UPDATE: Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.
Two current principals in the William S. Hart Union High School District were appointed to district-level positions during the Hart Governing Board meeting Wednesday.
Hart High School Principal Collyn Nielsen was named Chief Administrative Officer and Placerita Junior High School Principal Jan Hayes-Rennels was named Director of Special Programs and Staff Development.
Both Nielsen and Hayes-Rennels applied for the positions and are expected to take on their new roles at the Hart District office Jan. 2, according to Hart District Public Relations Officer Dave Caldwell.
District staff have also opened applications for the two principal positions at Hart High School and Placerita Junior High School.
“All of those positions have been posted so it will be another process of applications and interviews,” Caldwell said. “No one is being appointed.”
Nielsen
As Chief Administrative Officer, Nielsen will serve in a new cabinet-level position recently created in the Hart District.
“I am excited by this opportunity to serve the students, staff, and community of the Hart District in this new capacity,” Nielsen said. “It is an honor to work with the people in this district to benefit our students and their educational experience.”
In this position, Nielsen will take on some of the responsibilities of the Chief Operations Officer role, which is currently vacant. He will also cover maintenance and operations, facilities and emergency preparedness.
“The addition of Dr. Nielsen to our cabinet will give us the leadership that we’re looking forward to from everything from facilities to maintenance and operations and the basic needs of all of our sites,” Hart Governing Board President Steven Sturgeon.
Nielsen joined the Hart District in 1992 as an English teacher. He then went on to be the assistant principal at Saugus High School and Hart High School for 10 years.
For the past 11 years, he has acted as principal of Hart High School.
Nielsen holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and a doctorate in educational leadership from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Hayes-Rennels
In her new role Hayes-Rennels will be replacing Jill Shenberger who is retiring, according to Caldwell.
“I am very excited to continue the great work we are doing as a district for all our students,” Hayes-Rennels said. “In education, we are in the life-changing business. There is no better work than empowering others, giving them the tools, support, and guidance to grow and succeed in immeasurable ways.”
Hayes-Rennels has acted as the principal of Placerita Junior High School for the past six years.
Prior to her work at Placerita, she was the assistant principal at Canyon High School for six years and a science teacher for 10 years.
Hayes-Rennels holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Irvine, a teaching credential from UCLA and a master’s degree from the University of La Verne.
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