New Principal For Dan O. Root

is set to see a new school principal.

On Thursday, Julie Reece was unanimously approved by the at a regular school board meeting. She will be replacing the school’s current principal, Kathy Frazer, contingent on the start of a new Public Safety Academy that the board hopes to open this January. She is no stranger to the district, however.

“I am a product of this school district,” said Reece. “I went to Armijo High School.”

Her education within the district began in the fifth grade at Falls Elementary. From there she entered into the Gifted and Talented Education programs at David Weir Elementary and Sullivan Middle Schools.

After graduating from , she pursued her undergraduate degree in Child Development at Humboldt State University, and a Master’s degree at Sonoma State University. She returned to the district to teach at Bransford Elementary in Fairfield.

“I taught (fifth grade) for 5 years at Bransford Elementary,” she said. “Then I taught fourth grade for five years at Laurel Creek. Then I became the Vice Principal at Laurel Creek for about a year and a half."

Following Laurel Creek, Reece went to Nelda Mundy for a year and a half. She is currently at the K-8 school, B. Gale Wilson. Upon beginning at Dan O. Root, Reece said she has no plans to make any big changes.

“They have a lot of wonderful things going on there and I hope to just come in and continue those programs and support the teachers in the best way that I can and help them continue to grow as an educator and help our children to grow,” she said.

Reece said she had long talked with her supervisors about wanting to become school principal, so it was not a great surprise when she found out she was selected to go to Dan O. Root. Still, she is pleased to be chosen for the opportunity.

“Everyone felt it was time, that I needed to take that next step,” said Reece. “It’s exciting.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article did not name the correct current sitting principal of Dan O. Root.