Bobbie Plough credits her parents for teaching her about the value of education.
“My parents revered education and talked about how being a teacher is one of the most wonderful things you can do,” Plough says. “Their respect for education was one of the reasons I became interested in getting into education.”
Driven by her parents’ support, Plough’s career in education has spanned 35 years. She spent 13 years teaching middle school and high school social sciences. She has had experience being an assistant principal, a principal, and a district superintendent. She was a superintendent at both the Romoland School District in Riverside County and the Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento.
Though most of Plough’s work in the schools has taken place in or near San Diego where she was raised, Plough always dreamt of moving to the Bay Area. So Plough made her dream a reality. In July, Plough became the Santa Clara Unified School District’s new superintendent.
“I’m very excited and honored to be here,” Plough says. “This is a great school district to come into. In challenging times, it’s the administrator’s responsibilities to provide leadership and support.”
“One of the things I would do is to be on our school sites frequently,” Plough says. “In my past [jobs as a superintendent], I’ve made it a practice to be on school sites at least once a week. By being on school sites, I understand what’s really happening in our district. I’d understand our needs and also all the wonderful things happening in our schools.”
“Like every school district in California, [one of our challenges] is to get to get through this budget crisis,” Plough continues. “We want to remain fiscally solvent while still providing a quality education for students. It’s a difficult task given the state’s budget cuts.”
In the past, Plough has handled big tasks with the skills acquired from her degrees in Social Science, Education, and Educational Leadership from San Diego State University.
“One of my biggest accomplishments was opening San Pasqual Academy- it was the nation’s first public residential high school for foster youth,” Plough says. “I put my skills of collaboration with four other agencies to create an educational program and run it at San Pasqual Academy where I was the principal.”
One of Plough’s job goals as superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District is to be accessible to the community.
“It means being out in the community, attending community events, and speaking with community groups,” Plough says. “I certainly welcome any group that would like to hear about our school district. I’m overwhelmed by the community support for our school district here in Santa Clara. I’ve never had such a warm reception coming into a new position.”
Community members will have a chance to welcome Plough to Santa Clara at a Meet and Greet before the School Board meeting on Thursday, August 25th. The event will be held from 5-6 p.m. in the District Office at 1889 Lawrence Road in the Board Room Foyer.
