Hollister
– After three years as San Benito High School’s principal,
Debbie Padilla resigned and accepted the same job at Morgan Hill’s
Sobrato High School.
Hollister – After three years as San Benito High School’s principal, Debbie Padilla resigned and accepted the same job at Morgan Hill’s Sobrato High School.
Padilla notified the staff of her departure Wednesday, sending out an e-mail to teachers and informing her support staff in a meeting. The Morgan Hill Board of Education voted to approve her hiring Tuesday.
“I’m excited about the opportunity, but it’s really hard, too,” Padilla said. “I think the high school is headed in the right direction.”
While she is going to miss the staff and student body, Padilla said, she is eager to broaden her career experience. Padilla came to San Benito High School in 2004, then leaving as assistant principal at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill.
As the principal of Sobrato, Padilla looks forward to a different administrative experience, she said. Also contributing to her departure, Padilla added, is the smaller student body at the Morgan Hill school.
“Our school is 3,000 (students), and Sobrato maxes out at 1,600. So that’s a huge difference,” she said.
While the announcement came as a surprise to most, the administration has started working to find a replacement.
Director of Human Resources Mike Potmesil said officials plan to post the open position by week’s end.
Many teachers expressed concern the district would be unable to hire a new principal so late in the school year. Potmesil agreed, but said he was optimistic the district would have a good applicant pool.
“The timing is not the best, but my hope is by early July we’ll have closed (the hiring process),” he said.
The district will appeal first to local high school and middle school administrators, Potmesil said. But it plans to advertise nationwide.
“We want a strong leader who understands our population,” Potmesil said. “Becoming principal (of SBHS) – it’s a commitment and a lifestyle. You’ve committed yourself to 2,700 kids and 300 staff members.”
Superintendent Stan Rose said he hopes the school will attract a good replacement.
“There will be a lot of people sad to see her go, just as I have been, but I’m happy for her,” Rose said. “I think it’s what she wants and needs for her career.
“We have to look at everything as an opportunity.”
Trustee Evelyn Muro, who hired Padilla during her final year as human resources director at San Benito High School, also said she’s sad to see her go.
“I wish her the best up at Sobrato. I’m confident that the human resources department will find the best person for the position,” Muro said.
