Straus Graduates From SAMOHI Unexpectedly

By Ann K. Williams
Staff Writer

June 1 -- Elementary school, middle school, high school, marriage and a new career -- a familiar life path, but with a twist for Dr. Ilene Straus, the sometimes controversial principal of Santa Monica High School.

Straus has led schools from kindergarten to grade 12 and says she’s ready to embark on “the next phase of my life” when her tenure at SAMOHI ends this June.

While she said she looks forward to a new career in district administration, Straus couldn’t contain her excitement at her upcoming marriage to fiancée Tom Quinn.

“He’s a great guy,” Straus said. “We’re very lucky.”

Straus has been offered a job overseeing secondary education at district headquarters, an opportunity she is considering as she weighs her options.

“I have a lot to offer. I have a lot of energy,” she said, adding that she’s ready to tackle the challenges of training and supporting principals and their staff at the district level.

Straus raised two children who graduated from Roosevelt Elementary, Lincoln Middle School and SAMOHI and worked 16 years as principal at Lincoln Middle School, where she was named California Secondary Principal of the Year.

Four years ago, she left Lincoln to step in as principal at Santa Monica High School just in time to usher it through a redesign that still sparks controversy.

After racking up nearly half a million dollars in grant funding, then-Superintendent Dr. John E. Deasy charged Straus with the challenge of splitting the 3,500 student campus into six smaller campuses, or “houses.”

The idea was to create “smaller learning communities” in which students at risk of failure would get more personal attention.

While some staff and students have criticized the changes -- most recently at a school board meeting that the fire marshal had to break up -- supporters of the house system point to State test scores that have risen between 2002 and 2005, a shrinking “achievement gap” between minority and white students and a graduation rate district officials say approaches 98 per cent.

“It’s been four exciting years, with great students, many terrific teachers and an amazing support staff,” Straus was quoted in a district press release. “Along with the school board and district staff, we redesigned the school into six smaller ‘houses,” and the results are now clear. Academic achievement is up and students are now doing much better.

“I gave it my best energy,” Straus said.

Conflicts between black and Latino students plagued the beachside high school during Straus’ tenure. A melee between a handful of students drew a crowd of several hundred unruly onlookers, forcing the school into a lockdown that made the evening news last year. (see story)

And this year, graffiti targeting black students brought down the ire of parents who felt their students weren’t safe at the campus. Other parents and school officials came to Straus’ defense, saying it wasn’t fair to blame a conscientious administrator for large-scale social problems. (see story)

District officials say they hope to use Straus’ expertise at a higher level.

“Dr. Straus has been a strong leader in our middle and high schools, and with this promotion we will be able to utilize her skills and experience throughout the District,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews. “I think we are fortunate to be able to use her talents at the district level.”

The district will launch a search for a new principal immediately, Matthews said, adding that improvements at SAMOHI will go forward.