I wish Ms Higgins the best of luck. There has been a tremendous turnover of Bay Area principals of late and one has to wonder why? When I was going through school principals seem to stick around forever. What happened?

Could it be that Principals are being blamed, like teachers, for a perception that our children aren't doing well? Could it be that parents fail to teach their children the most basic manners, expecting the school to do what should have been taught from day one? Could it be that when a child gets in trouble the parents BLAME the Principal?

All those are true. I retired from teaching last year and watched principals deal with Hell on a near daily basis. Some of it was deserved but the vast majority of it simply came with the job. The smart ones usually said, "I'm oughta here. Best of luck."

As a grandmother of a student you taught-----I am so excited to see you be a principal. Good luck! You will do the very best for all the children, of that I am sure.

As a former Board Member (with Gloria) and a long-time parent in the district, I was thrilled to hear that Gloria's hard work to get her Administrative credential, her excellent teaching skills and warm personality with her students and fellow staff members, and her deep understanding of the district as a former school board member is being well-rewarded. As a new leader, she will continue Monta Loma's efforts to overcome the achievement gap, nuture students of military families, and create a warm and inviting atmosphere for improved learning. Congratulations, Gloria - and thank you for your continuing service to our district!

Yes. Big blame game all around, and from the top as well. I think you nailed it. I'm sad to see Ms. Lyon go. Hoping Ms. Higgins is ready for this large task, but it sounds like she's motivated so that's always a good start!

James, one of the reasons their is soooo much turnover at the schools is the price of housing…. Administrators and teachers cannot afford to live here… many commute from other communities…. Wishing Gloria much luck and fun in her new assignment.

With a third of the students at Monta Loma not fluent in English, I hope her Spanish language skills are there as well. The district's pandering to the military hardly seems necessary or a priority in this district.

And isn't this the former board member who voted to close Slater School? Is this the pay off?

Marti, sure, administrators and teachers may leave due to pay, but this is about someone who was already within district getting a promotion. Likewise, the old Monta Loma principal is just moving over to the district office. Same goes for the old Huff principal. So it's a bunch of musical chairs within MVWSD right now- these specific folks aren't leaving due to low pay.

James- good points. I've always wondered why we cater so much to military. They are 50/50- and by that I mean 50% good families and 50% bullies. Wish I couldn't personally attest. The fact that Gloria's work with the military was pointed out so much was interesting to me.