there to support the teachers and students,” Crates said.
Alice Joy covers education and health for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at aj**@fr***********.com.
