Schools
New Principals for Clayton Valley, College Park
Clayton Valley's head worked with MDUSD superintendent; College Park head comes from 2009 Distinguished School.
Students at Clayton Valley High School and College Park High School will see new faces in the principals' offices this fall as the Mount Diablo school board named new administrators to replace two retiring school chiefs.
Susan Brothers will lead Clayton Valley High School and Paul Gengler will head College Park High School.
Brothers comes to the district as a former assistant superintendent for the Washington Unified School District in Sacramento, where she worked under current MDUSD superintendent Steven Lawrence. She has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in education. She has been a preschool director, science teacher, assistant principal and assistant superintendent for curriculum, according to Julie Braun-Martin, assistant superintendent for personnel.
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Asked why she wanted to move into the principal’s office, “(Brothers) said she wanted to be with the kids,” Braun-Martin said, a sentiment Brothers echoed in her brief remarks Tuesday night.
Brothers succeeds .
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Gengler will move to College Park High from his job as principal at Delta High School in Clarksburg, Yolo County. Delta High was listed as a 2009 Distinguished School. He recently received the award of Star Administrator for the Central Region Future Farmers of America, one of only six in California.
He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and has been certified in further administrator education. He worked as an instructor in the Antioch High School District at Deer Valley High before going on to Delta High.
Gengler replaces retiring College Park principal Barbara Oaks.
The two principals faced major competition, with 37 applicants for the Clayton Valley post and 39 for College Park. The first rounds of interviews included representatives of employee groups and parent leadership organizations from both schools.
The candidates submitted a writing sample based on a scenario presented to them 30 minutes before their interviews.
The Superintendent’s Council conducted second interviews. Reference and background checks were conducted before the final selections, according to Braun-Martin.
