Teachers move on up

 

Anticipating a possible shortage of school administrators, the Santa Barbara County Education Office announced that 18 teachers have completed course work to fill those positions.

Through the office’s Education Leadership Center, the teachers earned the Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, qualifying them to be administrators and teacher leaders.

The program grants 24 university credits, and for an additional 12 credits, participants can earn a master’s degree from California Lutheran University (CLU). In May, 11 who completed the credential program went on to earn their M.A.s from CLU.

Teachers who completed both programs are Heather Anderson, Tia Blickley, Barbara Boyd, Mary Ellen Brown, Jamie Burns, Kathleen Lester, Celeste Pico, Nancy Stevens, Sarah Suden Kono, Kate Tibbetts and Abby Vasquez.

 

Those who completed the administrative credential program are Robert Bergan II, Lodene Blair, Ginger Gelhaus Shea, Kirsten Grobien-Escobedo, Julie Kozel, Kurt Schultz and Ryan Sportel.

“The recent announcements of administrator retirements coupled with the looming retirement of baby boomer administrators certainly suggests the need for a larger local pool of highly trained administrators,” said County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone.

“Having a highly qualified effective administrator, with the skills and resources to step into a school and navigate through day-to-day management issues and provide effective instructional leadership is crucial to a school’s success,” Cirone continued. “The SBCEO credential program is focused on effectively preparing leaders to meet these challenges.”

More information about the credential program is available online at www.sbceo.org or by calling (805) 964-4710, ext. 5219.