Crisis-tested principal brings steady leadership to Twin Oaks

Baker simply agreed to step up and serve when asked and played the hand he was dealt: a suspended predecessor, an on-campus stabbing and the suspension and subsequent resignation of a popular football coach — all in a span of four years.

As Baker reflects on those experiences, effective crisis management isn’t about what you do after an unexpected, disruptive event occurs. Rather, it’s about the relationships and trust built in the weeks, months and years leading up to that moment.

Baker agreed to discuss his approach in general terms during his four academic years as principal at Mission Hills High School, with the understanding that state privacy laws would prevent him from sharing details.

The interview took place at Baker’s new assignment for this school year: principal of San Marcos Unified School District’s continuation high school, Twin Oaks.

Nestled among rural ranches, farms and groves north of town, Twin Oaks is a far different environment from the sprawling, suburban Mission Hills campus. It feels a world away, even though only 4 miles separate the two schools.

In scale, it’s a far different place as well. At Mission Hills, Baker oversaw 2,700 students and around 110 teachers.

At Twin Oaks, he has about as many students as Mission Hills had teachers.

Revisiting Mission Hills High tenure

Baker was happily ensconced as an assistant principal at Mission Hills as the 2022-23 school year began, a position he had held for a decade.

But in late September, the school district received what the administration called a “concern” about the principal, and the principal was quickly suspended.

“They asked me if I could step in as interim principal” for the balance of the fall semester, Baker recalled.

He agreed to do so.

It was Baker’s first time serving as a principal, and he was taking charge of one of the largest high schools in the county.

“There were a lot of questions” surrounding his predecessor’s suspension, Baker recalled. “Where is the current principal?”

“My answers were consistent throughout that time. There was uncertainty with a principal leaving mid-year.”

When the interview suggested his predecessor had left campus under a cloud, Baker agreed: “Yes, under a cloud.”

Baker said having served on the Mission Hills staff since the school’s founding in 2004, including the previous 10 years as an assistant principal, allowed him to provide consistency on campus.

Because the concern that led to his predecessor’s suspension did not involve allegations of harm to a student — a point the district office made clear when announcing the suspension — Baker said parents weren’t as concerned with safety as they were with the quality of education their children would receive amid the unexpected leadership change.

Baker said it wasn’t just daily operations that needed managing. Campus administrators and faculty also had to continue the ongoing planning processes every school undertakes.

“Where do we want the school to be in one year? In five years? In 10 years? What do we have to do now to allow that to happen?

“We talked constantly about what we ARE doing on campus — that gets ahead of assumptions.”

While gossip can exacerbate a crisis, Baker said there are effective ways to prevent it.

“The way to deal with the gossip is to not be in the office sitting at your desk looking at your monitor. Be visible.”

In addition to making himself visible on campus, Baker said other approaches to restoring a sense of normalcy included responding immediately to phone calls and emails, even if he couldn’t fully answer questions because of privacy laws.

Settling in

Baker said that after the holidays, he met with the district Cabinet, which recommended to the school board that his appointment be made permanent.

In late January 2023, district Superintendent Andy Johnsen announced that Baker would be the permanent principal of Mission Hills.

Baker describes himself as “a San Marcos kid.” He is the second of three boys. His older brother, Andy, also taught and served as a principal at schools in San Marcos, while his younger brother, Chris, serves as an athletic director at a charter school in San Diego.

Growing up, Baker attended Woodland Park Elementary, now a middle school, and transferred to Knob Hill for sixth grade when that school opened. He later attended San Marcos Middle School and San Marcos High School.

He earned the rank of Eagle Scout and attended Palomar College for two years after graduating before studying biochemistry and cellular biology at UC San Diego with plans to attend medical school.

“My path was not toward teaching,” he said, even though both of his parents enjoyed long teaching careers in the Vista school system.

A summer job leading camp programs in Sequoia National Park led to a change in plans.

“One year, over summer break, I did a camp program in Sequoia National Park. I did some nature lessons. Wow, I enjoyed it! I fell in love with it.”

After graduating from UC San Diego, he earned his teaching credential at Cal State San Marcos.

“I ended up teaching biology and chemistry at San Marcos High. When Mission Hills High opened, I moved over there.”

Student attack

Barely a year into his tenure as principal, Baker faced another crisis when one student stabbed another on campus as school let out for the day. The victim survived the wounds, and the perpetrator was caught in the apartments just east of campus, but Baker said the attack understandably concerned members of the campus community.

“We ended up going into a lockdown. The procedures we followed were the ones we practiced.”

Baker said that, oddly, the fact that it was a premeditated, targeted attack helped restore a sense of safety among students and parents.

“Parents were necessarily upset” but wanted information confirming their belief that the campus was a safe place and would return to being a safe place — that the attack was an anomaly.

“It comes down to communication and the relationships you have built up with the community.”

During a debriefing and after-action investigation into the stabbing and the response, the emergency plan was shared with the community for review. It was then adjusted as needed, with input from students.

Baker said getting feedback from students, as well as staff and parents, is critical to making sure children feel safe in addition to ensuring they actually are safe.

He called reviewing and updating emergency plans after an incident “trauma-informed planning.” It also includes a peer-to-peer element to engage students and gather their feedback.

“We look at the impact on kids after an event, and work to lessen them moving forward.”

Baker pointed out that at a school as large as Mission Hills, when students, faculty, siblings, parents and stepparents are included, the total community numbers between 6,000 and 8,000 people.

“It’s equal to a small city,” and future incidents are likely with a population that large.

After every practice lockdown — which simulates emergencies both when students are in class and when they are between classes — Baker said the school administration reviews security footage. Are adults and students going where they are supposed to go? If not, why not?

“We don’t make decisions in isolation.”

Football crisis

About a year ago, a third crisis arose when accusations were made that hazing had occurred in the football team’s locker room and that the coaching staff had not followed state law or district protocol in reporting the incident to higher-ups.

Head football coach Chris Hauser and two assistant coaches were placed on leave, the Sheriff’s Department launched an investigation, and Baker again faced a barrage of questions he could not legally answer.

How did he deal with the inevitable gossip on campus during the crisis?

“The kids on the team will have more inside information on what happened. When working with kids, we emphasize that they need to be aware of who they are talking to — and that they stick with the facts.”

He said the relationships built over the years, along with a proactive communication campaign coordinated with the district office, again helped tamp down speculation.

Beyond that, he said school and district leaders were transparent about following proper protocols and established procedures to keep students safe, helping them feel secure and ensuring the investigation was conducted properly.

Just as Baker had been tapped to step in when his predecessor was suspended, he needed to replace the suspended coaches.

“We needed to make some decisions about coaching while the investigation was going on.”

Baker said he did not want to cancel the season because, for many players, football is the glue that holds everything together.

“They can find purpose, meaning, and opportunity to grow” through sports, he said.

Former athletic director and one-time Mission Hills starting quarterback D.J. Zapata had stepped back from his athletic duties to focus on his growing family. Baker said that when he called Zapata to ask whether he would step in, Zapata didn’t let him finish the question before saying he would, of course, help.

Baker said continuing the football season was another key to restoring a sense of normalcy on campus. The team’s success under Zapata also helped.

Later in the school year, Hauser announced his resignation, and the school named a new head coach.

Looking ahead

It turned out that the summer camp where Baker worked during college included time at Pythian Youth Camp, a camp for children who have made mistakes.

“When the job came open here (at Twin Oaks), it was very difficult for me to say no,” Baker said, tying the decision back to the camp counselor experience that set him on the path to a career in education.

“This is a full-circle moment. It’s another chance to work with kids who need — and deserve — a second chance.”