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.”
After a tumultuous few months at the helm of El Roble, the school’s former principal, Iraida Pisano, was reassigned as dean of discipline at Christopher High School, a temporary position that ended in June. Her tenure at El Roble culminated with the Gilroy Teachers Association filing a two-inch thick unfair labor practices complaint against the first-year principal, charging her with harassment, discrimination and making threats to teachers. Though the school district received a copy of the complaint, they had already decided to release her from her post as principal.
“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.”
Flores said she recommended the transfer after searching outside the district all summer without finding a suitable candidate for the El Roble opening. 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.
In addition to Otteson’s transfer, Gilroy Unified School District trustees approved several other hires at a recent board meeting.
With 25 years as an educator and administrator under his belt, Rodolfo “Rudy” Garcia said he’s looking forward to his new role as assistant principal of South Valley Middle School. He comes to Gilroy after nine years as principal of Greenfield High School, which is about an hour south of Gilroy off U.S. 101. Before that, he was an elementary school principal, a middle school assistant principal and a middle school teacher. Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts from Fresno State University, and a master’s degree in education administration from San Jose State University. The bilingual educator has two children and plans to move closer to Gilroy as soon as possible. He will earn a yearly salary of $103,650, according to district figures.
“There were a number of things Rudy said that impressed us,” Flores said. “He’s worked with a very similar population to the one at South Valley which definitely appealed to us.”
In year six of Program Improvement, a designation given to schools that have not made federal academic growth targets, South Valley faces many challenges Garcia said he hopes to help tackle. Flores said she was impressed to hear about Garcia’s community involvement – he was Greenfield’s Rotary International president for three years and volunteered for several other organizations – and how he helped his elementary school shed its program improvement status.
“I know about all the stress that goes along with getting out of (program improvement status),” Garcia said. “It’s a tough challenge but it’s one of my goals at South Valley.”
Another out-of-towner will fill the vacancy left behind when Marilyn Ayala, former director of curriculum and instruction at the school district office, was promoted to assistant superintendent of educational services. Kathleen Biermann was offered the same position in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District but chose Gilroy because “it’s a wonderful district,” Biermann said. “I was very impressed from afar and I’m impressed now that I’ve been here. They’ve been so welcoming and wonderful. I think it’s a good fit for me in terms of my experience.”
After interviewing Biermann, Flores said she jumped at the chance to hire someone with her English as a second language background.
“We really wanted her to accept this position,” Flores said. “She has a background with English learners and that’s going to be a major part of her responsibility. She will really strengthen our team.”
Biermann served as assistant superintendent of elementary education in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District for three years prior to her move to Gilroy Unified. She also has 30 years of experience as an elementary school principal, a director of special education and a teacher. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Spanish at University of California, Santa Barbara. She will earn a $123,843 yearly salary. She and her husband have three children and live in Spreckels, south of Salinas.
Though the school district has welcomed several newcomers recently, a familiar face will round out the district office’s student services department. Former principal of Rucker Elementary, Barbara Keesaw, will be coordinator of student services, dealing primarily with the district’s special education students. An informational audit of the district’s special education program conducted by School Services recommended creating a new coordinator position, Flores said.
“School Services felt that a district of this size needs two administrators running such a large, comprehensive program,” Flores said.
With an extensive background in special education, Keesaw was the district’s top pick. The position pays $111,501 and will be funded for one year by federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars.
“We’re taking it one year at a time for now,” Flores said.
Rounding out the list of recent appointments, Carmel resident Carlos Pina will take over as the district’s maintenance and operations manager, a position which pays $81,658 and was vacated when former manager John White retired earlier this year. A former police officer, Pina’s most recent job was as supervisor of operations in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.
“We had four top notch finalists,” Flores said. “He’s going to be a strong asset.”
Pina’s experience in a position similar to the one he will take in Gilroy and in helping his previous district prepare for emergency situations were two aspects that set him apart, Flores said.
Pina, who lives with his wife in Carmel and has two grown children and seven grandchildren, said he hopes to move to Gilroy as early as possible and would like to jump right in to the community.
“I was very pleased with the city and schools in Gilroy,” Pina said.
