Power shift at SVHS

Adelia Gregory

It’s been a tumultuous school year for the Sonoma County School District, bringing with it changing tides and adapting attitudes. From career pathway controversy to furlough day buzz, the school year brought with it thus far some serious game-changers to shake up our notions of an SVHS education.

And with this atmosphere of shifting perceptions comes the resignation of Battaglini after nearly three years of service.

Ex-Principal Dino Battaglini, some say, was not especially popular with students and some of the teacher staff. Battaglini’s vision of academic excellence differed from many of the teachers’, who emphasize the importance of electives, whereas Battaglini was more focused on instituting constrained educational venues like the pathways – which, for me at least, can be compared to assembly lines.

Battaglini has been granted a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year, meaning he will be paid despite no longer fulfilling his duties as principal until June 2013. Lynn Fitzpatrick, Sonoma State and UC Davis alum has worked at SVHS in the past and will be filling in as interim principal until the end of the school year, when she plans to retire.

Meanwhile, the District is optimistic about finding a quality candidate for the job of principal for the 2013-2014 school year. Hopefully, the replacement will be better suited to the work ahead — as well as gaining the trust and good graces of students, teachers, and the entire town of Sonoma alike.