The San Mateo-Foster City School District has named a new principal to lead Abbott Middle School, yet, some parents — while happy that leadership has been formalized — want to see administration plans for improved communication and retention at the school.
During a June 22 meeting, district trustees approved a recommendation to name Paul Belzer as Abbott Middle School’s new principal, replacing Nicole Sandoval who served in the role for a year before opting to leave. Belzer will be the school’s third principal in three years, a concern for parents who assert administrative turnover is causing disruptions for the school community.
“I’m pleased and other parents are pleased, but we’re waiting to see if they’ll follow up with our concerns with the curriculum and discipline at the school we’ve raised and continue to engage with us,” said David Lim, a former San Mateo mayor whose oldest child graduated from Abbott Middle and whose youngest is about to enter classes at the school. “All I want is a good school for my kids and my friends’ kids and I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
District Superintendent Diego Ochoa lauded the selection of Belzer in an emailed statement and said the administrator will have a support structure around him to “reinforce stability.”
“While we know Mr. Belzner comes with substantial experience, the district will provide significant support to Abbott Middle School to ensure the advancement of our goals of increasing achievement, safety, wellness and a sense of belonging,” Ochoa said in the statement.
Belzer completed his undergraduate coursework at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from San Francisco State University. He comes to SM-FCSD with 17 years of administrative experience, having served as principal of Mills High School for 10 years and Burlingame High School for more than seven years.
At Abbott Middle, Belzer will have two assistant principals serving on his support team including Fernando Figueroa whose hiring was also approved by the board this June. A fourth counselor will also be assigned to the school to help expand social emotional support for students and a Restorative Justice Teacher on Special Assignment will also help support students and staff in the coming school year, Ochoa said.
Dr. Christian Rubalcaba, director of School Leadership, and Dr. Margaret Heredia, director of Student Services, will also provide the school support and the school’s partnership with Legacy Academy, Clayful, and Empowerment Through Action will remain intact, Ochoa said.
Administrators from the district office will provide additional support to the administrative team to ensure effective systems are in place, parent engagement is thriving, and student support is restorative justice-focused,” Ochoa said. “We are committed to educational excellence and accomplishing our district’s three goals of achievement, equity and wellness. We will do so as we move into year two of the district’s strategic plan.”
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Lim and Andrew Sevillia, another parent of an incoming Abbott Middle School student, said they were happy to see the district quickly name a new principal and were eager to get to know Belzer. Yet, both also said they’d like to see stronger communication.
Sevillia noted the district has yet to send out an announcement about Belzer’s appointment. Both also took issue with the fact that only two of five district trustees agreed to meet with parents, board President Shara Watkins and trustee Alison Proctor. Neither Watkins nor Proctor responded to requests for comment.
Trustee LaTisa Brooks told parents she could not meet due to family matters while Trustee Maggie Trinh said the Brown Act, a state law meant to ensure governance is conducted publicly and transparently, limited her ability to talk on the matter, and Vice President Ken Chin responded to parents after Belzer was appointed, Lim and Sevillia both said.
“We’re asking for transparency, which I don’t think is asking for too much,” Sevillia said. “That’s where we feel, myself at least, feel the district is not being good partners to us or to me.”
Beyond their concerns with communication, Sevillia and Lim said regularly changing leadership causes instability on campuses, including failing to create a consistent culture around discipline, collaboration and teacher support.
It’s also unclear, they said, whether administrative turnover is isolated at Abbott Middle and the causes and effects of that turnover. Sevillia said he believes part of the issue is the district often promotes school administrators into district administrator positions and suggested a solution could be requiring school administrators to agree to stay at a school site for a specific amount of time.
Lim submitted a Public Records Act request to the district seeking a variety of materials meant to collect data on the issue — the number of administrators hired at each campus since 2017, salary ranges, school demographics, enrollment numbers, email communication from Abbott Middle School staff, faculty and parents complaining about school conditions — but was told such information wasn’t tracked and the request was too large to process, according to emails shared with the Daily Journal.
After speaking with counsel for the district, Lim, a lawyer by trade, said he was assured some of the information he requested will be provided to him by July 26. Ochoa did not respond to a request for comment on Lim’s PRA request.
Ultimately, Sevillia and Lim said, their main objective and that of other concerned parents is to ensure their children receive a quality education with both vowing to support school administrators in that mission.
“The district talks a lot about data-driven decisions and I want to see the data,” Lim said. “I’m holding my opinions until I see that data and will continue to support teachers and staff, to try to get them everything they need as professionals to help them be successful.”
My granddaughter will an 8th grader at Abbott Middle School this coming school year. She attended Laurel from TK through 5th grade. While at Laurel she had 4 different principals in 7 years. And now at Abbot this will be the third principal in three years. The total number of principals for my 8th grade daughter fromTK through the 8th grade will be 7. Laurel is a school with approximately 50% of English language learners. Is this how the district supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and quality education. The school board and the superintendent should be ashamed of themselves.
Everytime I come across anything where our infamous ex-mayor is being quoted I can't help remember his time in office included the famous and historical Bay Meadows Race track being deemed non-historical, led by the Alberti conglomerate.
Did they remove a core and send to Washington DC for Historical site validation? No, the parties to be were too scared for the answer would have been "you cannot tear this landmark down".
Then there was the lack of kindness of our public official adding on to his house and blocking the site lines of other neighbors who had lived in his neighborhood for 25 years compared to under ten for the councilman.
The 415 are code cell phone, in fact should have been a giveaway after all..
In this article, Superintendent Diego Ochoa's response to the concerns raised by parents is inadequate. While he praises the selection of Paul Belzer as the new principal and mentions the support structure in place, he fails to address the parents' specific concerns about communication and retention.
Moreover, the lack of transparency from Ochoa and the district is concerning. Parents have valid concerns about the district's failure to communicate effectively. The fact that two out of five district trustees agreed to meet with parents demonstrates a lack of commitment to transparency and collaboration.
The issue of administrative turnover is a serious concern, and Ochoa's response does not acknowledge its negative impact on the school community. The parents' observations about the instability caused by changing leadership and the need for a consistent culture around discipline, collaboration, and teacher support are valid and deserve attention.
Furthermore, the school district's failure to respond to Public Records Act request raises questions about the district's commitment to transparency. The request for data on administrative turnover and school conditions is reasonable, but the district's response claiming that the information isn't tracked and the request is too large to process is unsatisfactory. Ochoa's silence on the matter only adds to the perception of a lack of transparency.
Overall, Superintendent Ochoa's response falls short of addressing the specific concerns of parents and fails to provide the transparency and accountability necessary to build trust with the schoo
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My granddaughter will an 8th grader at Abbott Middle School this coming school year. She attended Laurel from TK through 5th grade. While at Laurel she had 4 different principals in 7 years. And now at Abbot this will be the third principal in three years. The total number of principals for my 8th grade daughter fromTK through the 8th grade will be 7. Laurel is a school with approximately 50% of English language learners. Is this how the district supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and quality education. The school board and the superintendent should be ashamed of themselves.
Everytime I come across anything where our infamous ex-mayor is being quoted I can't help remember his time in office included the famous and historical Bay Meadows Race track being deemed non-historical, led by the Alberti conglomerate.
Did they remove a core and send to Washington DC for Historical site validation? No, the parties to be were too scared for the answer would have been "you cannot tear this landmark down".
Then there was the lack of kindness of our public official adding on to his house and blocking the site lines of other neighbors who had lived in his neighborhood for 25 years compared to under ten for the councilman.
The 415 are code cell phone, in fact should have been a giveaway after all..
In this article, Superintendent Diego Ochoa's response to the concerns raised by parents is inadequate. While he praises the selection of Paul Belzer as the new principal and mentions the support structure in place, he fails to address the parents' specific concerns about communication and retention.
Moreover, the lack of transparency from Ochoa and the district is concerning. Parents have valid concerns about the district's failure to communicate effectively. The fact that two out of five district trustees agreed to meet with parents demonstrates a lack of commitment to transparency and collaboration.
The issue of administrative turnover is a serious concern, and Ochoa's response does not acknowledge its negative impact on the school community. The parents' observations about the instability caused by changing leadership and the need for a consistent culture around discipline, collaboration, and teacher support are valid and deserve attention.
Furthermore, the school district's failure to respond to Public Records Act request raises questions about the district's commitment to transparency. The request for data on administrative turnover and school conditions is reasonable, but the district's response claiming that the information isn't tracked and the request is too large to process is unsatisfactory. Ochoa's silence on the matter only adds to the perception of a lack of transparency.
Overall, Superintendent Ochoa's response falls short of addressing the specific concerns of parents and fails to provide the transparency and accountability necessary to build trust with the schoo
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Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.