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Principals at Foothill and Amador Valley high schools and at Pleasanton Middle School will leave their posts in June, two to retire and John Dwyer at Foothill to take a principal’s job in west San Jose.
Dwyer made the announcement Wednesday morning in a letter to Foothill High staff. He’s moving to the Fremont Union High School District, where he’ll take over as principal of Lynbrook High School in west San Jose beginning July 1.
Dwyer leaves after spending nine years at the school, starting as a vice principal. He’s been principal for six years.
“I have immensely enjoyed my time at Foothill and will always ‘bleed (Falcon) blue,’ but next year this will be as a parent and not as the principal of the school,” he said in his announcement. “The last six years have been very challenging for all of us in education but I believe that our incredible staff, students, and community have negotiated these difficult times with passion, vision, commitment, and class.”
While Dwyer said he’s proud of the school, he also said, “This is the right time for me to pass the reins on to a new person who can work with you all to take our school on the next leg of our journey of continuous improvement to the next level of excellence.”
Meanwhile, Amador Valley Principal Jim Hansen is retiring, in an announcement made Tuesday night by the Pleasanton School Board.
Hansen has been principal at Amador since 2010, and spent 11 years before that as principal at Harvest Park Middle School. Under his leadership, the middle school was recognized as a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School and a National School of Character.
“I’ve been in education for 40 years and I’ve also raised a family at the same time. I have two more grandchildren on the way so I’ll have four grandchildren by this summer, so I’ll spend a lot of time with my grandkids,” Hansen said. “I’ve had a great career, but you know when it’s time. I started in high school and I always said I wanted to end in high school.”
He pointed out that all eight of his brothers and sisters attended that high school, adding, “This was my chance to go to Amador.”
“I was able to come over with my middle school kids, so I had the privilege of being with my sixth-grade kids though graduation. That’s kind of fun and it’s rare to know kids that many years,” Hansen said. “I’m going out with a great class.”
Pleasanton Middle School Principal John Whitney is also retiring, the board announced. Whitney has been principal at PMS since 1999. He was principal at Donlon Elementary before that, and served as dean — a position that no longer exists — at PMS before moving to Donlon.
The announcements from Dwyer and Hansen make a clean sweep of Pleasanton’s high school principals. In January, Principal Greg Giglio left Village High, the district’s alternative school, after seven years at the helm to take a position as principal at Homestead High in Cupertino.
Jim Hansen was an outstanding principal. He had a great way of connecting with kids and we are going to miss him.
Congrats to Jim Hansen on his retirement. My kids have been with him since starting at Harvest Park and loved him. He has always been professional, friendly and a great leader of the schools he has been at! Thank you Jim for all you have done to help the children and families of Pleasanton.
So sorry to see these great administrators leaving. I hope that with all our financial challenges our district is able to recruit people of equal calibre -somehow I doubt it.
Congratulation on retirements! “Attrition is at a all time high and morale is at an all time low.” Note: useless comment without specifics; use another thread. Personnel motivation to partner with your peers for change, is evidently the only answer. Peer pressure from like-minded teachers does seem to get the job done…for the children. If you don’t like it, go to another district. Again…Congratulations for years of service.
Love it or leave it, huh? You wouldnt want anyone to improve things or change something for the better? That used to be the American way, but now it is mostly accept whatever the government dishes. Some of us havent given up and still try to improve.
Two are retiring after good and long careers with the district, and the third has found another great opportunity after many years with the district. They are hardly rats.
JIm Hansen is a fantastic principal, his compassion and insight has been a great benefit to many students. Jim’s retirement is a loss to Amador.
PUSD is better off without the other two.