GILROY
– Gilroy Unified School District has selected a new leader for
one of its flagship schools, Antonio Del Buono Elementary.
GILROY – Gilroy Unified School District has selected a new leader for one of its flagship schools, Antonio Del Buono Elementary.
Tammy Gabel will take over for popular, longtime principal Pat Midtgaard, who is retiring at the end of this school year. Gabel, who is director of intervention services at North Monterey County Unified School District, was one of 45 candidates for the job – another indication of how educator layoffs around the state could positively affect Gilroy schools.
Budget cuts at North Monterey County Unified and the ending of a large federal grant providing afterschool education to disadvantaged students triggered Gabel’s job hunt.
“We had a strong group of candidates, and we narrowed it down to six,” said Linda Piceno, GUSD’s assistant superintendent of human resources.
None of the elementary school principals within GUSD applied for the position, Piceno said.
“That’s probably because the job is a lateral move for them,” Piceno said.
Although the school is one of eight elementary schools in GUSD, principalship at Antonio Del Buono has a brighter spotlight on it than many other campuses. Antonio Del Buono is GUSD’s newest campus and last year its academic ranking jumped an astronomical 60 points, more than 20 points better than any other GUSD school.
“She brings a lot of experience to this position, and I feel really good about her as my replacement,” Midtgaard said. “She’s walking into a good situation, and she just needs to keep moving it along. I’m confident she’ll do that.”
Midtgaard was not on the district committee that selected Gabel for the principal’s position. However, two teachers and two parents from the school sat on that panel.
“We were well represented,” Midtgaard said.
Gabel, a former elementary school principal and teacher, oversees intervention services at North Monterey County Unified School District. Intervention is given to students who need extra help to perform at grade level on the state’s standardized tests.
GUSD, which has a goal to get 90 percent of its students performing at grade level by June 2004, has implemented several intervention programs in recent years.
“We think we found a good match (in Gabel),” Piceno said.
On paper, GUSD’s intervention seems to be at least as effective as North Monterey County’s. Last year’s Academic Performance Index report shows 55 percent of Gilroy schools meeting state improvement targets. North Monterey County Unified had only 37 percent of its schools reach their improvement goals.
However, at GUSD only 27 percent of schools met improvement goals for all subgroups, such as English Language Learners and disadvantaged students. Meanwhile in North Monterey County Unified, 37 percent of its schools meet its subgroup improvement goals.
At North Monterey County Unified, elementary schools average 655 points on the API, 22 points below Antonio Del Buono’s most recent score but 15 points better than Gilroy’s districtwide average.
North Monterey County Unified stretches from roughly the Santa Cruz border down to Prunedale and Castroville.
“Generally speaking, we figure out where kids are based on data, we set goals for students and we design a program to help them get there,” Gabel said. “I’m really impressed with the clear vision of the district (to improve schools). I think Antonio Del Buono is a ship on the right course. It will be a pleasure to come on board.”
Gabel, a Salinas resident, has been in education since 1987. She holds a doctorate in organizational leadership, writing a dissertation in collaboration. This background figures to serve Gabel well as she replaces Midtgaard, who is known for her ability to organize large groups of people.
Already, Gabel has been attending district-level meetings and informally talking with parents, teachers and staff at Antonio Del Buono. She takes over for Midtgaard July 1. Between then and the last day of school, June 13, Midtgaard will give Gabel a crash course in all the details of the school from budgeting and facilities to academics and staffing.
