Mountain View Los Altos High School District names appointee for new job to lead distance learning

To guide high schools in Mountain View and Los Altos with online learning, the board of the Mountain View Los Altos High School District created a new position, distance education administrator, and picked Teri Faught, Mountain View High School assistant principal, for the job.

The position was created in mid-June with the unanimous support of the district board, with responsibilities that include overseeing online and alternative learning formats, developing and implementing policies for distance education, developing online courses with academic departments and supporting faculty and students.

“I think the fact the District created a position specifically to enhance and advance what we can do with distance education shows a deep commitment to helping leverage technology so learning is more hands-on and collaborative,” Faught said in a prepared statement.

“Teri is exceptionally qualified for this position,” said district Superintendent Nellie Meyer in the statement.

“She has experience working with our team in the area of educational technology, and has had extensive training based on the National Education Technology Plan and standards for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE),” Meyer said.

Meyer added that Faught is known for leadership in education technology.

The new position would put Faught in the director salary range of $185,135 to $209,262, up from the assistant principal range of $175,288 to $198,132.

Using education technology in the classroom can help improve relationships between students and teachers, Faught said. “Supporting our teachers to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum can help them stretch their roles beyond the classroom. And students are already showing us that the use of technology is helping them innovate and work with classmates in ways we didn’t expect.”

Faught has served on the high school’s Instructional Support Team working in the areas of science and educational technology, and taught earth science, biology and AP Environmental Science. She taught high school science in Palatine, Illinois, for five years and has served on the California Science Teacher Association Board of Directors for two years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science from Western Michigan University and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from San Jose State University.