Elementary School Principal Departs for San Luis

Washington Elementary School Principal Anne Hubbard is leaving the district and accepting a gig to head a one-school, K-8 district a couple hours up the coast.

A longtime educator, Hubbard previously worked as an assistant principal in Paso Robles before moving to Santa Barbara. Though she was with the district for just two years, Hubbard had a reputation of fitting into the elementary school community. Washington has long been known for its active parents group, and district administrators praised Hubbard for her ability to be inclusive and promote district goals. And parents recalled her efforts to memorize every students’ name at the start of the school year.

Hubbard told The Santa Barbara Independent she has truly enjoyed serving the Washington community. “During my time at Washington, we have had tremendous growth in cultural proficiency, technology integration, and implementation of the Common Core State Standards,” she said in an email. Washington was one of the four schools chosen to pilot the iPad one-to-one program that rolled out midway through this school year. “I plan to work closely with the new principal once he or she is hired to ensure the continued success and growth of Washington,” she said.

Hubbard is departing to move back to the San Luis Obispo area to take on the dual role as superintendent and principal of the Cayucos Elementary School District. Hubbard said she will travel down to the South Coast on weekends, as her family will continue to live in their Mesa home. Her niece and two kids will continue to attend Santa Barbara schools, she said, and her husband, Cliff, will take on “dad duty” during the week.

Superintendent David Cash said, in a farewell remark, “Anne Hubbard did a fabulous job as principal at Washington Elementary School, and we will do our best to find a great successor.” “It’s a real loss to us,” added Washington Parent Teacher Organization president Simon Dixon. “We got really lucky. Are we going to get lucky again? I don’t know.”