Windsor's new schools superintendent will trade living in a mountain log cabin for life as a flatlander in Sonoma County's newest city.
As current superintendent of the Black Oak Mine Unified School District in California's Gold Country, Tammy Gabel's life might seem idyllic.
But she's excited about coming to Windsor after beating out 29 other candidates who applied for the job as head of the Windsor Unified School District.
"The community completely enchanted us," she said of Windsor and how it has reinvented itself. "I'm amazed at the work that's been done and excited about becoming part of the team there."
Gabel, 49, appreciates that her new job will cut down on travel.
"I drive a lot," she said last week, referring to her responsibilities in the 412-square-mile district headquartered in Georgetown, off Highway 49, where she has worked for five years. "You have to hope there is not a logging truck in front of you."
The Black Oak Mine district, which has about one-third the 5,500 students of the Windsor district, stretches from Folsom Lake near Sacramento to within 10 miles of Lake Tahoe.
"We love our log cabin," she said of the 1,800-square-foot, hand-built home she shares in the small town of Pioneer with her husband and 16-year-old son. "It's a great idea, but when you're doing all this driving, you miss out on quality of life."
Gabel, who starts her new job July 1, replaces former superintendent Steve Herrington, who was elected county schools chief last year in an unopposed election.
Her annual salary will be $152,000.
Since Herrington left, Bill McDermott, a retired educator from the Central Valley, has served as interim superintendent in Windsor.
"She's an outstanding candidate," School Board President George Valenzuela said. "She's well-liked, articulate, intelligent, and we're happy to get her on board as superintendent."
Gabel was hired after an "exhaustive national search," according to district officials, that employed an educational consulting company and community subcommittee to interview applicants.
Although Gabel heads a smaller district, she has experience in school districts that are larger than Windsor's, including Gilroy and Azusa Unified in Southern California.
Her 25 years of public education include working as superintendent, director of educational services, principal, teacher leader, trainer and bilingual classroom teacher.
Gabel has a doctorate in educational leadership.
Windsor School District Vice-President Katy Dillwood said Gabel has experience overseeing construction projects, working with teacher unions, narrowing student achievement gaps and enacting school improvement programs.
"We were looking for someone who was beloved to their district," Dillwood said. "We feel we definitely got that. Many were sad to see her go. There were tears."
As superintendent in Windsor, Gabel will oversee seven schools and two independent charter schools. It's a growing district as opposed to the shrinking enrollment in Black Oak Mine.
Gabel's contract is for three years and allows annual salary increases of up to three percent, depending on her evaluations. She also has a car allowance and other standards perks, such as a moving allowance and conference reimbursements.
"It's comparable for school districts our size," Valenzuela said of the compensation package. "We feel it's a responsible use of taxpayers' money. We are getting a good price - a good person at fair market value."
She will be formally introduced at the May 3 Windsor school board meeting.
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