New administrator on team

This year, Shafter High School added a dean of student services to their administration staff to serve both the Shafter and the Central Valley campuses. The dean will provide administrative support, coordinate special education services, assist with staff development, coordinate and promote #GeneralPRIDE and RIM, supervise and coordinate 504s, supervise school site truancy, assist with testing and data analysis, coordinate technology implementation, assist with the WASC process, grant writing and any other duties that are assigned by the district or principal.

Russell Shipley, principal of Shafter High School, saw a need to continue to support our growing student population without putting extra pressure on teachers and other staff members. He went to the KHSD explaining the need for the new administration role. The Kern High School District recognized the growth in programs that have been serving students in all areas around campus. They also realized that with fewer support, our campus has been doing more to support students than others and gladly added the new administrator role to the campus. Shafter High School is very fortunate to have the support from the district to continue to make Shafter High School great.

The new dean, Michelle Ragsdale, is not new to the district or new to the Shafter campus. When the position opened up, she saw an opportunity to keep servicing students in a new role while staying close to the Shafter community. Her goal is to "provide more services and support to all students" making sure that student needs are met across campus. Mrs. Ragsdale would like to "be proactive with student trends and support teachers in the classroom with different intervention strategies." She also sees this as "an opportunity to reach out to the community and bridge the gap" of communication.