Protest Prompts Delay of Transfer for Two High School Administrators : Conejo Valley: Superintendent agrees to let Thousand Oaks’ Anna Merriman and Westlake’s Jim Martin stay put until next winter vacation.

Administrators at two Thousand Oaks high schools who were directed to switch jobs in September were granted a temporary reprieve Friday after a flood of community opposition to the move.

The transfers of Thousand Oaks High School Assistant Principal Anna Merriman and Westlake High School Assistant Principal Jim Martin will be delayed until the December winter vacation, Conejo Valley Unified School District Supt. Jerry C. Gross said.

“Although the reasons behind these transfers have not changed, it is clear to me that the school communities need additional time to prepare for this transition,” Gross explained in a statement.

He said “sincere and thoughtful” messages of students, teachers and community members had helped him make his decision.

Gross announced the transfers at a school board meeting Thursday, only to be confronted by 26 speakers opposing them. More than 50 other people also registered their opposition by signing cards at the meeting. And hundreds more called the district office, wrote letters and signed petitions.

Most of the speakers at Thursday night’s meeting were parents and students from Thousand Oaks High School, who begged Gross to allow Merriman to stay at their school.

One student, sobbing, said Merriman helped her stay in school while the teen-ager was pregnant. Another described how Merriman fearlessly broke up vicious fights between gang members.

Thousand Oaks homecoming dance organizer Carrie Mortensen, 17, said it was Merriman who mediated after Principal Keith Wilson refused to let the student into the dance because she was 15 minutes late. As a result, the senior was able to enjoy the dance she had worked on for months.

Students and teachers also asked Gross to allow Martin to stay at Westlake, so he could participate in the fall opening of the new football stadium he helped build as the school’s athletic director.

The superintendent met with Martin and Merriman--and with the principals of the two high schools--at the district office Friday morning. Martin said he “very much appreciated” the chance to spend next fall at Westlake. As for 1996, Martin said, “I work for the school district. I’ll do what they want.”

Merriman could not be reached for comment Friday. But Mortensen said most of her classmates were pleased by the news.

“When I found out, I thought we succeeded,” Mortensen said. “At least it will give us a transition until December. It’s better than just taking her away.”

Thousand Oaks High School parent Brian Collier said he respected Gross’s willingness to change his mind, but promised to keep fighting so that Merriman may remain at the school as long as she wants.

“It’s not over with,” Collier said. “Whatever it takes, we’re going to continue the action.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Gross said the transfer was made to improve the administrations at both high school. He did not elaborate.

But sources familiar with his reasoning said Westlake High School needs an administrator with Merriman’s human relations skills, while Thousand Oaks High needs one who can move things along and get things done, like Martin did with the Westlake stadium.