Just call it principal’s intuition
Twenty years ago, Alicia Saballa-Santana drove by San Juan School while on a trip with her family, and wondered what it would be like to work there.
That idle notion recently turned into a full-time job as the school’s principal, but even Saballa-Santana is not sure how it all came about.
“It might sound a little funny, but I was drawn to San Juan School,” said Saballa-Santana, recalling her curiosity about the school. “I remember thinking to myself ‘what would it be like to work at that school?’.”
Saballa-Santana started at San Juan School on July 1, replacing long-time Principal, Joe Hudson. The long-time teacher and administrator had spent the last 14 years in Visalia.
“Twenty-eight years ago, my husband and I had been married in Watsonville, but our reception was in Aromas. I can’t say I knew very much about the school itself before applying for the position,” she said. “But I was impressed by what I read and learned about the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District online. I was particularly enticed by the fact that the job announcement mentioned its preference for a bilingual candidate. I am fluent in both English and Spanish, and preferred to go to a place where that ability is valued.”
Before coming to San Juan School, Saballa-Santana held both teaching and administrative positions. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), as did her husband. Two of the couple’s four children are currently attending UCSC as well; a second daughter is a recent graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and their oldest daughter works in the Central Valley with farm workers. She completed her Educational Administration/Masters Program at Fresno State.
San Juan School is in its fourth and final year as a Program Improvement (PI) School, meaning Saballa-Santana has her work cut out for her. “We are a PI school, year four corrective action. That means we have got very little time to turn our school around, or else. How’s that for putting things in perspective?” Saballa-Santana said. “I believe that our school has great potential, and we can go far. I don’t see why we can’t be a distinguished school some day.”
“Implementing (our goals) will take a lot of hard work, day by day,” she said. “It will take a team effort and a commitment to ourselves, our students, and our families.”
Despite the challenges she faces, Saballa-Santana says she has enjoyed her first few months at San Juan School, particularly spending time with her students.
“I have to say the greatest thing about (any) school is the children. They say the most unexpected things!” she said. “The second day of school, a second grader saw me outside the cafeteria and yelled ‘Hi, Mrs. President!’”
Don’t expect to find Saballa-Santana doubting her “intuition” about San Juan School any time soon.
Back to The Link Stories

Never too small to fulfill a dream

Jefferson School Principal/Teacher, Tina Plunkett, just may have found her dream job.
The southern California native has taught for seven years, mostly in schools with large student populations, dozens of teachers, and administrators. But now, working with an enrollment of just 18 students, Plunkett is enjoying the opportunities that come with being the only teacher as well as the only administrator at Jefferson, a remote, rural school at the southern end of Paicines near the Pinnacles National Monument.
“I was really attracted to the small-town atmosphere of Bitterwater-Tully, of parents and community members working together to make school a positive and productive experience,” said Plunkett, whose three children attend Bitterwater-Tully School.
Plunkett learned about Bitterwater-Tully School after she moved with her husband and children to King City two years ago for the opportunity to own their own retail business. After enrolling her children in the school, she became involved herself, relishing the chance to work in a small school setting.
Plunkett completed her undergraduate educational studies and earned her teaching credential from the University of California at Riverside; she later earned her Master’s Educational Administration degree from Chapman University. She has taught primarily third, fourth and fifth grades, and always at large schools. But in her job at Jefferson, she serves both as teacher and first-time principal.
“I anticipate that all the extra time I spend in performing the associated work will begin to wear me down a bit,” she said. “The learning curve for stepping into the administrative aspect is tremendous.”
Although she only has 18 students, they range in grades from first through eighth, a tricky combination. Just teaching a math lesson can mean introducing six or eight different topics in one day.
One subject Plunkett will concentrate on this year is science for all grade levels, she said. “My personal belief is that we are functioning at a disservice in the school system by not focusing more on the subject,” she said. “There is so much we can incorporate into a good science curriculum from all disciplines of study. And for next year, I’m investigating a limited study of a potential landfill in south Monterey County. It would be a tremendous opportunity for the students to apply many areas of science and to discuss the ethics and politics related to such social issues.”
Although she is contracted to Jefferson School District on a year-to-year basis, Plunkett is already looking at long-term goals for the science program, for improved state testing scores, resources for a mobile library, healthier food for students and additional personnel for sports, and other programs.
While those challenges loom on the horizon, the big city teacher finds herself enjoying her small school on a daily basis.
“I love the kids; they are special,” she said. “Any day where we can laugh is treasured. Working with them every day is a joy and a privilege.”

Back to The Link Stories