Students at El Roble greeted not one, but two new principals
when they returned to school. However, the students will also have
to say goodbye to not one, but two principals in the next few
months.
Gilroy – Students at El Roble greeted not one, but two new principals when they returned to school. However, the students will also have to say goodbye to not one, but two principals in the next few months.
The Gilroy Unified School District has hired retired Morgan Hill administrators Karen Tavares and Kathleen Masner as interim co-principals of El Roble Elementary School. District staff said the search for a permanent principal has already started and the district could offer a candidate a contract next week.
Two principals acting as interim is not conventional, but it will work for the district, assistant superintendent of human resources Michael Lyons said.
“Because both of them are retired administrators, they wanted to go in and share the responsibility,” he said. “And we thought that was good approach.”
Tavares retired in June as principal of Morgan Hill’s Jackson Elementary School after more than 40 years as a teacher and administrator in California and New York. Masner retired June 2006 as principal of Morgan Hill’s El Toro Elementary School after more than 25 years as a teacher, math and literacy facilitator and administrator in South County.
The two educators did not plan to become interim co-principals, but sprung into action when the job in Gilroy arose, Masner said.
“We really enjoy being in education and this was an opportunity to make sure that a school year started on a successful note,” she said.
The vacancy at El Roble opened up in early August when former principal Paula Cornia took a principal position in a different district. Cornia could not be reached by press time Thursday.
