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By Lookout Staff

August 14 – The School Board on Wednesday appointed Suzanne Webb as the new principal of Lincoln Middle School, which was wracked earlier this year by charges that a long-time teacher had molested his students.

The assistant principal at Malibu High School for the past four years,Webb taught mathematics for six years at Lincoln before heading to Malibu.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity to be the principal of Lincoln Middle School,” Webb said. “I look forward to working with the teachers, staff, students, parents, and community in making this a positive and smooth transition.”

District officials praised Wells’ skills and experience.

“Ms. Webb’s experience as an administrator and her understanding of the needs of middle school students will be an asset to Lincoln,” said Superintendent Tim Cuneo. “I am pleased that she will be joining our management team.”

The move comes after the School Board in June transferred Lincoln Principal Tristan Komlos to the top spot at John Muir Elementary School.

The move was one of 16 personnel changes that included transferring Assistant Principal Francis Costanzo to a district position that deals with the special education program. ("School Board to Consider New Child Abuse Policy, Personnel Changes,” June 24, 2008)

As Assistant Principal at Malibu High School, Webb was in charge of student discipline, classroom curriculum and instruction and professional development for the school’s teaching staff, according to District officials.

She also supervised students transitioning from fifth to sixth grade and from eighth to ninth grade, Special Education students and students in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.

As Assistant Principal, Webb "worked closely with middle school counselors to monitor and ensure the emotional well being for all students, as well as target students," officials said in a statement released Thursday.

Webb transferred to Malibu High School after teaching pre-algebra and algebra at Lincoln to eighth grade students and assisted in writing grants for National Blue Ribbon School and Disney School Awards.

She was voted the 2002 Teacher of the Year by her colleagues and started Heart 2 Heart, a community service club dedicated to assisting a local homeless organization with food lines, clothes drives, and holiday gift donations, according to District officials.

Webb also served as “support provider and program facilitator” for Middle School Mathematics teachers at the District level.

“This role allowed her to apply her knowledge as a math teacher to support new math teachers, assist in reaching at-risk students and to raise achievement, and collaborate with all district middle school math teachers to create a common semester math assessment for grades 6, 7, and Algebra,” officials said.

Webb was selected from a field of forty-six applicants, seven of whom were interviewed by a team of parents, teachers, classified staff and administrators. Superintendent Cuneo and members of the senior leadership team then interviewed four finalists.

Webb earned her teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Cal State, Northridge. She earned her Administrative Credentials from Cal State, Northridge, and Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.