Issue date: June 23, 1999
**He will remain at Woodside School at least another year.
By MARJORIE MADER
Superintendent Bruce Thompson last week announced his plans to make a transition, possibly over two years, from the Woodside Elementary School District he's led for 13 years to Stanford University's School of Education.
He has accepted a part-time appointment as field coordinator-lecturer in an innovative graduate program, called the Prospective Principals Program at Stanford, which trains teachers to become principals. His appointment becomes official September 1.
Joining the program's leadership team, Dr. Thompson will supervise the principals-in-training during the regular school year as they do field work in their schools, and lecture during the intensive summer training program on the Stanford campus.
"It's an enormous feather in Bruce's cap," said Woodside board President Abby Wilder.
"It's a true win-win for Bruce and Woodside Elementary School," she said, noting that Stanford plans to put more resources into elementary education in the future.
Families at the one-school district learned the news last week in a letter from Ms. Wilder. She said Dr. Thompson "will be actively engaged" at Woodside School at least through the 1999-2000 year and also through a transition period the following year.
"While transitions in leadership present some challenges for any organization, they also present great opportunities," said Ms. Wilder. She said this could help the school focus on the future and "think broadly about our vision for our school."
She said the school board will begin talking about transition plans possibly as soon as its next meeting on Tuesday, June 22.
Trustee Darlene Batchelder said it was "not unexpected for Bruce to make a move" after being Woodside's superintendent-principal for 13 years -- an unusually long tenure for a superintendent. She said trustees learned of his decision during a closed session June 10.
Mr. Thompson, 56, said he looks forward to new opportunities and being able "to re-energize and re-invent myself," and at the same time bring something back to Woodside School. He said the past two years at Woodside have been "fairly intense," with two bond measures on the ballot, and modernization and construction projects. On June 8, voters approved a $5.2 million bond measure, after the defeat of a $10.2 million measure last year.
Mr. Thompson estimated he has been putting in between 50 to 75 percent of his time on construction projects.
In theory, he said, that workload should change soon, as the district is in the process of drawing up a contract with architect Gordon Chong and hiring a construction management firm for classroom and modernization projects that will take three years to complete.
"I'm very replaceable," said Mr. Thompson. The longer transition period, he said, will give the board lots of time to look at the school program and carry out a very thoughtful transition process.
He said Woodside is fortunate to have a capable assistant principal in Sharon Hobbs, an alumna of the principal's program that he will be involved in, and a candidate for a doctorate at Columbia University.
Mr. Thompson said he became familiar with the Stanford program and professors through Ms. Hobbs. He was asked to apply for the field coordinator-lecturer opening when Ken Hill, retired Redwood City superintendent of schools, decided to retire from the principals' program in March. Mr. Thompson also has been active with the Friends of Stanford School of Education and the Superintendents' Roundtable.
Mr. Thompson said it's an "exciting time" to make this move because there are a lot of changes taking place in the Stanford program.
Superintendent Thompson will be leaving Woodside Elementary School District at the peak of his career. During his tenure, enrollment more than doubled, from 200 in 1986 to 474 this year; enrollment is projected at 500 in the fall.
A number of physical changes have taken place as a result of private donations: construction of the Ellison music building, restoration of the historic building as the new school library, and construction of the art and science building.
During the past two years, the Woodside School Foundation has raised close to $2 million for school programs and improvements, said Mr. Thompson.
After 32 years in education as a teacher, principal, district administrator and superintendent, Mr. Thompson said he is looking forward to the challenge of being involved at Stanford as a practitioner.
Fortunately, he won't have to move. He and his wife, JoAnn, a special education teacher in the Burlingame district, will continue to live in Burlingame, where they raised their three daughters. Julie, who taught Spanish at Corte Madera School in Portola Valley and McNair School in East Palo Alto, now is coordinator of the Fulbright Language Institute in Quito. Allison is a financial analyst for Network Associates in Santa Clara. Kristen, a senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, is following in her parents' path and wants to become a teacher.
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