About a year after taking the helm at Gilroy High, students,
parents and teachers grade James Maxwell on his performance
Gilroy – When James Maxwell was chosen to take the reins of Gilroy High School as principal, he said a good administrator wore out the soles of his shoes, not the seat of his pants. With a full school year now under his belt, parents, students, teachers and school board trustees weighed in on whether Maxwell needs new shoes or not.
COMMUNICATION
“I think (Maxwell) is doing an excellent job with communication,” said Bob Heisey, president of the GHS Parent Club. “He’s come to all the Parent Club meetings, which is unusual for a principal. My son has even joked he’s scared because he sees the principal all over the school all the time.”
Though 16-year-old Amanda Spellman said she’s never had a problem needing Maxwell’s attention, the GHS junior said she sees Maxwell around campus and in her classes often and that he’s always friendly, frequently asking how the day is going.
Edwin Diaz, Gilroy Unified School District’s superintendent, said Maxwell has always been readily available and responsive whenever the district office has questions for him.
“He responds promptly whenever I e-mail him with questions and he’s made us aware at the district office when there’s been a need for us to do something or when he thinks we need to hear what’s going on at the high school,” Diaz said.
Maxwell said he spends hours answering e-mails from teachers, parents, alumni, and district administrators. He also frequently has appointments with students, or talks to students on campus.
“The students definitely let me know when they have something on their minds,” he said. “Lately, it’s been about the Winter Ball. They want to know why we’re having it in the new cafeteria instead of at Bonfante Gardens as they’ve done in past years. When I explain that Bonfante isn’t enclosed and it would cost us about $14,000 to have it there, they seem to understand.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
Maxwell said his goal is to spend 40 percent of his time visiting classrooms to get a sense of what’s being taught, if teachers are using their time wisely and if students are coming to class prepared, taking notes and meeting curriculum expectations.
“Last year I think I was in classes about 10 percent of the time, and this year I think I’m at about 30 percent,” he said. “It’s important to me to be out there because not only does it help me keep students and teachers accountable, it lets them know that I care about what they’re doing and that they can come to me with concerns.”
Though Maxwell admits the seat of his pants probably got more wear in his first year than the soles of his shoes, he said it was necessary in order to learn the ins and outs of the school. By doing this, he’s able to see in what areas and how to hold others accountable.
“I think his first year was a lot about learning and gathering input from staff and the students,” Diaz said. “He’s seen what strategies have been implemented at the school and, based on the school improvement plan he’s helped create for the coming year, he’s used all that information to be much more specific about what people need to be held accountable for what and how to keep them accountable.”
Diaz went on to say he expects accountability will increase in the coming year now that Maxwell has settled in and has a solid working knowledge of GHS.
TEST SCORES
Because courts were still deciding last year whether the California High School Exit Exams were legal and if they would be a permanent fixture in schools, Maxwell said he didn’t start intensely focusing on improving these scores until recently.
Pat Midtgaard, president of the GUSD school board, said she was impressed by the amount of information Maxwell presented during the school level plan meetings with the board.
“He had a representative from the Math department and the English department, as well as the assistant principal to speak about strategies they plan to put in place to improve test scores,” she said. “They were very specific and I think the collaboration will go a long way in bringing scores up.”
Maxwell also has looked to department heads for plans to increase test scores on Scholastic Aptitude Tests, Advanced Placement tests and other exams important to students’ academic futures, said Mark Rose, a teacher and chair of the GHS English department.
On campus, students are aware of tutoring opportunities available for anyone taking upcoming exams, such as the Junior SATs, Spellman said.
“The word is out that if you need help, there’s free tutoring and teachers will help you,” she explained. “I think students know if they want to do well, they can be responsible and go get tutoring so they’re ready for the tests.”
Maxwell said he’ll also focus heavily on bringing up test scores of English-learning students because they’ve failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards set by the California Department of Education for two years in a row, forcing the school to adopt the state’s school improvement program.
School board member Rhoda Bress said Maxwell seems to have an understanding of the issues at the high school, and plans he’s presented to the board show he’s trying to address those problems.
“Based on those plans, we expect to see continued progress,” she said. “I’m hopeful that there will be progress across the board. We’ll be monitoring (Maxwell’s) plans as they are implemented.”
IMPROVEMENTS
“My vision for GHS is to make sure it’s the kind of school that Gilroy deserves to have,” Maxwell said. “I want it to be a high-performance school, I want the kids to get the best academic training and support possible, and I want them to move on to do whatever they want. That means they should have a safe school and that the school should help them go on to some kind of post-high school education, whether it be the military, trade school or someplace like Harvard or Stanford.”
Maxwell has already implemented the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program at GHS and has focused on making the most of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program, which was already in place when he arrived. Both programs are designed to help students succeed while in high school and to go on to earn higher education.
“I think it’s so important to bring kids into the fold, help them be successful, connect to the school and then go on after high school to learn more,” he said. “There were a lot of good plans in place when I got here. I’ve worked on fine-tuning the those things that worked, and I’m still working on finding and changing what isn’t working for us.”
Though Maxwell has said his forte is math and science, Rose said he’s also worked on reading programs to help students who are behind their reading comprehension.
“I was pleased that he made the change in reading curriculum during the school year rather than waiting until next year to make such an important change,” Rose said.
Diaz also said he was pleased that Maxwell has been proactive in making changes that were needed, such as implementing the AVID program, but wise about not changing plans already in place that have proved successful for the school, such as the discipline guidelines.
FITTING IN WITH GILROY
Maxwell moved his family to Gilroy from the Castro Valley area in July, which he said has been a good move.
“My style is to be around; I go to football games, I go to theater performances and I think it’s good to be in the community,” he said.
Rose said he felt Maxwell was doing his best to understand Gilroy’s philosophy on education by making himself available to the public and by participating in numerous committees.
“I think (Maxwell) is doing a good job, particularly because I’m not sure the community knows what it wants from him yet,” Heisey said. “I think he’s trying hard to figure out what we want from our school. He’s already pushing for more kids to go to college, and I definitely think that’s something needed in our community.”
Both Midtgaard and Diaz said they felt now that Maxwell has had a year to settle in and get to know Gilroy, they both expect to see more evidence of the work he’s put in to improve GHS.
“I like him and I think he knows what to do for our school,” Spellman said. “He’s our principal so we have to trust him to do what’s best for our campus.”
