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Amanda Kemp. Courtesy Ravenswood City School District.
Amanda Kemp. Courtesy Ravenswood City School District.

After 13 years in the Ravenswood district, Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School Principal Amanda Kemp will step down from leading the East Palo Alto school at the end of the school year.

Kemp, who started in the district as an English language arts and social studies teacher at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy before becoming an administrator, is leaving the job to take care of her elderly mother, who is 91. Her last day will be June 30.

“This community and especially the children in it have a special place in my heart,” she said in a district newsletter. “The only thing that would pull me from this beloved community is my own family. … I will miss the students and community greatly but know they are in good hands with the amazing staff of CCRMS. It has been an honor and a privilege to be able to serve you and your children all of these years. Thank you for trusting me with them.”

In July, Kemp will move to Ventura County to live with her mother, she said in the newsletter.

Before becoming the principal of the middle school, Kemp served as principal at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy, then Belle Haven Elementary School, according to her LinkedIn page. Before that, she worked for the Redwood City Elementary School District in administrative roles.

The San Mateo County Office of Education named her “San Mateo County Secondary Teacher of the Year” in 2014.

Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School Principal Amanda Kemp speaks about the ongoing construction on campus and what changes are being made for students at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 2, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.
Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School Principal Amanda Kemp speaks about the ongoing construction on campus and what changes are being made for students at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 2, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

The Ravenswood City School District governing board will review the job description for the principal role at a Thursday, Feb. 9, board meeting as it begins to search for Kemp’s replacement.

The compensation for the role will be between the range is $146,765 and $174,310, according to Chief Business Officer Will Eger.

Amanda Kemp. Courtesy Ravenswood City School District.
Amanda Kemp. Courtesy Ravenswood City School District.

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Angela Swartz was The Almanac's editor from 2023 until 2025. She joined The Almanac as a reporter in 2018. She previously reported on youth and education, and the towns of Atherton, Portola Valley and...

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