Centennial High School students walked out of classes last week in support of former Principal William Sorensen, who submitted his resignation letter to district administration, Feb. 11. …
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More than 100 students walked out of their classes at Centennial High School last week in support of former Principal William Sorensen, who submitted his resignation letter to district administration, Feb. 11.
Parents and students say they will continue to support Mr. Sorensen in ways ranging from not supporting ballot measures such as bonds or overrides or more walkouts.
The letter states his resignation was effective June 30.
“I am so grateful to the Centennial Community and will forever cherish the love they showed me. At this time I need to prioritize the ability to provide for my children in the short and long term. Unfortunately, resigning is the best way for me to do that,” the letter stated.
PUSD spokeswoman Danielle Airey said Mr. Sorensen was placed on administrative leave Jan. 30. During an investigation, he submitted his resignation. She said she could not provide details of the investigation because it is a personnel matter.
Mr. Sorensen will be paid through June 30, 2020, when his contract expires.
Some students and parents are up in arms because there has been no reason given for Mr. Sorensen’s resignation.
Tammie Bond, a parent of two Centennial graduates and one current student, said everybody wants to know why he resigned in the first place and believes Mr. Sorensen was forced to resign.
He’s the best principal they’ve had and the students love him, she said.
“Everybody keeps saying it is a personnel issue but everybody on the (school) board will not say anything. I think he should have stood up to them but he didn’t want to take the chance (of not being) able to be employed someplace else,” she said.
Parents and students have complained of unreturned emails, lack of representation from the board and lack of communication in regard to Mr. Sorensen’s resignation.
Parent and volunteer Daniel Bambulas said at recent school board meeting that the board has been disgraceful in representing their constituents in this matter.
Mr. Bambulas said the former principal has worked tireless hours creating an atmosphere in which children can be successful, especially in the post-secondary education system.
Additionally, he said the district has forced an administrator to resign who will remain on leave with pay until the end of the school year.
In a district that has had three bond or overrides fail at the ballot box in the last four years, he said he and other parents will not support future funding measures.
“At end of day you guys act like this is no big deal. ... We stood behind you. We gave you the votes you needed in order to hold these positions because we believed in you. We believed you would represent us and be our voice of reason,” Mr. Bambulas said.
“We will fight you tooth and nail. If you do not support, us we do not support you. If you can put administrators like Dr. Sorensen on leave, then you do not need extra monies.”
Centennial sophomore Cori Borgstadt and other students said they want to keep Mr. Sorensen on the mind of administrators as well as school board members and that there could be more walkouts in the future.
She said that before coming into Centennial, she thought she was going to be just another face on a high school campus, but Mr. Sorensen made that statement false. He made it his mission to know every student on campus, including her, she said.
Miss Borgstadt is on the school newspaper as well as marching band and said that when band members audition for section leader, they are required to interview a staff member about leadership.
She interviewed Mr. Sorensen and asked him was why he wanted to be the principal of Centennial High School.
“He said he wanted to be principal at Centennial, not just any high school, and talked about his love for the school and the community. To say that he would just walk away from everything that he was so passionate about, it doesn’t sound right,” she said. “He would never give up on us so we don’t want to give up on him.”
A petition was posted on change.org in support of the former principal with 673 signatures, asking to re-instate Mr. Sorensen to his position.
The post states the he has been a phenomenal principal with sound ethics, quality communication, genuine care for the well-being of students and families, and is creatively active in improving academics and the general culture of CeHS.
“Recently, he was put on administrative leave for what appears to be a communication error but those of us who have experienced the great improvement in CeHS since his arrival, are fully aware that no matter what the cause for administrative leave was, it is not sufficient to remove him as our principal,” the post states.
“We want Dr. Sorensen as the principal of CeHS as his leadership, in this short time, is evidence-based results in academics, character, organization and an increased culture of excellence at CeHS. He is the best person for this job and we petition for Dr. Sorensen to be reinstated in good standing to continue the great work he has done at Centennial High School.”
Mr. Sorensen was appointed as principal to Centennial High School before the 2018-19 school year. He served as assistant principal for Mountain Ridge High School in the Deer Valley Unified School District from 2016 to 2018, and had previously been with Peoria Unified since at least 2011.
Assistant Principal Scott Hollabaugh has taken over as interim principal at Centennial and will serve through the remainder of the school year.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians. Mr. Hollabaugh stated that while it is the district’s preference that students are in classrooms learning, it is also important to respect student voices and the fact that they took a stand for something for which they are passionate.
“Our district and site administration heard them and provided support to keep the area safe ... I am committed to making student voice the center of what makes Centennial such a great place to learn. Please know that my door is always open for students, staff and our community to provide feedback for the collective best interest of our school,” he stated in the letter.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts.
He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing.
Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards.
In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
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