San Carlos School District Superintendent Michelle Harmeier announced Thursday she will retire from public education at the end of the school year.
Harmeier, who has been serving as district superintendent since 2018, said the timing of her announcement allows her to both finish out the school year and allow ample time for the district to search for her successor.
Harmeier noted she’s been in education for almost 30 years as a K-8 teacher and administrator and was extremely proud of her work with the San Carlos community.
“We’ve stabilized a budget, passed a new and improved parcel tax, we’ve opened a new school and we’ve managed a pandemic collectively and cooperatively with all of this going on to still put student learning and well-being really at the center of all the decisions, all our communications,” Harmeier said at the end of the district’s board meeting Thursday.
Her tenure did not come without controversy, as teachers overwhelmingly voted to replace her as superintendent just over a year after she assumed the job. According to a report by the San Mateo Daily Journal in October 2019, Harmeier received support at the time from a group of principals, parents and trustees in the hope of mending the issues.
On Thursday, Harmeier praised San Carlos parents and the greater San Carlos community for their dedication to the district’s success.
“Everybody really wraps their arms around this school district,” she said, adding, “Whether it’s in distance learning, or pre-COVID times, we stand above so many other districts in what we provide through effort and commitment. Because we aren’t funded at the same levels as many of the districts that are close by to us, and we are really able to accomplish these things really through the heart, effort and commitment of the community, our teachers and our staff.”
Before joining SCCD, Harmeier reportedly served as assistant superintendent of Human Resources for the Anaheim Elementary School District, and before that as director of Human Resources for the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District. She’s also served both as a teacher and principal.
The still image is from the San Carlos School District Board meeting video published to YouTube on Thursday, Jan. 7.
