New middle school principal hired at Rancho Santa Fe School
By Karen Billing
A new middle school principal has been hired at R. Roger Rowe School in the Rancho Santa Fe School District. Pending approval by the school board at its July 18 meeting, Garrett Corduan will be the principal of sixth through eighth grade at the school.
Corduan comes to Rancho Santa Fe from the Murrieta Valley Unified School District where he was principal at Dorothy McElhinney Middle School since 2009.
“He has a nice personality and will fit in with the community feeling we have here in the school,” RSF School District Superintendent Lindy Delaney said. “He has experience raising test scores and is committed to students performing at the highest level possible.”
Delaney said the district posted the position with a list of strong criteria and received 31 applications. From those applications they narrowed it down to seven and from there, a final three from which Corduan was selected.
“He seems to embrace exactly what we’re looking for,” Delaney said.
Corduan has been in education since 1997. He moved from teacher into an assistant principal position in 2005, a role he held until 1997 when he was asked to open up a new middle school, Dorothy McElhinney, as its principal. Dorothy McElhinney is a 6-8 performing arts magnet school.
Delaney said she liked that Corduan was so involved in building extra-curricular programs and athletics programs during his time with Murrieta.
Corduan is married with two daughters heading into the seventh and ninth grades. Delaney said he comes from a long line of educators and has ties to the San Diego community so he is looking forward to returning to the area and hopes to stay at the school for a long time.
Corduan will lead the middle school in its first year in its new configuration of sixth through eighth grades. Kim Pinkerton will continue to serve as principal for kindergarten through fifth.
Delaney has been operating under dual roles for the last three years as both superintendent and middle school principal at Rowe.
“I have been busy assuming both roles and I’m looking forward to having more help, continuing the high standards we have and having more eyes on the students,” Delaney said.
Delaney said Corduan’s position was effective as of July 1 and will become official once approved as expected by the school board at its July 18 meeting.