Mountain View High School Principal Michael Jimenez will retire at the end of the school year, he announced Tuesday night.
Jimenez’s tenure at Mountain View was short. He joined the district in July 2020, and is now set to depart in June 2022. Still, though, Jimenez was lauded at Tuesday’s board meeting for his leadership through the pandemic.
“Mike has over 30 years’ experience in education and has been our principal during a very different time,” said Board President Catherine Vonnegut. “We really appreciate all that he’s done for us and the hard work to manage through COVID, through construction … and keeping us afloat at Mountain View High School the past couple years.”
Associate Superintendent Leyla Benson said that the district is looking both internally and externally for Jimenez’s replacement. The district is working with Leadership Associates, a firm that helps school districts search for superintendents and other executive leadership.
“[Leadership Associates] will meet with stakeholder groups and after gathering input, will facilitate screening and interviews and collaborate with us in order to select the next principal and see through the transition,” Benson said in an email. “We hope to identify a candidate as soon as possible.”
At the time of publishing, Jimenez was unavailable for comment.
“When I think of Mike Jimenez, I think of someone who is very student-centered,” said Superintendent Dr. Nellie Meyer. “Every day, you can go out to the quad at Mountain View High School and he’s standing there in his spot. … You can see his strong relationship with the students of Mountain View.”
