Sassarini Elementary School to postpone principal search

Sonoma Valley Unified School District has named Tom Stubbs as Sassarini Elementary School’s interim principal for the 2019-2020 school year. Stubbs, 65, was a teacher and administrator in the Valley for 17 years. He spent 13 years as a teacher and four years as a vice principal at Sonoma Valley High School. Currently his 16-year-old daughter is a student there.

Stubbs said that during his long career in education, he has also served as a principal, director and superintendent in other districts around the North Bay Area, including districts in Napa and Marin counties. He retired in 2015.

Stepping up to assist him at Sassarini will be Laura Monterosso, who will be named the administrative designee for the school when Stubbs is off campus. Stubbs expects to be on campus two days a week. Monterosso’s administrative support role is one that she has held for several years under previous principals, according to outgoing Sassarini principal and new district human resources director Andrew Ryan.

Monterosso will assist in areas of student discipline, Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and site-level curricular priorities in her role as administrative designee.

Stubbs will be the primary contact for community and parent concerns and questions while overseeing the day-to-day operations of the school site, including facilities, district communication and compliance, community and stakeholder interface and discipline.

Stubbs received his undergraduate degree and his teaching credential from UCLA. He received his administrative credential and a master’s degree from Sonoma State University.

Stubbs can be reached at 935-6040 or tstubbs@sonomaschools.orgor during his open office hours on Mondays and Thursdays and by appointment.

Stubbs has lived in Sonoma Valley since 1981 and he was pleased to point out that two of his older children attended Sassarini. He currently lives on Spain Street, not far from the elementary school campus.

He also runs a successful tax preparation business in Sonoma, Thomas W. Stubbs Financial Services.

“I started out preparing tax returns for other teachers early in my career and the business just kept growing,” he said.

Sonoma Valley Unified will renew the search for a full-time principal in the spring of 2020, according to Ryan.

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.