Kathy Hunter, the current principal of Sequoia Charter School, has been named Coordinator of Student Services for the William S. Hart Union High School District. The Governing Board approved the appointment at its August 4 meeting, and the transfer will be effective August 6.

As Coordinator of Student Services, Hunter will have responsibility for attendance and boundaries, expulsions and suspensions, counseling and guidance, and both intradistrict and interdistrict transfers. The Coordinator also oversees the district’s drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse programs, including the Comprehensive Alcohol and Drug Reduction and Education (CADRE) program and the voluntary random drug testing program.

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Hunter came to the Hart District in 1998 as a special education teacher for emotionally disturbed students at Valencia High School, serving until January 2003 and then returning to Valencia in 2004. She was named a program specialist in 2006, assigned to the district office and working with students with special needs. In 2008, she was named principal of Sequoia Charter, an intensive therapeutic school for emotionally disturbed students.  She has served on a number of expulsion panels under the former Director of Student Services.

Before coming to California, Hunter served as a director of education and principal of inpatient and day treatment schools in Texas for two years. She was honored by the Association of California School Administrators as 2010 Administrator of the Year in the area of Educational Options.

“Kathy brings a strong background in behavioral intervention and special education that uniquely equips her for this important position,” commented Rob Gapper, Assistant Superintendent of Human Relations. “She is an advocate for students, and her experience as a principal at Sequoia will serve the students of this district well.”

Hunter earned bachelor’s degrees in education and psychology from West Texas A & M University and master’s degrees in school counseling from the University of La Verne. She continues to serve as an adjunct instructor and university fieldwork supervisor for the University of La Verne.

“We are thrilled with Kathy’s selection and we believe she will be an asset to our district in her new position,” Gapper concluded.