AHS principal's dismissal a shock

I am the parent of a current Arcata High School senior as well as an AHS Class of 2019 graduate. I'm also an AHS Class of `93 alumnus and served as ASB President, and my father was a member of the AHS Class of '58. I considered my Arcata High student experience to be exceptional. I didn't think there was anyone more passionate than I am about the transformative value of a positive high school experience, until I met Arcata High principal, Ron Perry.

I've had the pleasure of working with Ron as a parent representative on the Arcata High School Site Council for the past two years, and on the Northern Humboldt Union High School District Athletic Advisory Committee for the past year. Group meetings facilitated by Ron have been timely, productive, efficient, inclusive, and engaging. I can confidently state that I have never encountered a stronger natural leader than Ron, within the realm of public education or outside of it. In less than two years, Ron and his administrative team have built a sense of community at AHS that is light years ahead of where the school was before he stepped into the role of principal. A master bridgebuilder, Ron has brought together and empowered academics, athletics, the arts, and the trades. He has engaged the parent/guardian community in a way we haven't seen in years. Ron is an AHS alumnus himself and holds not one, but I believe two degrees from Stanford University. He is a prime example of what has become Humboldt County's greatest export — our high school graduates, except Ron opted to return home and serve his community.

Our family was stunned, saddened, and gravely concerned to learn of Ron's “dismissal” by the NHUHSD Board of Trustees this past week. Due to a lack of transparency, stakeholders have been left to deduce that whatever the basis was for this decision, the infraction must not have been egregious as Ron wouldn't then be retained as principal through the remainder of the year and offered a position as a teacher thereafter. If the infraction wasn't egregious, then this seemingly extreme response by the board presents as wholly unreasonable, particularly when weighed against the accomplishments of Ron's tenure as principal thus far, coupled with the upheaval this decision has brought and will bring to the AHS community. In so publicly disgracing and removing Ron, I can only hope the board was presented with objective data upon which they based this decision. As any employer knows, employee turnover is one of the most expensive aspects of managing any organization. I hope the resources that will apparently now be expended, in both salaried time diverted, and expenses incurred, to source and train a new principal, will not be a waste of taxpayer dollars over something that perhaps could've been addressed with a more cost-effective approach, such as additional training and support from the district to the administrative team at AHS.

I am concerned by the appearance of a lack of equal representation for the Arcata-based constituents of the NHUHS District, in that four of the five representatives on the current board appear to reside in McKinleyville, despite Arcata High having upwards of a 50% greater student enrollment than that of McKinleyville High. I have tremendous respect for community members who volunteer their time and expertise for the betterment of our community, and I assume the board is abiding by their fiduciary duty in making decisions that are in the best interest of the district and its students. However, regardless of how the board reached their decision, the current board demographic does not bode well for the appearance of independence in the context of any decision concerning Arcata High. The district office being housed on the McKinleyville High campus only adds to this perception. Policy should be adopted by the board to ensure representation going forward is more reflective of the district's stakeholders and to mitigate the perception of a conflict of interest, which can be considered a violation of fiduciary duty.

To Ron, our family extends a heartfelt thank you. You took Arcata High from a state of lingering, disjointed COVID fog for both students and parents/ guardians, and transformed it into a thriving, connected, inspired, and dynamic community. Your passion for Arcata High and the secondary education experience inspired me to lend my time and professional skillset to one of the most honorable of causes — the education of our community's youth and I thank you for that rewarding experience.