Brownell’s new principal is a Spanish-speaking former middle
school principal ready to increase student achievement and pull the
school back from the brink of possible state takeover.
Gilroy – Brownell’s new principal is a Spanish-speaking former middle school principal ready to increase student achievement and pull the school back from the brink of possible state takeover.
Francisco Fuentes was chosen to be the new head of Brownell Middle School. The bilingual man from Mexico might have only one year, depending on May test scores, to up student achievement and prevent the government from imposing drastic changes.
However, Fuentes, the third principal at Brownell in as many years, is not daunted by the task.
Brownell has “got great teachers, great support staff,” he said. “So the infrastructure is there. It’s just a matter of putting our minds together as a team and making the changes together.”
Fuentes comes to the district with three years experience as a middle school principal and four years as an elementary school principal. He has spent an additional 10 years as a teacher, working with students of levels ranging from sixth-grade through college. He was taught as a child through a bilingual education program and has instructed teachers at four colleges and universities on how to educate English-language learners.
In his new position, the 39-year-old could face the challenge of a tight deadline to raise state standardized test scores. This fall, depending on May test scores, the school might be placed in third-year program improvement – a federal designation that the school is not meeting academic standards. Fourth-year program improvement comes with a choice of drastic mandates, such as replacing all staff or submitting to a state takeover.
The challenge of raising achievement in his first year was part of what drew Fuentes to the district, he said. He plans to engage the community to help him raise achievement by collaborating with staff and being receptive to parents.
“I have an open door policy,” he said. “If I’m here at school and you want to see me, I will make time for you.”
Fuentes’ ability to cultivate relationships was lauded by references and will be an asset in turning Brownell into a high-achieving school, said Gilroy Unified School District superintendent Deborah Flores. She was prompted to recruit him for the job because he faced similar challenges of raising student achievement under pressure in Arizona at the last two schools at which he has worked.
“What impressed me was he was in a school where he was doing that already,” she said. “We need somebody to walk in ready to go.”
Fuentes in fact began work earlier this week, introducing himself to parents and students through letters and by walking around Brownell’s neighborhood. This is an integral first step to effecting change in the school, he said.
“It’s the whole community that should be involved,” he said. “I’m out there in the morning greeting the parents. For at-risk kids, I make home visits. It takes a couple of times of doing that before the community says, ‘Wow, this guy really cares.’ ”
