Principal Julie Ruisinger announces resignation

Principal Julie Ruisinger is resigning at the end of the school year in order to take a principalship of a district continuation school in Texas.

In an email sent yesterday, teachers and staff were informed about the resignation.

“My husband and I came to realize that if we were ever going to be able to retire that we would have to return to Texas,” Ruisinger said. “While I am excited about this new opportunity, it is with great regret that I leave Mira Costa. Every program has flourished and in my dreams, I can’t imagine a better school”

Currently, the process to find Ruisinger’s replacement has not begun. Also, because the Manhattan Beach Unified School District recently hired new superintendent Michael Matthews, there is some confusion.

“Normally, the superintendent would just put the position up for people to apply to,” Vice Principal Paula Spence said. “But due to the fact that we are getting a new superintendent, there is some question to when the process will start, because Dr. Matthews doesn’t begin until July 1.”

Administrators say that the process of finding a replacement is typically stressful.

“This type of stuff makes everyone on edge because she’s been here for a while.  Everyone knows her style, and we don’t really know what we are going to get next,” Vice Principal Jennie Wright said.

According to the administration, the registration was not a surprise to most staff members, as Ruisinger had been discussing moving back to Texas for a while.

“We all knew that it would happen eventually because they wanted to retire in Texas. We were just hoping that it was going to be longer,” Spence said.

However, many students were stunned by the resignation and feel that she will be sorely missed.

“Whenever I’ve talked to her, it was always a warm experience. She was always very nice and friendly to everyone,” senior Mike Daniels said.