Doyle Park elementary gets new principal

<p>Kaesa Enemark, a longtime Sonoma County administrator, has been named principal at Doyle Park Elementary School in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Enemark replaces interim principal Stephen Nielsen who stepped in after former principal Fran Link resigned last year after two years in the position.</p><p>Enemark will leave her post as assistant principal at the district’s three alternative high schools. She was previously an administrator at Maria Carrillo High School and Slater Middle School, both in Santa Rosa.</p><p>“She has not done elementary as a site administrator but she was really just the top candidate,” said assistant superintendent Greg Espinoza.</p><p>Twenty-seven people applied for the job at one of Santa Rosa’s oldest elementary school campuses.</p><p>The Sonoma Avenue campus has faced significant challenges in recent years, among them steeply declining enrollment and falling test scores.</p><p>The campus emerged in school board discussions last year for potential closure or reconfiguration as the district sought way to cut costs.</p><p>“We do have issues surrounding declining enrollment and issues with outreach to the community,” Espinoza said. “I think she is going to be a strong advocate for that community, number one.”</p><p>Enemark, a fluent Spanish speaker, was introduced to the staff at Doyle Park on Friday, Espinoza said.</p><p>“They have been through quite a bit,” Espinoza said of Doyle Park’s staff. “There has been a lot of anxiety and concern and stress placed upon them in not knowing.”</p><p>Enemark will officially take over in August, but has made plans to be on campus as early as next week, Espinoza said.</p><p>“She is very excited about the opportunity and very focused on ensuring that Doyle Park is the best school that it can be,” he said.</p>