Lucia Mar elementary school principal suddenly resigns. ‘We know this is a surprise’
Harloe Elementary School Principal Peter Ponomaroff resigned from his position this weekend, a Lucia Mar Unified School District representative confirmed Monday evening.
Lucia Mar spokeswoman Amy Jacobs said Ponomaroff, who has worked at the school since 2014, officially resigned as of Sunday.
She said administrative support was on campus throughout the day Monday.
Lucia Mar Curriculum Director Brett Gimlin will “assume temporary leadership of the school while we look for a full time replacement” as of Tuesday.
“During this time of transition, the district is focused on providing the best educational experience possible for Harloe students,” Jacobs wrote in an email to The Tribune. “We thank Mr. Ponomaroff for his many years of service to the District.”
It is unclear the reasons for Ponomaroff’s sudden resignation.
Parents of Harloe students were notified of the change on Monday, via an online parent messaging app.
“This year has been filled with lots of change and its own unique challenges,” Superintendent Paul Fawcett wrote. “We wanted to let you know that Mr. Ponomaroff will not be finishing out the rest of the year as the principal of Harloe. Mr. Ponomaroff has decided to resign, effective immediately. We know this is a surprise, but we want you to know that we have administrators covering the school.”
The Arroyo Grande school began welcoming back kindergartners last week, and first through third grades on Monday.
In a video to Harloe parents on Feb. 25, Ponomaroff said the school had successfully reopened for kindergarten and was looking forward to welcoming more students.
“It has been a challenging time for everyone, but like families do, we pull together and get through it,” he said in a video shared to the Harloe Elementary PTO Facebook page. “I’m really looking forward to having you all back in school.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 8:41 PM.
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