Students should expect new faces on campus next year, as many teachers at Piedmont High School will not be returning.
For some teachers, the decision to leave Piedmont Unified School District is not about their salary. Instead, it’s about the growing feeling that our school’s values are moving away from collaboration and authentic learning.
“If I’m making the move, I am not making the move because of money. I am making the move because of culture,” said math teacher Auban Willats.
Willats said she has noticed a change in the school’s atmosphere after teaching at PHS for many years.
“Things feel kind of contentious in a way that doesn’t feel like it always has,” Willats said. “It feels like the goal of high school seems to be to create a good transcript or resume for getting into college and not so much how to learn or learn with integrity.”
Teachers are also frustrated that they are being excluded from important district decisions.
“We’re not being consulted, not that we should have veto power, but we know stuff, and we’ve been through waves of this,” Willats said. “I personally have tried to bring up concerns and have felt so ignored and dismissed, and that sucks.”
For Willats, these tensions are personal. As a parent of a PHS freshman, she is torn between wanting to stay for her child and feeling disconnected from the school’s current direction.
“I don’t want to leave her. I have loved being able to be with my older daughter K-12, so I don’t want to leave,” Willats said. “But part of me doesn’t want to stay.”
Willat’s is not alone in this sentiment, many of her colleagues are also considering leaving, which raises concerns about what PHS will look like next year.
“If I stay, what am I returning to?” Willats said. “It’s not going to be the same.”
However, many teachers have decided to stay at the school.
“I have not considered changing districts,” math teacher Camille Porreca said. “I still have a lot to learn from the community and from my colleagues. Obviously, my students do too.”
Porreca said watching her students grow keeps her motivated.
“The sophomores I had in my first year are now seniors. You’re all bigger and have done lots of different things, and I like to see that happen,” Porreca said.
Principal David Yoshihara said whether teachers are staying or leaving, PHS is grateful for their contribution.
“We wish all our teachers who are leaving the best on their journey,” Yoshihara said.
