The superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District today acknowledged a troubling string of administrative resignations – the high school principal announced her school-year-end departure just yesterday – and made two new assignments to fill important openings.
Adrian E. Palazuelos, Ph.D., communicated the news in his weekly ‘Letter to Families’ email newsletter.
“It is true that this is a challenging time for our school district and we want to avoid administrator turnover like this in the future,” Palazuelos stated, “which is why our team is moving forward with establishing a new era for Sonoma Valley Unified School District – based on hiring the best and brightest people and providing the best support system so that our new admin team will help to move our District forward.”
At least seven high-level administrators have resigned in the past few years. The latest move was announced just yesterday (4/4/22): Sonoma Valley High School Principal Jessica Hutchinson, effective June 30. Bruce Abbott, an associate superintendent for the district, announced his imminent resignation last week.
Palazuelos today announced two new administrative assignments. Long-time Dunbar Elementary teacher and current interim principal at Dunbar School, Katherine Hahn, is the new principal of El Verano school. And Elizabeth Stevenson, current Special Education Teacher at Altimira Middle School, has been named principal for Dunbar Elementary School.
The staffing process, Palazuelos said, “starts by establishing a profile of a great administrator, and not stopping until we find the right people to fit that profile.”
“We are in the process of doing that now,” he said. “Our students, families and community all deserve it.”
Katherine Hahn as Principal for El Verano Elementary School
Long-time Dunbar Elementary School Teacher, Teacher on Special Assignment and current Interim Principal at Dunbar Elementary School, Katherine Hahn has been selected Principal at El Verano Elementary School. Tar having spent the last 7 years at Dunbar as a 4th and 5th grade teacher, Academic Specialist and more recently as Dunbar’s Interim Principal. In her time at Dunbar Ms. Hahn has used her extensive teaching background and bilingual skill set to work directly with students and families to enrich the learning experience for all.
Hahn has served in education for a total of 16 years having spent time in San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Ms. Hahn attended undergraduate school at University California, Santa Barbara, followed by Chapman University for her multiple subject credential, and eventually earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administrative Credential from Sonoma State in 2017.
Hahn will officially begin her new role on July 1, 2022.
Elizabeth Stevenson as Principal for Dunbar Elementary School
Elizabeth Stevenson, current Special Education Teacher at Altimira Middle School, has been named Principal for Dunbar Elementary School.
Stevenson has been in the education field for 20 years. She started her career as an educator as a general education Elementary Teacher where she taught K-3. She then pursued her Education Specialist Credential and has been a Special Education Teacher at Altimira Middle School for the past 7 years. She recently obtained her Administrative Services Credential and was selected the summer school Principal for SVHS last summer and will be completing the same role this summer. She is currently in the process of completing her Master’s Degree in Applied School Leadership.
Stevenson and her family have been a part of the Sonoma Valley community for over 20 years. All of her 3 children attend schools in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. “I am honored to be able to work in the same community we live in. I take the academic success and social emotional growth of this school and community personally and will work together with you to achieve these goals,” she said.
The recommended hires will got to the SVUSD School Board on April 12 for final approval.
“Announces new hires”?? “hiring the best and brightest”?? “recommended hires”???
No one was “hired;” all are current employees serving in other capacities, re-assigned to new capacities. Captain Palazuelos is simply shuffling the deck on his sinking ship.
Captain Palazuelos is playing with the hand and he was dealt and it is doing a pretty good job at it….. I commend him for all the good work he’s done thus far.
He likes to shuffle people around instead of participating in a fair and honest hiring process to find the best and the brightest. He especially likes to appoint the people who he can intimidate and manipulate. It’s a game for him. Check his track record.