Gilroy
– Two administrative spots at Gilroy schools have been filled:
one with a school-district veteran, one with a newbie plucked from
Salinas.
Gilroy – Two administrative spots at Gilroy schools have been filled: one with a school-district veteran, one with a newbie plucked from Salinas.
School officials tapped Glen View principal Marilyn Ayala to replace Olivia Schaad, retiring March 1 as director of curriculum and Instruction. Ayala will juggle her current job with Schaad’s responsibilities this spring, fully transitioning into the position by July 1.
“She’s not only ready for the move, she’s the right candidate for the position,” said Tom Bundros, president of the Gilroy school board. Asked why the spot was filled now, instead of waiting for Gilroy’s new superintendent, he said, “One concern was that if we waited until later, it’d be harder to find a replacement [for Ayala] … because of the time of year.”
Spring curriculum plans made filling the position urgent, said public information officer Teri Freedman. Ayala will take the lead on visual and performing arts programs, the district Wellness Plan, and summer school. GUSD will begin advertising the Glen View principal job soon, Freedman said.
The district will likely wait to fill the vacancy left by assistant superintendent Jacki Horejs, as well as assistant superintendent Linda Piceno’s spot, to be vacated in June, and Juanita Contin’s administrative job, managing attendance and enrollment, Freedman said. That way the new superintendent will be able to assemble his or her own team.
Trustees hope to replace outgoing superintendent Edwin Diaz by July.
“The whole organization will be looked at by the new superintendent,” said Freedman. Until then, she added, “I don’t foresee any changes this spring in the structure.”
Meanwhile, Brownell Middle School has hired a new assistant principal, Stephen Owens. Owens worked previously as a teacher at Harden Middle School in Salinas, and beat out 27 other applicants for the job.
“He showed an alacrity of mind and intellect that set him apart from the others,” said principal Joseph DiSalvo, who praised Owens’ compassion. “Coming from the classroom, he has a totally different perspective [than most applicants.] He’s not jaded by discipline.”
After a spate of gang-related attacks at Brownell, some Latino parents asked for a Spanish-speaking assistant principal, a request DiSalvo said would likely be fulfilled. But after a Spanish-speaking candidate dropped out of the search, citing personal issues, school officials opted for Owens, who doesn’t speak Spanish.
“We ended up with a candidate that wasn’t Spanish-speaking, unfortunately,” said Piceno, who handles human resources for the district, “but he comes to us with a lot of skills … He’s very highly regarded in his district.”
Bundros agreed that hiring a Spanish speaker “would be nice, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to make it a requirement.”
