Novato district commits to principal for San Marin High School
Jennifer Larson has been the interim principal at the school while also working as an assistant superintendent.
Jennifer Larson, a 20-year employee of the Novato Unified School District, has been named principal of San Marin High School.
Larson’s effective start date is July 1, and her starting annual salary is $164,181.
Larson, a Novato resident who graduated from San Marin in 1994, was named interim principal at the school last year following the departure of Mark Sims. He left to accept a position in another school district.
Larson also has been working as an assistant superintendent this year.
Jan La Torre-Derby, the district’s superintendent, announced the appointment at the board meeting on Tuesday. She said the trustees chose Larson out of a field of five candidates.
“It was unanimous,” La Torre-Derby. “We all felt she was the best we could ever do.”
Larson’s previous positions include teacher at Sinaloa Middle School and swim coach at San Marin. She was later asked to join the district’s education services department, where she served in a variety of capacities.
“The trustees and I have every confidence in Jen’s leadership and ability to serve with the same enthusiasm and exceptional skill set that she has always demonstrated throughout her career,” La Torre-Derby said.
“No matter where Jennifer serves, she does so with a positive spirit and approaches challenges as opportunities,” La Torre-Derby added. “She remains steadfast in her dedication and commitment to student success, staff support, parent and community inclusion.”
Larson said she is committed to “work with an equity lens providing success for every student.”
She said her focus is to “support student leadership, provide opportunities for student success, support the leadership capacity for our professional teachers, and work side by side with classified staff and the parent community on behalf of students.”
San Marin football coach Dom DiMare, who attended the board meeting with his team to receive honors for winning the statewide championship two years in a row, said he was pleased by the appointment.
“I’m very happy to hear that Jen Larson is now our official principal,” he told the trustees. “She works really hard for us.”