Graham principal taking year off Graham principal taking year off (May 20, 2005)

District begins looking for permanent replacement to run local middle school

By Kathy Schrenk

Graham Middle School principal Judy Crates will be leaving her post at the end of the year so that she can spend time with her family.

Crates will be taking a one-year leave of absence, but the district is moving quickly to find a permanent replacement to run the school, Superintendent Eleanor Yick said. If a replacement is found, Yick said, Crates could return to work for the district in some other capacity.

Crates said she is not retiring, and will not be moving from the Bay Area. Her husband, Ron, is superintendent in the Redwood City School District.

Crates' 88-year-old mother is ill and lives in Wisconsin, so the principal is taking the year off so she can fly back periodically to see her and help take care of her, she said. In addition, her daughter is planning to move to Spain.

"I've worked for 35 years in education," she said, explaining that "I'm taking a year off" for flexibility.

Crates has been at Graham for four years and worked within the district for five years before that. "She is to be acknowledged for the outstanding work that she has done as a school administrator during her tenure here and we look forward to her return for the 2006-07 school year," Yick said.

The district has already started looking for a new principal, and they hope to have one hired by the time Crates leaves on June 30. They will consider both outside and internal candidates.

Assistant principal Jonathan Pharazyn will remain at the school and "provide continuity of program and policies," Yick said.

Hiring a temporary replacement would make it tough for that person to implement programs and policies, leaving the school in a kind of limbo, Crates said.

E-mail Kathy Schrenk at kschrenk@mv-voice.com

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