After four years at the helm of Gilroy High School, Principal
James Maxwell will step down with mixed feelings, if all goes
according to plan.
After four years at the helm of Gilroy High School, Principal James Maxwell will step down with mixed feelings, if all goes according to plan.
Pending the approval of the Fremont Union High School District governing board at Thursday evening’s board meeting, Maxwell will leave GHS to be the principal of Fremont High School in Sunnyvale next school year.
“I have very mixed feelings,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity because it’s a high school district. I’m a lifelong high school person so the opportunities for future growth are greater for me in terms of my career.”
Icing on the cake will be the 25 percent pay raise he’ll receive with the new position if the Fremont board approves the hire.
“When it comes to me and my family, if it were 5 or 10 percent, I would have said nah,” Maxwell said.
But the significant pay raise plus the possibility for growth were too good an opportunity to pass up, he said.
With a son in the sixth grade at Brownell Middle School and a daughter in the fourth grade at Luigi Aprea Elementary School, Maxwell said he plans to remain living in Gilroy if he is hired for the position.
Though trustee Mark Good was surprised with the news that Maxwell was planning to move north, he said GHS’s recent performance was a testament to a job well done by its principal.
“They got the Distinguished School award under his tutelage,” Good said. “Obviously that speaks toward his leadership.”
Leaving on a high note, Maxwell said he will miss GHS and all the accomplishments its students have worked for during his tenure.
“Look at what’s gone on in the last four years,” he said. “Gilroy High has done great both athletically and academically. It’s been the pinnacle of my career.”
