New Principal Hits Ground Running

Gilroy
– Having worked in a district where snowdrifts could rise to
three times the height of a third-grader and in a different
district where the sunshine was so bright the playground blacktop
could scorch a student’s feet, Scott Otteson is comfortable in
extreme situations.
Gilroy – Having worked in a district where snowdrifts could rise to three times the height of a third-grader and in a different district where the sunshine was so bright the playground blacktop could scorch a student’s feet, Scott Otteson is comfortable in extreme situations.

This might explain why Otteson – who started May 1 as the new principal at Glen View Elementary School – was not shaken even though a major state standardized test began the day he arrived.

“I look at it as a challenge and it’s pretty exciting,” said Otteson. So far, “I like what I see.”

The Washington-native has more than 25 years of experience in education in diverse areas along the Pacific Coast. His career began in Kenai, Alaska – about a four-hour drive from Anchorage – where he spent six years teaching third through sixth grade and coaching high school basketball and track. He cautions against people thinking the city a mere outpost.

“We actually had a stoplight there,” he said.

When he grew tired of the cold, Otteson pulled out a map and applied for a job in a city certain to have warmer weather – Desert Hot Springs.

In this town and in the Palm Springs Unified School District that encompassed it, Otteson worked 20 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and, most recently, as program improvement administrator. A major issue at Palm Springs schools, even at the elementary level, was taming violence among students.

Wanting a change of scenery and with the youngest of his three sons set to graduate from high school in June, 48-year-old Otteson came to the Gilroy Unified School District. He replaced Marilyn Ayala, now the director of curriculum and instruction, and will earn $107,915 per year plus benefits.

Acknowledging his arrival comes at the school year’s crescendo, Otteson let teachers at his school know that he will spend the month watching and learning.

“My biggest challenge right now is just learning about the district, what’s working and what are some of the things we can do to improve,” he said.

After students finish school in June, he will begin tinkering with the school policies, including physical education.

If Glen View offered intramural sports before or after school, students would be healthier and teachers would benefit from better-behaved students, he said.

“If you’re dedicated and responsible as a teammate, that carries over into your classroom and the home too,” Otteson said.

Despite some percolating ideas for improvement, he does not expect to impose sweeping changes.

The plan is to “keep building upon the success that the school has had,” he said.

Despite differences between past schools and Glen View, the job is the same, said Otteson.

“Everyone’s trying to have the students improve to become proficient,” he said. “That’s the goal everywhere.”