As the 2024-25 school year comes to a close, major changes are on the horizon for the following academic school year. 

For new and returning students, Tualatin High School is happy to introduce you to our two new associate principals: Angelita Miller and Rebecca Ramirez Larson. Miller has worked with the Tigard-Tualatin School District for many years. She centers her work on equity, student advocacy and community engagement. She’s worked as the Multicultural Coordinator here at Tualatin, she was an assistant principal at both the elementary and high school levels and, most recently, she oversaw the Migrant Education Program at the Clackamas Educational Service District (ESD). 

Larson has 20 years of experience in education under her belt, teaching high school language arts. For the past three years, she’s been the language arts Teacher On Special Assignment (TOSA) at Beaverton School District, working on creating and implementing a new Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) with a focus on literary equity. She’s excited to support our Special Education and MTSS teams and to be a part of the community.

Students and faculty are facing a wave of less positive changes this spring that are expected to continue into the fall as the Tigard-Tualatin School District continues to roll out sweeping budget cuts. Among the most significant impacts are deep reductions to the school’s theater program and the reduction of several teaching positions. The theater department budget cuts are significant, resulting in fewer productions, the elimination of key staff support and the likely cancellation of advanced theater classes. Students who rely on the program as a creative outlet or stepping stone for college and career aspirations say they are devastated. 

In addition to program cuts, several teachers across departments are being laid off due to staffing adjustments. Also, as teachers are retiring, alterations are being made to try to fill the gaps that are left behind.

“Personally, after teaching Spanish for 21 years, overseeing IB for 18 years and having a great passion for it, having to switch to a full-time French teacher with four [different classes] and a [French] 3-4 split is beyond any level of French I’ve ever taught,” said Spanish teacher Lisa Rand. “This will take a huge part of my summer, having to prepare for it, but a fundamental part of being a teacher is being flexible, and I’ll have to roll with it. What is affecting me even more is seeing incredibly passionate teachers having their positions cut or reduced to an impossible level and seeing students lose programs that they are passionate about and that have a lot of meaning for them.”