Walter Hays Elementary Principal Appointed

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Skelly, PAUSD Superintendent, will be recommending to the Board at its meeting on June 24, 2008, that Mrs. Mary Bussmann be appointed Principal of Walter Hays Elementary School effective July 1, 2008.

The Hays Principal Selection Input Committee felt that Mrs. Bussmann's experiences and skills were a very good match for their school. The committee shared with Superintendent Kevin Skelly that they felt Mrs. Bussmann's warmth, love for children, knowledge of the curriculum, and collaborative leadership approach would support and promote the school's goals. Dr. Skelly noted Mrs. Bussmann's knowledge of the Hays community and of the district as a whole, along with her commitment to building relationships and her passion for education, will serve her very well in her new position.

Mrs. Bussmann began her teaching career with PAUSD in 1999 at Walter Hays Elementary School where she taught a fifth grade for the second half of the school year. The following year she moved to a fourth/fifth grade classroom at Ohlone Elementary School where she taught for six years. In 2005-06, Mrs. Bussmann was appointed Assistant Principal at JLS Middle School.

Mrs. Bussmann earned her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Boston College. She studied at Notre Dame de Namur University for her teaching credential and earned her Masters of Arts--Education Administration from Santa Clara University.

Mrs. Bussmann lives with her family in Portola Valley.