Newly-Named Brentwood Principal Ed Johnson on State Standards, Prop K, More

With Brentwood High School principal Dr. Don Rugraff stepping down and assistant principal/athletic director Dr. Edward Johnson winning the position, Patch sat down with Johnson to talk about his current and future positions….

On Brentwood Proposition K passing:

“We’re just looking for sustainability. We want to make sure we can offer the best learning program we can. We want to be sure not to take away from the quality teaching program we offer. We were just excited to know the community stood by us to help us out.”

On the importance of extracurricular activities:

“I will always support our athletic program. I truly think that the lessons kids get from extracurricular are key because they get an opportunity to work on certain soft skills like teamwork, communication, being committed, and those types of things I think are key skills for kids to learn. It’s also good when kids see the building administrators supporting them,” he said. “You want to try to find every opportunity to make connections with kids.”

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On his current position as combined athletic director and assistant principal:

“It’s a high-energy job without question. It calls for somebody who really knows how to multi-task big-time, but you always put kids first," he said.

"When those moments come up with kids you have to drop everything and focus on kids. Another big piece of my job is discipline. It’s a pretty loaded job. It’s like a pizza with everything on it including anchovies," Johnson said.

The position will be filled when Johnson leaves.

On earning his PHD while holding his position at Brentwood:

"It’s been great to think I actually held this position while I pursued my doctorate degree," he said. "I feel confident when confronted with a major task I could work myself out of it."

 On implementing new state mandates:

“Everyone is making a change to their curriculum to make sure they have the Common Core State Standards in their curriculum.  Also, from the state level, they are taking a look at the teacher evaluation system. You are asked to monitor growth through some kind of an action plan, to show through an evidence type of approach, rather than just assuming things. They’re asking for us to pretty much justify our performance. New generation science standards are out too."

Those are the major factors that will force us to change just a bit, but outside of that we have great teachers, so I don’t see a problem making sure that we come up with a plan that is well articulated. That’s the key.”

On finishing the year:

The priority focus now is to close out on this school year. We’ll lose a great class this year, but we’re also having a pretty great class next year, and I’m excited and looking forward to stepping up to that new position.”

Most importantly:

“I absolutely love what the school stands for, what the district stands for, and the community,” he said. “Everything is built on relationships, everyone taking care of each other. It’s a philosophy that we all adopted and I truly believe in it. It’s the way that you help kids out, and I ultimately it makes for a great experience overall for everyone.”

Also in Patch:

• Watch Brentwood Jazz Combo Jam in Stone Spiral Coffee