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Prestwood principal resigns

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District has another administrator’s position to fill.

On Monday, Feb. 25, Prestwood Elementary School principal Beth Wolk, announced her resignation as principal to her staff during the school faculty meeting. The following day, she notified Prestwood parents of her decision.

Wolk has been the Prestwood principal for the past eight years and will presumably stay on until the end of the school year.

Wolk told her staff that she is in the process of deciding whether to retire, return to the classroom, or seek a part-time job in education. A strong influence on her decision is her desire for more time with her four grandchildren, as well as time to volunteer in their classrooms.

Wolk became principal of Prestwood in July 2005. Prior to that, she was a principal in the Petaluma and Piner-Olivet school districts and an assistant principal in the

Cotati-Rohnert Park school district. Prior to her administrative experiences, she taught in preschool, elementary and middle school.

Wolk expressed her appreciation to the Prestwood staff and parents for the wonderful school they have created, and shared her optimism for Prestwood’s future.

School Superintendent Louann Carlomagno will be meeting with staff and parents in the coming weeks to discuss the selection of a new principal and hear their suggestions on the qualities and attributes they are looking for.

“I wish Beth well as she gets to spend more time with her growing family,” said Carlomagno. “I thank her for her efforts in building culture, promoting student success and engaging the Prestwood community during her tenure at Prestwood.”

The school district is also in the process of finding a new high school principal after Dino Battaglini resigned in the middle of January. The district will be accepting applications for the high school position until Friday, March 15.

Once applications have been received, a screening committee composed of stakeholder representation will review applications with a goal of identifying 10-12 candidates for an initial interview.

The potential candidates will be facing three rounds of interviews in the first two weeks of April.

Carlomagno is hoping to name a new high school principal by sometime in April.

The district is also looking for a new director of curriculum and instruction. Lynn Fitzpatrick, who held the curriculum and instruction position, was named interim principal at the high school, and she later announced that she would retire at the end of the school year.