of Absent Teachers at Mills

Onlyhalfway into the year, quite a few teachers at Mills have left their teaching positions for one reason or another, once again leading to staff adjustments on the Viking ship. Some of these teachers include Ms. Loi, Ms. Tiziani, and Mr. Keller.

Ms. Loi, who taught Algebra 2, embarked on maternity leave and it has not yet been announced when she will return. Ms. Tiziani, who has worked as a P.E. teacher at Mills for around 15 years, has left Mills to, instaed, teach at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, which is closer to where she currently resides. Mr. Keller has offcially stepped down from his position as a social science teacher to become a full-time athletic director for Mills. Additionally, AP U.S. History, U.S. History, and Law and Society teacher, Ms. Campbell, has been unable to teach as she currently recovers from a drastic car accident.

Though it can be disappointing when a teacher leaves, it is not un- usual, as teachers are humans ,not unlike students, and sometimes face life changes and diffculties. “We have people come and go throughout the school year,” said Superintendent Randall Booker to the Daily Journal back in August of 2022. “... that’s nothing we’re not used to.” Here at Mills, factors such as long commutes, family needs, and unexpected circumstances contribute to those fuctuations. “I love Mills,” said former P.E. teacher Ms. Tiziani. “I love my students and fellow department members, the S.A.I.L. team of teachers, and school faculty and staff. But I was commuting an hour each way,” she continued. Ultimately, her decision to leave came down to needing to be closer to home.

“It was really sad and diffcult to see [Ms. Tiziani] go, but I think with our new teacher Mr. Dean, our class is in good hands,” expressed sophomore Abby Chai. She went on to say that things have still been running smoothly, despite the unexpected switch mid-year. These smooth hand-offs do not happen without effort on the part of administrative and teaching staff. Until a substitute is in place, the staff coordinate with each other to achieve as seamless a transition as possible, sometimes taking on additional workload. For instance, Mr. Lira has stepped in for Ms. Campbell’s APUSH and Modern World History classes, as well as her Law and Society class. Ms. Donohoe and Ms. Thomas, both new to Mills, have also taken Mr. Keller’s Modern World History classes under their wings as Keller’s athletic director position turns full-time. Ms. Cheng, a student teacher who previously worked with Ms. Battaglini, is taking over Ms. Loi’s Algebra 2 classes.

Compared to other school districts, San Mateo Union High School District has been fortunate to hire well-suited teachers in place of absent ones, but it hasn’t always been easy. According to Ms. Duszynski, “several neighboring Districts are experiencing a shortage, and the pool of educators who want to come in for short-term assignments is smaller than in years past. Realizing this, the District created a site-support substitute position last year…In other cases, we’ve found great teachers for vacant positions, and we worked hard to recruit those teachers and support them as they join our school mid-year.”

Even so, staffng shortages in schools have been an ongoing issue nationwide. A September 2022 federal survey of school principals found that 48% of them found it challenging to hire teachers, particularly qualifed ones. The California School Board Association told ABC 10, a news outlet in Sacramento, that our state needs 100,000 teachers to provide quality education. While the need is most dire in rural areas, it affects all of us. Duszynski said, “We need more qualifed individuals to join our substitute pool, both classifed and certifcated staff.”

As students bid a bittersweet goodbye for now to their teachers and wish them well, Mills remains positive and adamant about making sure classes continue as seamlessly as possible. Principal Duszynski explains, “...we work alongside departments and colleagues to continue teaching and learning no matter what.”

Note: Parents, community members, and recent college graduates who are interested in short-term teaching or other staff positions are encouraged to contact the SMUHSD Human Resources Department to fnd more information at the