Lopez was hired as the San Marcos High School principal in June 2014.[/caption]Superintendent Michael Cardona confirmed that Kelli Lopez, San Marcos High School principal, resigned Sept. 28 after it was discovered she had been changing students' grades.
Cardona said the changes had been made during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years.
Of the 80-100 grades Lopez changed, most were in the upper 60s and were changed to 70s to allow students to receive passing grades in their courses.
Updated Sept. 28 at 7:07 p.m.
San Marcos CISD has sent out a news release to parents of San Marcos High School students announcing the resignation of Principal Kelli Lopez.
"The district will work diligently to ensure a continuity of services for all students and staff," the release states. "Mr. James Barton, executive director for secondary education, will be on campus through the remainder of this week until an interim principal can begin work on Monday, Oct. 3. Mr. Barton will ensure that all operations continue to run efficiently and will coordinate with administration and staff."
The release states that Bobbie Turnbo will take over as interim principal of the high school for the remainder of the 2016-17 school year. Turnbo has 41 years' experience in education, according to the release. She has "extensive curriculum and instruction experience" and "successfully led the turnaround of a low-performing high school and increased participation for students in dual credit and advanced placement courses."
According to Turnbo's LinkedIn profile, she currently works for Houston ISD, where SMCISD Superintendent Michael Cardona previously worked before coming to San Marcos this summer.
Published Sept. 28 at 6:10 p.m.
Kelli Lopez, principal of San Marcos High School, resigned from her position Wednesday. Lopez was named principal of the high school in June 2014.
Clem Cantu, SMCISD board of trustees president, said the board would discuss the issue during their regularly scheduled agenda preparation meeting Oct. 3. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. at the SMCISD Central Office, 501 S. LBJ Drive, San Marcos.
“It’s unfortunate,” Cantu said. “It’s the only thing I can say. It’s an unfortunate situation because it’s very hard to be without a principal. You don’t do hiring in September or October. The hiring takes place in the spring.”
Lopez is a San Marcos High School class of ’89 graduate. Before accepting the appointment as principal she served as an assistant principal at the school from 2012-13. From January 2013 to June 2014, she served as an associate principal at Bastrop High School. She received her undergraduate degree from Schreiner University and master’s in mathematics and educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin and Lamar University.
“I wish Ms. Lopez well,” Arredondo said. “Regardless of changes of leadership at the high school, I’m confident our [our administrative team] is going to take this and continue our forward momentum.”
We will update this story as it develops.
