Sonoma Valley High Staff Writes Letter of Support for School Administration

The following letter was posted to Facebook and the made available to the Sonoma Valley Community.

January 22, 2026

Attention: SVUSD Board of Trustees, SVUSD, Sonoma Valley Community

We, the undersigned staff of Sonoma Valley High School, write to express our full and unequivocal support for Principal Molly Kiss and the SVHS administrative team.

SVHS has benefited enormously from stable leadership over the past several years. Prior to this administration, our school experienced repeated turnover and instability. Since Principal Kiss assumed leadership, the school has gained professionalism, consistency, collaboration, and a more unified campus community. Our students are better served because of this leadership team.

For this reason, we are deeply troubled by recent events surrounding the temporary removal of the Pride flag at SVHS, which has flown over our campus since 2019. Decisions affecting our school community must occur through transparent governance, not unilateral actions outside the public process. Staff are also gravely concerned by reports from community members that SVUSD Board President David Bell has attempted to shift responsibility for this decision onto Principal Kiss. We consider this misrepresentation unacceptable, unprofessional, and damaging to trust.

We respectfully urge both district leadership and the Board to reaffirm transparent decision-making practices, to communicate with accuracy, and to prioritize stability at Sonoma Valley High School.

Students and staff thrive when leadership is steady and supported. SVHS is moving forward in a positive direction. We ask all district leaders and our community at large to protect that stability and to stand behind the professionals doing the daily work of educating and supporting students.

The SVHS staff will hold the SVUSD School Board accountable for any continued disruption or inappropriate interference outside the parameters of SUSD Board Policy that potentially contributes to the loss of our effective school leadership team. Quality administrators are hard to find and essential to student success. We will not accept a return to instability created by preventable governance failures.
Principal Molly Kiss and the SVHS administrative team have our full confidence and our full support.

Respectfully Submitted,
The Undersigned Staff of Sonoma Valley High School (list of names not available)