Micaela Philpot, principal of Sonoma Valley High School, resigns as of June 30.
Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Micaela Philpot, principal of Sonoma Valley High School, has resigned, as of June 30, at the request of Sonoma Valley Unified School District Superintendent Barbara Young. In a statement released Monday, Philpot said, “The superintendent, with support from the board, has decided she wants different leadership at the high school. Regardless of my thoughts or feelings about this decision, I respect the fact that this decision is hers to make.”
When asked about the resignation, Superintendent Barbara Young declined to give a reason, saying that it is a personnel issue. “Micaela has resigned her position,” she said. “I am very appreciative of her years of service to Sonoma, and we have posted the new position as of yesterday, and we will go through a very detailed process for identifying a new principal for next year.”
As to what qualities she would be looking for in a new principal, Young said, “I’ll be meeting with staff, the board, the administrative team and students to decipher what they’re looking for in a principal, and I’ll put in what I think the school needs also, and I’m sure that will capture what we’re seeking for the next principal.”
In her statement to her staff and the press, Philpot gave an 18-point accomplishment list including having just completed a successful Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation (WASC) visit that showed what she had expected, that, “we did a good job of our self study.” The WASC report praised the leadership: “The evidence points to an improving partnership with the district office… The number of focus committees, staff review and task force members, which include district personnel, corroborate an improvement in leadership and collaborative processes.” Philpot said, “All of this work has been accomplished because we really are a team working together to make our school the best it can be for our students. No one person can do all of this on his or her own.”
Philpot has been an educator in the Sonoma Valley for over 30 years. She has been a teacher for 19 years, and a principal for over 13 years – first at Dunbar Elementary School, then at Altimira Middle School, and, for the last two years, at Sonoma Valley High School – first as interim principal, and then as principal.
The resignation of Philpot leaves two critical posts to be filled at the end of July, that of principal of the high school, and, as Barbara Young herself has resigned as of the same date, that of superintendent. Of the leadership change, Young said, “I believe that I have a strong administrative team here in the district office and at the school, and as a team, they will continue to do great work, and I know the board will work diligently to identify a strong superintendent.”
Tenures of recent SVHS principals
Micaela Philpot
2 yrs 2006-2008
Roberto Castro
3 yrs 2003-2006
Bob Kruljac
4 yrs 1999-2003
Dave Ashworth
2 yrs 1997-1999
Ralph Hahn
almost 20 yrs
Former principal Bob Kruljac, who lives in Sonoma and is active with the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters, commented about the resignation of Micaela Philpot, “It’s not right. You don’t treat someone who’s given as much as she has that way.” He said the timing baffled him, too. “You’re going to have a new principal and a new superintendent, both coming in cold, in the two most demanding positions in the district, not knowing the district, not knowing each other, with no support for each other. I just don’t understand it.”
