The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph courtesy of Homestead High School

David Payne served as principal at Homestead for more than six years.

Homestead chief finds new post with UCLA

By Justin Berton

After helping teachers and students implement the unique House teaching program, Homestead High School Principal David Payne is leaving to become a consultant at other schools and begin an academic Web site business.

A replacement could be named as soon as the board's next meeting
Feb. 3, according to Fremont Union High School District human resources director Judith Foster.

Payne leaves behind the House program, an interdisciplinary program designed to group teachers and students together for more hours each day rather than shuffling students around each class period.

When the program was first implemented at Homestead, some veteran educators expressed opposition; they said they were more comfortable with traditional teaching methods, according to Betty Pow, the program coordinator for House.

Still, during the six years that Payne has served as principal, the House style has become popular among students and teachers.

"The House concept allows students and teachers to be clustered together rather than [have] the traditional class break," Pow said.

Pow said House, now called the Foundation Integrated Studies Program, allows Homestead teachers to personalize the education process.

Next week Payne will begin working through the school management program at UCLA, where he will consult with high schools in downtown and east San Jose. Payne said the schools are facing new dilemmas with the large amount of students the district will be educating.

"We'll work on restructuring, working with principals, students and teachers," he said.

Payne will also start a private business called Web Learning. The company will develop ways to use the Internet as a learning tool for high school students. The material Web Learning places on the Internet "will supplement or take the place of textbooks," he said.

When Payne leaves his position, however, it won't be on an entirely positive note. In December he received a threatening letter which, he speculated in a police report, was from one of his faculty members. But he said his decision to leave--which the district announced in November--was "absolutely not" based on the incident.

According to the report filed by Payne with the Santa Clara County sheriff's office Dec. 16, he received a card that referred to him using a pejorative and warned that he "should always be looking over his shoulder." A cartoon drawn by the anonymous author depicted Payne with knives stuck into his back.

The statewide search for Payne's replacement has been narrowed to three applicants, and the board is currently conducting interviews, Foster said.

"If [no one is chosen] from these," Foster said, "we are prepared to keep searching for the right person."

Payne's advice to the incoming principal is to "be a model learner for himself or herself, and to share that excitement with the students, teachers, and staff."

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 28, 1998.
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