Deans to Help Keep 3 High Schools Safe

Three new deans will start work at Conejo Valley high schools Monday, part of the school district’s effort to keep campuses supervised and safe, district officials said.

But while the positions are new in the Conejo Valley Unified School District, the faces are familiar and the employees experienced in the district.

Assuming the new positions will be Jean Hartman-Gordon at Thousand Oaks High School, Margaret Saleh at Westlake High and James Baird at Newbury Park High.

Hartman-Gordon, now a department leader in special education at Thousand Oaks High School, has been with the district since 1982.

Saleh, a resources specialist in special education who divides her time between Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park campuses, has worked for the district since 1991.

Baird, a chairman in the math department at Colina Intermediate School, has been an employee of Conejo Unified since 1971.

“They all work well with students, faculty and parents,” said Jo-Ann Yoos, assistant superintendent for personnel services.

The deans’ duties will include supervising the campus and extracurricular activities and advising student government. Supt. Jerry Gross has said the deans will add a presence to the campuses to help prevent crime.

The dean positions, which provide an annual salary of $50,720 to $58,975, were eliminated in past years, along with three assistant principal positions, due to state budget cuts. The dean positions are now being restored due to an increase in state funding for the next fiscal year.