Three appointments were announced at the William S. Hart Union High School District governing board’s meeting on Wednesday, including the return of a former board member in a new role.
James Webb, who resigned from the board in May 2023 after being elected in 2020, was announced as a new assistant principal at Rio Norte Junior High. He cited needing to spend more time with his family and caring for elderly parents as reasons at the time for him stepping down from the board.
“Thank you to the board for giving this opportunity, and thank you to everyone else who supported me,” Webb said. “I’m so excited to get back to students. This is why I got into this, and I’m just really excited to be on the staff Rio Norte and support all the wonderful things that are going on.”
Webb has been involved with the Hart district since 2000, serving as an English teacher before going into administrative and consulting roles, and has two children in the district.
Also appointed to positions on Wednesday were Kullen Welch, the new principal at Valencia High School, and Thomas Flores, the new principal at La Mesa Junior High.
Welch is leaving the principal role at La Mesa to take over at Valencia. He has been with the district since 2004, rising up through the ranks at multiple sites from teacher to administrator. He has one child still attending a school in the district.
“Thank you for this honor,” Welch said. “Excited to jump in and be a part of Valencia and hit the ground running.”
Flores is taking up Welch’s previous role at La Mesa. He has been with the district since 2002 and has held a variety of roles at multiple sites.
“I want to just thank everyone that’s here tonight, and those that aren’t here,” Flores said. “I’m just excited to take on this new adventure and find my new home at La Mesa Junior High.”
In a news release, interim Superintendent Michael Vierra added: “We are pleased to welcome Mr. Kullen Welch, Mr. Thomas Flores and Mr. James Webb to their new positions in the district. Each brings with them the advantage of considerable years of successful experience at multiple schools in the Hart district. We look forward to their work to further our efforts to ensure every student leaves our district ‘opportunity ready.’”
