District Deeds has learned that San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Hoover High School Principal Joe Austin “has taken leave for the remainder of the school year.

Here is the letter from Area 6 Supt. Bagula to the Hoover High School Community:

The letter is the standard “no comment” statement that the SDUSD uses when they are trying to cover something up…like the improper removal of a highly qualified, credentialed and respected Principal for the wrong reasons.

The letter to the Hoover Community:

• Does not state whether the leave was initiated by Principal Austin or by the SDUSD Senior Management.
• Does not state if it is a temporary or permanent leave.
• Does not state if the Principal “temp” taking his place will be at Hoover High for the remainder of the school year…rumor has it that there could be up to 3 Principal “temps” managing Hoover High over the next 3 months

Principal Austin is highly regarded by the Hoover Cluster community and his many friends and colleagues in the San Diego County educational community are shocked by this out of character development.

Hoover parents reported to District Deeds that they feel this is a great loss to the school and that the continuity of educational initiates spearheaded by Austin could be severely damaged, especially with 3 Principal “temps”.

The “leave of absence before the end of the school year” alibi by the SDUSD has been used before to cover up improper actions by the Marten administration, notably in both the SCPA/Mitzi Lizarraga and Lincoln/Dr. Esther Omogbehin incidents.

District Deeds has received reports from reliable SDUSD Central Office insiders that verified there was a “yelling and screaming” conflict at the highest levels of the Supt. Cindy Marten administration leading to this action.

With Principal Austin on leave, this leaves two challenging High Schools, Lincoln High and Hoover High, with Temporary Principals and a 3rd, Morse High, with a rumored complete leadership turnover (Principal and VP’s gone) at the end of this school year.

These developments beg the following questions:

How dysfunctional is the senior management of Supt. Cindy Marten and Executive Director, Secondary Schools Cheryl Hibbeln in dealing with complex leadership issues at schools south of Highway 8??

Is this just a NEW version of the Marten Principal “Smoking Gun“?

Knowing all the hard work and extra effort Principal Austin put into improving Hoover High, is he just another victim of the “Work Hard, Dream Big, Get Fired” legacy of Supt. Cindy Marten as shown by her Coat of Arms below?

We shall see…stay tuned to District Deeds!

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