Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera left the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board meeting Monday night with her job intact after multiple speakers told the panel to do the right thing.

After 45 minutes of comments in public session, the board met behind closed doors for more than three hours for a discussion on public employee discipline/dismissal/release.

At approximately 9 p.m., Superintendent Antonio Garcia read a statement, saying there was no reportable action taken by the board.

Herrera, only the second principal at PVHS since it opened in August 2004, was given a 45-day termination warning June 7, prompting the campus community to rally in support. 

“A 45-day notice is a serious written warning to a credentialed employee that requires them to improve their conduct or face serious consequences,” Garcia said. “Principal Herrera remains a district employee and at no point has been recommended for termination. There have been no recommended changes related to principal assignments for the 2024-25 school year.”

While the district typically livestreams meetings and puts recordings on YouTube, that option wasn’t provided for Monday’s meeting, where the superintendent and board members again faced heavy criticism from speakers.

The reason for Herrera’s 45-day notice remains unknown, although one speaker last week referred to “verbiage in a text message and an email.”  

Others have pointed out more serious policy violations by top administrators who remain employed by the district.

After Monday’s meeting ended, Herrera’s supporters clapped and cheered as they lined up to hug her.

“This is the reason why I work here: my school people,” Herrera said afterward. “I’m just grateful for their support.”

Monday night was the second time in five days that teachers, students, parents and graduates showed up at a special board meeting to speak out on behalf of Herrera. 

Many in the crowd sported PVHS T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other clothing with black and teal in support of Herrera, with one saying Herrera serves as a positive force for the campus.

Some noted the school’s ranking as the top high school in the district and a graduation rate of 96% — the highest in the district.

“The campus runs smoothly, and that’s a direct result of Shanda’s leadership,” PVHS science teacher Laura Baines said. “If you’d like to see something to the contrary, replacing her would definitely have that effect.”

“Please do the right thing and allow her to remain as our principal,” added Noe Mahelona, whose children attended PVHS.

Friend and parent Carrie Viker said Herrera has put her heart and soul into her job and shared how a coworker, a 2017 PVHS graduate now working at Vandenberg Space Force Base, credits Herrera’s leadership with shaping the students. 

“She has clearly made a lasting impression on her students and the community,” Viker said. 

Herrera grew up in the community and graduated from Santa Maria High School. She has worked for the district for more than 27 years, including four years as assistant principal at Pioneer Valley and 13 years as principal.

As the board met in closed session, most of her supporters remained. At one point, they posed for serious pictures before she urged those in the audience to make crazy faces, much like she gives graduates crazy time during commencement. 

“Seriously, I just want to be a principal,” she said after the meeting. “We have a lot of good things going on.”