Administrative exodus vexes school community

The four will go to work under Superintendent Craig Baker, who announced last year his intent to resign from the San Carlos Elementary School District to take a similar position with the larger, southern district.

The turnover is inviting biting criticism from San Carlos parents and officials displeased by the loss of such a substantial portion of the district’s administration.

“When you are talking about the material destruction of the leadership team, it seems like there are some lines being crossed,” said parent Skip Stallings, who has three sons at different San Carlos schools.

Critics tended to absolve the departing principals of blame for taking promotions elsewhere, and largely directed their frustrations at Baker for allegedly poaching his former colleagues.

Trustee Carol Elliott detailed such grievances at the most recent school board meeting, suggesting district policy amendments may be in order to prevent similar occurrences.

“To my knowledge, this level of poaching is unprecedented in our district and I don’t think we have ever had the need to call this out in superintendent contracts because it is something that professionals in education just do not do,” she said. “It is deeply disappointing that the former superintendent has made this necessary, and calls into question for me how committed he really was to San Carlos and to our public education system.”

Baker disagreed though, claiming it is relatively ordinary for a slate of administrators to follow a former boss offering new opportunities.

“In my experience, it is quite common for some set of employees to want to move on to a district with a superintendent with whom they’ve had a strong working relationship, especially when that move entails a promotion that significantly enhances their career trajectories,” he said in an email.

To that end, Triska, principal at Mariposa School, cited in an email the appeal of career progression as a portion of his justification for joining Baker.

“At this time in my life, having served as a classroom teacher and site principal for 36 years, I’m looking forward to this new opportunity to support even larger numbers of families and staff in a new administrative position at the district level,” said Triska, whose school is yet to launch due to a troubled campus construction plan.

Kaufman, principal at Tierra Linda Middle School, agreed in an email.

“After my many years working in San Carlos, I’m looking forward to a new challenge working as a director,” said Kaufman, who worked at the district for more than two decades.

Liner, principal at White Oaks Elementary School and interim assistant superintendent, also shared a similar perspective in a prepared statement.

“I’ve been energized by the opportunities to work at the district level this school year, and I’m ready to take new steps in order to broaden my impact on students,” she said in a notice distributed to the school community.

Crawford, principal at Arroyo School, expressed different motivations for leaving though. The San Jose resident said over the eight years she’s worked at the district, she has grown weary of the long commute across the Peninsula.

While claiming her appreciation for the San Carlos community helped her justify the grueling daily trips, her inability to travel quickly to her son’s school following a recent medical emergency caused her to consider a potential shift.

“It was a hard decision because I love my school. I love my staff. I’ve got an amazing situation here, I’ve got such a great team that is collaborative and wonderful. But when push came to shove, I had to make a decision that was best for my family, so that’s what I did,” she said.

Dispelling concerns that Baker recruited away all the outgoing personnel, Crawford said she sought out her former colleague in hopes he could find an opportunity for her. She said her initial interest was met with reticence from Baker, who was concerned about the optics of Crawford following him to Cupertino.

Ultimately though, she said the bond fostered over years of working alongside Baker prevailed and she accepted a role as the director of instructional leadership and intervention in Cupertino.

“It’s important to recognize that the people and relationships are important,” she said.

Stallings said he does not wholly begrudge the principals for leaving, but their decision to all transfer at once does raise red flags.

“A lot of times people are looking to do what they can do and no one is asking themselves whether that is something they should do. What message does that send to our kids? It’s a big ethical thing for me,” he said.

School community member Kate Wormington was even more critical of those who elected to leave and suggested the migration should compel San Carlos officials to reconsider their future hiring strategy.

“We want to build a slate of administrators under the new superintendent who have a long-term commitment to San Carlos. If we hired people who will jump ship at a pay raise elsewhere, then that is on us and we need to hire better people,” she said.

In her defense, Crawford pointed to her extensive track record in San Carlos as rebuttal to questions regarding her devotion.

“I’ve been so committed that my life got out of balance in terms of being there for my kid,” she said. “So I’m trying to rebalance and be closer to home.”

Deferring to such a perspective, school board President Eirene Chen expressed her appreciation to the outgoing administrators for their work in the district.

“We offer our congratulations to the principals on their promotions to district office positions. We are grateful for their many years of service and wish them the best of luck,” she said in an email.

She added the exodus could grant a fresh chance to Baker’s successor Michelle Harmeier for building an administrative cabinet in total alignment with her goals as the district’s new superintendent.

Wormington agreed.

“This is a huge opportunity for our new superintendent to hire people who are ready and willing to act on her vision,” she said.

Stallings shared a similar cautious optimism, while also noting the mass emigration of administrators capable of offering valuable institutional knowledge and stability during Harmeier’s transition.

“How is that going to play out over the next few months? That’s the concern that I have as a parent,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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