Popular Principal Leaving El Cerrito High

El Cerrito High’s popular principal, Jason Reimann, is leaving to take a position in San Ramon.

The appointment was made by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District board June 28 and takes effect July 1, according to Ginny Haddad in the San Ramon Valley superintendent’s office.

A new principal for El Cerrito High School has not yet been approved by the West Contra Costa Unified School District board.

Reimann will become principal of Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon.

The statement below is from an email Reimann sent to El Cerrito High staff Thursday:

Dear El Cerrito Family,

It saddens me to write that I will not be returning to El Cerrito High School for the 2011-2012 school year. The decision to move on has been the most difficult professional choice that I have made. This faculty is the most collaborative, caring and talented group that I have worked with. ECHS's parents and community are deeply committed and feel a deep connection to the school in a way that is rare in these times. Our students are a uniquely diverse group of young people who have been a true pleasure to serve. Despite my departure, I hope that we will have opportunities in the future to work in collaboration to improve the educational opportunities of our youth.

Being able to work with such a committed, dynamic team of professionals has been a great honor. I feel connected to El Cerrito High School and its community in a way that I cannot express. The collaborative work that you are doing is amazing and forward-thinking.

“I’m going to miss him tremendously,” said George Austin, social science department chairman and athletic director at the high school, who described Reimann as young and energetic. “The kids could see he cared.”

“I’ve survived six principals at El Cerrito High and I think he was one of the best," Austin said. "He is a thoughtful man, he’s kind, and he always put the students first not the adults.”

Austin said he hopes the school will continue a program Reimann started to help students with low test scores that includes Saturday “boot camp” study sessions. “He didn’t just look at the scores; he looked at the kids who got those scores.”

Staff members looked carefully at where students were struggling, and Reimann had ongoing interviews with the students, taking a supportive rather than punitive approach with them, Austin said. “He started with the premise that kids want to be successful.” Austin said it was very smart of Reimann to discuss students’ scores with them because many high school students have the incorrect perception that test scores don’t matter.

The following announcement is posted on the Dougherty Valley High School website: Board Approves New Principal Jason Reimann. Bio – Jason brings a rich and varied education experience with him to his new position as principal of Dougherty Valley High School. Jason began his career in Los Angeles at Fremont High School where he was an English teacher. After four years, he moved to San Francisco to become the Education Resource Manager for Job Corps on Treasure Island where he focused on development of curriculum in Math, Reading and ELD {English Language Development}. He was then appointed assistant principal of De Anza High School in Richmond. In 2007, Jason became principal of El Cerrito High School where he continued his educational leadership. Along with 8 years of successful experience as an education administrator, Jason recently completed his doctoral studies at UC Berkeley.

Reimann is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Joint Doctoral Program in Leadership for Educational Equity, which shares some faculty with the Principal Leadership Institute. Matthew Burnham, newly appointed principal at Portola Middle School, is a PLI graduate. Linda Takimoto, incoming principal of Harding Elementary School, is completing that program.