Elise Simmons has resigned as principal of Santa Barbara High School.

She has accepted a job with the Santa Barbara County Office of Education, sources told Noozhawk.

Simmons issued a statement through ParentSquare earlier Thursday. She confirmed her exit in a conversation with Noozhawk on Thursday.

In her new role she will serve as the Coordinator of Student and Family Services.

“I will get to reconnect with students in alternative education programs through my work with the Juvenile Courts and Community Schools,” Simmons told Noozhawk. “I will get to spend time learning and supporting early education and elementary programs since our County serves 20 districts, 14 of them are elementary districts. I am excited to bring my expertise in serving students and families to the rest of our County.”

Her last day at the District is Aug. 2.

Several top employees, including most of the cabinet have left the school district in the past three years. Simmons follows Camilla Barnwell, Shawn Carey, Tiffany Carson, Anne Roundy-Harter, Shannon Yorke and Armando Uribe, who left the District to join the County Office of Education.

Simmons, has been with the district for 24 years. She was the second woman to lead Santa Barbara High School in its more than 140-year history.

“Dr. Simmons has led by example through some of the toughest times that an educator can face, I have always admired her commitment to the well-being of her staff and the students they all served,” Superintendent Hilda Maldonado told Noozhawk. “Her quest for professional growth is one I can personally relate to, and wish her nothing but the best as she moves forward. She has left her mark on one of the most important institutions in all of California, and I’m grateful to her for that.”

She was hired as principal in 2018 and previously worked in the Santa Barbara Unified School District as a teacher at La Cumbre Junior High School, an assistant principal at Santa Barbara High, and a principal at Alta Vista Alternative High School and La Cuesta Continuation High School.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.