Gilroy – The top slot at Mount Madonna Continuation High School opened up as Principal Paul de Ayora stepped down Wednesday, leaving school district officials hunting for a second principalship to fill.
De Ayora had been principal of South Valley Middle School for the past three years, and was to switch positions with Mt. Madonna principal John Perales in the fall.
However, he recently accepted a principalship two miles from his home in Merced, instead of making 168 mile roundtrip commute each day.
Gilroy High School Principal Bob Bravo resigned late last month to accept a position in the Antioch Unified School District.
“We can’t start school without someone in those positions,” said Assistant Superintendent Linda Piceno. “(But) we are not intent in hiring somebody just to fill a position – that won’t do anybody any good.”
At this point in the summer, finding a new principal will not be an easy task.
Bravo’s departure gave GUSD officials a two and a half week head start in finding a replacement. De Ayora’s exit leaves a window of just under seven weeks to find a new principal for Mt. Madonna.
“Obviously we would like to hire someone before school starts,” Piceno said. “But it’s too early to say whether we’ll look for an interim principal.”
While about 20 candidates have submitted applications for the GHS principalship already, the answer to finding a principal for Mt. Madonna is not simply pulling a resume from the pile.
“Being interested in a 2,400-student comprehensive high school is very different from being interested in a 200-student alternative high school. It’s different skills,” Piceno said.
“Because it’s a continuation high school, there’s a need for a background in knowing about and being able to access a variety of support structures for those students.”
In addition to having a strong academic background and communication skills, Piceno is looking for someone with flexibility and a sense of humor.
“These are students who are motivated, but have a lot going on in their lives,” she said. “(I’m looking for) someone who realizes that there are a lot of paths to attaining a high school diploma.”
The principalship at Mt. Madonna was posted on the Ed–join.org Web site Thursday. Salary ranges from $82,585 to $97,684.
