In a unanimous decision by the Arcadia Unified School District Board of Education, Dr. Jorge Muñoz has been named the incoming principal of Arcadia High School. He will succeed Dr. Angie Dillman, who spent six years at the helm and was recently promoted to the district office as a director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.

Muñoz brings an impressive résumé to his new position. He has two master’s degrees, one in Education Administration from Concordia University and the other in Instruction and Assessment from Walden University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in Earth Systems from Stanford University and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.

As a young boy growing up in Chula Vista, Muñoz found much-needed support and stability at school, and he understands the profound impact that educators and a safe environment such as public schools can provide for children who need it. There were times in his childhood when he was homeless, and he is the first in his family to graduate from high school. School became a safe haven where he excelled academically and socially. He did so well at Castle Park High School, he earned over a 4.0 GPA, played volleyball, was heavily involved in the Associated Student Body, volunteered at several places while also working multiple jobs, and taking classes at San Diego State in the summer, that he earned a full scholarship to Stanford. Although the scholarship covered his tuition, Muñoz continued to work three jobs while attending Stanford.

His first teaching job landed him in South Central Los Angeles at George Washington Carver Middle School through the Teach for America program. Initially a two-year commitment, Muñoz extended his time teaching there to four years. Being able to connect and relate to students who also had many obstacles to overcome was a natural fit and a way to pay it forward while launching his career in education — and more so, his passion for helping children.

Muñoz first joined Arcadia Unified in 2006 as a science teacher. He eventually became chair of the department, and in 2016 became an instructional coach. In 2018, he took his first administrative position as an assistant principal at San Marino High School. Two years later, Muñoz was hired as an assistant principal for Arcadia High School.

Muñoz will begin his new role as principal on July 1, 2025.

The Novato Unified School District has announced the appointments of Michelle Cortez and Allie Greene as co-principals at Novato High School beginning July 1, 2025. The board of trustees approved the appointments at their regularly scheduled meeting on April 1, 2025.

After a rigorous and highly competitive interview and selection process, the current interim co-principal team of Michelle Cortez and Allie Greene was selected as the finalist for the Novato High School principal position.

Michelle Cortez has been part of the site administration team at Novato High for the past seven years with a focus on expanding the Marin School of the Arts in her role as the director of the program. Before joining the Novato Unified School District, Cortez was a teacher, dean of students, and principal at Aspire Public Schools bringing a wealth of experience as a middle and high school educator to Novato High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Sonoma State University, a teaching credential from National University, and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Claremont Lincoln University.

Allie Greene has been part of the Novato High School administrative team over the past three years and brings a wealth of experiences supporting the learning environment of high school aged students.

Before joining the Novato Unified School District, Greene was a principal of alternative education at the West Sonoma County High School District, a vice principal at Santa Rosa City Schools, an assistant principal at Terra Linda High School, and English teacher, teacher on special assignment and department chair at San Marin High School.

She received her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis, a master’s degree in Comparative and World Literature from San Francisco State University, a master’s degree in the Classics at the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in School Administration at San Francisco State University.

The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees approved a contract to hire JeNora Lewis as the new principal of Middle College and Peninsula High School at their regular board meeting on May 8, 2025. Lewis’ start date in this role is July 1, 2025.

In this position Lewis will serve as the instructional leader of both the Middle College Program at the College of San Mateo as well as Peninsula High School, the district’s continuation high school located in Burlingame.

Lewis has served as the interim assistant principal at Peninsula High since December 2024. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Education from Chapman University.

Lewis has also served as an assistant principal at Wayne Ruble Middle School; the coordinator of Climate and Culture in the Fontana Unified School District; and as an assistant principal, at Upland High School and Upland Junior High School in the Upland Unified School District. She has also served as an English teacher for 11 years at Upland High School.

The Middle College program began in August 1998, and includes 11th and 12th grade students from schools throughout SMUHSD. Students take high school courses that adhere to district-approved curriculum and satisfy high school graduation requirements. For many courses, students can earn both high school credits and college units similar to Advanced Placement courses. Students complete their schedules with credit for three or four college classes. The program serves about 200 students.

Peninsula High School is the district’s continuation high school that supports the academic and social-emotional needs of 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who need assistance getting on track for graduation. The school serves about 170 students using small class sizes to provide specialized attention for students.

ACSA is saddened by the loss of Louise Bigbie, a former region president and region consultant from Region 12.

Bigbie was a teacher, counselor, principal, director of Student Welfare and Attendance, and retired as assistant superintendent of Moreno Valley USD. Her service to ACSA included holding the office of president of Region 12. She was also active in the combined retired educational managers charter of Regions 12 and 19 and served for a time as the president of that charter in the 1990s. She also served as the region consultant in Region 12 from around 2002 to 2013.