One Gilroy elementary school’s loss will be another one’s gain
as Glen View Elementary School’s principal heads north to El Roble
Elementary.
One Gilroy elementary school’s loss will be another one’s gain as Glen View Elementary School’s principal heads north to El Roble Elementary.
Glen View Principal Scott Otteson will provide the stability El Roble needs after several years of turnover at the top, Superintendent Deborah Flores said.
“After four principals in a very short time, El Roble has a tremendous need for strong leadership and guidance,” Flores said. “We’re supporting (Otteson) in every way we can. We want this to be a successful move and we’re trying to put in place all the factors we need for El Roble to have a successful year.”
Last year was a tumultuous one for El Roble staff and families. The school’s former principal, Iraida Pisano, was removed from her position in March amid teacher accusations of harassment, discrimination and making threats. The conflict became so intense that several parents who stood behind Pisano pulled their children from the school after she left.
Jennifer Vargas, a former El Roble parent, said she will send her child to Las Animas Elementary School next year.
“I figured that would be a better fit,” she said. “But I wish that school all the luck in the world.”
The school district reassigned Pisano as dean of discipline at Christopher High School, a temporary position that ended in June.
During his three years at Glen View, Otteson, 52, established a good rapport with parents and teachers, former Parent Club President Karin Clements said.
“The kids loved Scott. We loved Scott. He was such a great principal,” Clements said. “We’re really going to miss him. But the Glen View teachers are so professional and are such experts at their jobs that I don’t think the transition is going to be that traumatic.”
Clements, whose son will be a second grader at Glen View, said she thought the district was making the right decision in appointing a principal to El Roble with a track record of success who plans to stick around for a while.
After teaching for six years in Alaska, then living in Palm Springs for 20 years before moving to Gilroy, Otteson said he plans on spending the rest of his career in Gilroy.
“I’m done with the big moves,” he said.
The father of three sons, the youngest of whom attends Gilroy High School, Otteson is an avid tennis player and serves as vice president of the Gilroy Tennis Club. The active principal is usually be found on the playground playing with his students during recess.
“One of my major philosophies is to be out and about as much as possible,” he said.
The hardest part of leaving Glen View was not being able to say goodbye to his students, their families and his staff.
“I didn’t have much closure with them but I’m going to make sure I still attend events at Glen View,” he said.
Otteson has already moved into his office at El Roble and looks forward to meeting his staff when they return from their summer break. He said he’s toying with the idea of having a separate back-to-school night for each grade but doesn’t plan to make any immediate major changes. Getting all the teachers up to speed on Successmaker, a computer program that has helped boost test scores significantly at Eliot Elementary, and focussing on student achievement are two of his top priorities, he said.
Flores said she recommended the transfer after searching outside the district all summer without finding a suitable candidate for the El Roble opening.
“Scott is a dedicated, sincere and hardworking individual,” Flores wrote in a letter sent Friday to El Roble parents. “He is highly visible on campus and has an open door policy.”
Otteson’s move to El Roble leaves a vacancy at Glen View that Flores hopes to fill before an Aug. 4 management retreat. The district will post the Glen View opening internally and has already identified several strong candidates Flores said she hopes to interview Aug. 2, with the participation of a panel of parents and staff at Glen View. The formal appointment will be made at the Aug. 12 school board meeting.
Confident that the district will find a suitable replacement, Otteson said the dedication of the teachers at Glen View will make the transition easier for the incoming principal.
