School district debates assistant principal job





Cory Campbell, assistant principal at Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas, is nearing the end of his two-year term at the school, but parents and teachers say they want him to stay.

Campbell served as a shared assistant principal for three Calabasas elementary schools- Chaparral, Lupin Hill and Bay Laurel, but spent three days a week at Lupin Hill because that school has the most students.

The Las Virgenes Unified School District said it’s not inclined to add another expense to its already tight budget, or set a precedent for an assistant principal position at all the elementary schools in the district.

“The assistant principal position is really critical to our success,” said teacher Linda Kaplan. She said teachers feared that “spiraling behavioral issues” would detract from academics.

Kindergarten teacher Kitty Soltow said Campbell had made a significant difference at Lupin Hill.

One Lupin Hill parent told the board that the assistant principal position should be a mandatory position, not discretionary.

She recalled that Principal Carol Martino was more able to comfort and support her autistic daughter during the first three months of kindergarten because a portion of her time had been freed up by Campbell.

Parents and teachers said Campbell handles disciplinary problems for teachers, allowing them to focus on academics.

A new parent at the school said she was concerned about student safety on the campus without Campbell’s presence.

Deputy Superintendent Donald Zimring said the district could not be obligated to pay for the position through the general fund. He said the Calabasas Education Fund, which paid for the position through tax dollars, has since dissolved.

Zimring said the Calabasas grant was only for one year, but the school board had insisted on paying for the position for two years.

“There are dozens of competing needs (among schools),” Zimring said.

Second grade teacher Karen Mizrahi said the high percentage of special needs students warranted at least a part-time assistant principal. She said that in one week alone, 11 Individualized Educational Plan and six Student Study Team meetings were conducted. More than 245 such meetings have been conducted, meetings that Martino was required to attend.

“This makes us unique,” Mizrahi said.

“Everybody always wants additional support,” Martino said. She said Lupin Hill has a greater number of special education students than do some other schools, but not necessarily a higher percentage.

“Whatever happens will be fine,” the principal said. Campbell could not be reached for comment.


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