After three years at Archie Williams High School, Principal LaSandra White will depart, accepting the position of Senior Director of Human Resources for the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD). White leaves Archie Williams on a bittersweet note, expressing appreciation for her time at the school and aspirations for the future of the district.
On Wednesday, March 27, district administration posted a job listing for the position of Archie Williams principal. In releasing the application prior to White’s public statement, they aimed to maximize time for potential candidates to see and apply for the job.
One week later, Wednesday, April 3, White released an official notice to the Archie Williams community announcing her decision to step away as principal and welcome a new position for the district.
White stated in the notice that the TUHSD extended the offer, and she accepted the position, making this year her last as the principal of Archie Williams. Expressing gratitude for the opportunity she had been given to work for the school, White explained how fortunate she felt to have worked “in such a supportive and giving community.”
Prior to joining the Archie Williams community, White worked at Redwood High School for 25 years, resulting in a career dedicated to TUHSD students lasting almost three decades. According to White, though the new job is a difficult change, she moves on knowing she made the most of her time at the TUHSD schools.
“I love [working with] kids, and that’s why I’ve been [in the TUHSD] for as long as I have… That’s the part that’s going to be hard for me, leaving [the] students,” White said.
Despite the sadness that will come with leaving Archie Williams, White believes she will benefit from her new position, both personally and in her work improving the academic community.
“District-level positions don’t always open up all the time because there’s so few of them, and it’s also like, ‘Which is the right one?’ So this opportunity came this year, [and] I wasn’t expecting it. It came out of nowhere, and it was a position that I [thought] that I would enjoy, and so I think it was just the right time for me,” White said.
As Senior Director of Human Resources, White will assist the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. Along with recruiting and hiring employees and leading district investigations, White intends to concentrate on hiring people of color for district positions.
“One of the big focuses of the district is to recruit, support and maintain more staff of color… So that’s something that’s really exciting for me. Especially growing up in this area and not having teachers of color myself when I was growing up,” White said.
White expresses immense appreciation for her time at Archie Williams and feels the community has been a wonderful place to spend the past three years.
“I just love this community. [Archie Williams] has been a nice place to land [and] be a leader of a school,” White said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be principal.”
