Eye of the Tiger: Guardians of Arcata High School

Please scroll down to see Update 1 below...

Calling all Arcata High School alumni, parents (past/present/future), school district constituents, and friends of the Tigers, as well as fans of Principal Ron Perry. If you can spare $5, $10 or more, we are requesting your help.

On March 12, 2024, the Arcata High School community was stunned to learn that Principal Ron Perry, an accomplished administrator and celebrated veteran educator, was to be dismissed by the Northern Humboldt Union High School District (NHUHSD), effective the end of the school year. Due to limitations in transparency surrounding district personnel decisions, Arcata High stakeholders were left to deduce that whatever the basis was for the district’s decision, the infraction must not have been egregious as Mr. Perry wouldn’t then be retained as principal through the remainder of the year and offered a teaching position in the district thereafter.

The March 12th board meeting and the successive April 9th board meeting were filled with staff and public commenters praising Mr. Perry and pleading with the board to reconsider, including a representative from each of the school's academic departments, numerous student leaders, the majority of the AHS site council, parents, alumni, and constituents. The district superintendent eventually confirmed via an interview with local press shortly after the April 9th board meeting that the basis for the dismissal was not due to any criminal or moral infractions and that the NHUHSD values Mr. Perry’s contributions, but that the decision was final.

Many in the Arcata High Family feel strongly that in his two-year term thus far, Mr. Perry has done an exceptional job of leading Arcata High School on an inspiring post-COVID academic and cultural trajectory of success. An AHS alumnus himself (as are his wife and two children), ASB President, Valedictorian, Blanket A Award winner, member of the AHS Athletic Hall of Fame, D1 collegiate athlete, Stanford University graduate two times over, and talented musician, Mr. Perry’s passion for Arcata High specifically, and the secondary education experience more broadly, is largely considered by those who know him to be second to none. Ron Perry seems to live and breathe the mission of the NHUHSD (https://www.nohum.org/apps/pages/our_vision) - we could not have asked for a more visionary leader of exceptional character to serve as inspiration and advocate for the students of AHS. Our collective stakeholder experience under Mr. Perry’s leadership, versus the board’s decision to dismiss him, simply does not reconcile.

There is growing concern that a) Mr. Perry and Arcata High have not been provided with adequate support from the district, and b) the NHUHSD Board may not have been presented with, or gathered for themselves, the comprehensive information required to deliberate whether the superintendent’s recommendation to dismiss Mr. Perry was in the overall best interest of the AHS students, staff, and other stakeholders. Although grateful for our fellow community members' selfless service as board members, upon careful review of both the district’s Governance Handbook and pertinent laws related to the processes and conduct of California school board members, we are concerned oversights may’ve been made in the handling and deliberation of this decision. We believe AHS students, staff, and district constituents, as well as the reputation of Arcata High School, have suffered harm, and may continue to suffer harm, as a result of Mr. Perry’s dismissal.

A seasoned attorney familiar with California’s Brown Act has been consulted regarding this matter. Upon review of the information presented, that attorney concurs that our concerns have merit and has agreed to assist us in compelling our elected representatives and the NHUHSD to explain how they met the provisions of the law and the district’s Governance Handbook in their deliberation of the decision to dismiss Principal Perry. Although details of district personnel decisions may be confidential, as a public governing body, the board's deliberation processes should be transparent and defensible to the taxpayers. Our hope is to mitigate a disruptive "surprise" decision of this magnitude from ever happening in our school district again by ensuring that decision-makers acting on the behalf of stakeholders seek and receive appropriate input and information relative to the matters under deliberation. We also aim to restore Mr. Perry’s reputation as a distinguished educator, administrator, and AHS alumnus, and to repair the reputation of Arcata High School as a premier institution of public education for both students and staff.

We are asking for your help in raising funds to cover legal fees incurred in our stakeholder pursuit of shining a light on the board’s deliberation processes, and in our alumni pursuits of supporting one of our own and protecting the reputation of our alma mater. A retainer of $5,000 has already been advanced to cover our first course of action, which is now complete. If you’re able to contribute $5 or more, your support would be greatly appreciated. This fund will be administered by AHS alumnus Lisa K. Hansen, a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary seasoned in the administration of trust funds on behalf of consumers. Any balance remaining in the fund after our goals have been met will be publicly disclosed and donated 67% to Tigers, Inc, and 33% to Panther Partners, the respective booster clubs for district schools Arcata High and McKinleyville High, at an allocation reflective of current enrollments.

Update: As of May 13th, the position of AHS Principal for the 2024-25 school year remains vacant, and interviews have been postponed twice due to what we understand is a lack of qualified candidates. A cloud is hanging over Arcata High and this leaves the students, staff, and the school's reputation in a precarious situation as the school year draws to a close. And yet we have Mr. Perry, an award-winning high school administrator currently focused on "finishing the school year strong", with a resume sporting qualifications that in all likelihood exceed those of the current applicant pool. He is able and, despite everything, seemingly willing to continue on his successful trajectory as Principal of Arcata High next year. It seems the most fiscally and socially responsible cure to this unfortunate situation would be for the NHUHSD Board to rescind their decision and to reinstate Mr. Perry in the role he performs so exceedingly well, and often refers to as his "dream job", Principal of Arcata High. We will continue to advocate for this solution, but need your help. Please read on...

Thank you for your consideration!

Eye of the Tiger - an ad hoc committee composed of concerned NHUHSD constituents, AHS parents, and AHS alumni