After more than a month of drama, Adelanto Elementary School District Superintendent Terry Walker last week departed from the post, 17 months after she was promoted from the position of assistant superintendent for human services to interim superintendent while the district was in a state of professional and political turmoil and 15 months after the title of full-fledged superintendent was conferred on her by a lame duck school board.
Walker left officially last Friday, taking with her a $421,173 payout, equal to 18 months of her salary.
Walker was doomed with the district virtually from the outset of her acceptance of the promotion to interim superintendent, as she acceded to having the district take several actions with intense political overtones that ultimately drove a wedge between her and three of the five members of the school board to whom she was answerable. While she scored two substantial promotions within her first five months with the district, her status was based on a highly flawed foundation that was subjected a seismic shift just a month after the contract that was intended by that lame duck board majority to keep her in place for more than three-and-a-half years was hurriedly signed and ratified without full board review.
The difficulties that led to Walker’s departure go back more than a decade, as over the last 14 years, the district has employed nine superintendents, with Darin Brawley leaving as superintendent in 2012, whereupon Richard Bray served as superintendent until 2013 and was followed by Lily DeBlieux, who finished out 2013 and lasted part way into 2014. Edwin Gomez, who was in place from 2014 until 2017, and then Amy Nguyen, from 2017 until 2020, proved out as the two longest-lasting superintendents the district employed in recent years. Thereafter, Kennon Mitchell, who was in place from 2020 until 2022, was followed by Michael Krause. Just four months before Walker was hired in July 2024, a 3-to-2 board majority, consisting of Christine Turner, La Shawn Love-French and Christina Steward suspended Krause, replacing him with John Albert, the assistant superintendent for human resources. Three months later, Krause and the district reached an agreement to amicably separate, which involved a six month severance payout equal to six months of his salary and a six month continuance of his family’s medical benefits.
In July, two fateful events occurred. Albert hired Walker to be the district’s interim assistant superintendent for human resources and Krause, who lived in the district’s Trustee Area 1, jumped into the race for that position, which was then held by Turner.
Meanwhile, Albert was growing increasingly frustrated with some of the policy decisions the board, or more accurately the board majority of Turner, Love-French and Steward, were insisting upon. In September 2024, in a third stroke of fate, Albert abruptly bolted, tendering his resignation suddenly in an unanticipated move. The board, with the district left rudderless, turned to Walker, who had previously briefly served as the superintendent of the Kepler Union School District in Los Angeles County, to fill in for Albert. The fourth turn of fate came when Turner importuned Walker to assist her in the electoral battle she was waging against Krause. Walker, as the acting superintendent agreed to not only endorse Turner, but to facilitate the use of district resources, extended personnel and funds to derail Krause’s candidacy. Walker proposed, and Turner, Love-French and Steward ratified, hiring an attorney, Dominic Quiller, to launch and guide an effort involving legal action to knock Krause out of the board race.
Quiller, representing the district, wrote Krause a letter in which he informed him that the district was rescinding the separation agreement it had with him, further demanding that Krause reimburse the district all of the payments made to him and benefits provided under the terms of the agreement since it went into effect on June 30, 2024. In addition, Quiller in the letter issued a “demand that you immediately withdraw from the race for a district board seat.”
Quiller delivered an ultimatum to Kruase, writing that “Failure to cooperate will result in immediate litigation.” According to Quiller, Krause had abrogated the separation agreement, in particular its non-disparagement clause, which prohibited both the district and Krause from making any disparaging or derogatory remarks regarding the other party. Krause and the district had also agreed to take no action intended or reasonably anticipated to harm the other party’s reputation or interests individually or collectively. In this way, Quiller maintained, Krause was enjoined from saying anything about the district that “even if truthful… would reasonably to lead to unwanted or unfavorable publicity. By making himself a candidate in the 2024 race against an incumbent board member, Quiller contended, Krause had done just that.
Krause did not drop out of the race and on November 5, 2024, prevailed in the race against Turner by a rough margin of 52.78 percent to 47.22 percent.
Despite the board having previously voted to hire an executive search firm to find a list of candidates to fill the superintendent’s position from which the board could choose someone to helm the district going forward, immediately after the election when it was recognized that Turner’s departure from the board was imminent, Turner, Steward and Love-French arranged to have Walker place an item on the agenda for the next school board meeting an item calling for Walker’s hiring into the permanent superintendent’s post through until the end of June 2028 at an annual salary of $280,782 plus roughly $60,000 in yearly benefits. The contract was written such that it could not be terminated by the school board in the future on anything less than four votes of the board. Neither Board Member Miguel Soto Jr. nor Board Member Stephanie Kyer was consulted ahead of time with regard to the proposal to confer the superintendent’s post on Walker. Thus on November 12, 2024, a mere week after the election, on a 3-to-2 vote of the board, with Turner, Steward and Love-French prevailing and Soto and Kyer dissenting and protesting that they were not provided with a copy of Walker’s proposed contract, in opposition.
Krause was sworn into office in December 2024, as Turner departed. For a relatively short duration, there were no outstanding issues of controversy in the district, though the circumstance between Krause and Walker was awkward, given that Walker had actively involved herself in Turner’s campaign and had taken part in the failed effort involving Quiller to prevent Krause’s candidacy from continuing through the election.
By the end of the 2024-25 school year in June 2025, however, both Soto and Kyer, along with Krause, were expressing dismay that the manner in which Walker was managing the district was perpetuating what they contended was a lack of openness and transparency brought on by Walker failing to communicate with them in adequately in advance on issues that made their way before the board. Their contention was that Walker along with Steward and Love-French were pressing an agenda of their own that did not have the backing of the board majority. At that point, a ruling coalition on the board composed of Soto, the board president and Kyer and Krause had formed.
Relationships deteriorated. An unbridgeable gap formed when the supporters of Walker, Turner and Love-French, who are African American, began hurling accusations that Soto, Kyer and Krause were racists. Similar accusations had been made against the board majority in the Kepler Union School District just prior to Walker’s force departure there. Neither Love-French nor Steward was willing to come across with a fourth vote to join with Soto, Kyer and Krause to terminate Walker. Nevertheless, by January of this year, the tension between Walker, as the superintendent, and Soto, keyer and Krause as the board majority was so great that the district was in a state of dysfunction.
Walker, Love-French and Steward had consistently sought to turn back the criticisms from Soto, Kyer and Krause by emphasizing Walker’s dedication to the children of the Adelanto elementary School District and her commitment to their education. On January 19, without any warning, Walker, her executive secretary Xenia Lovett, and the Superintendent of Academic Services Saida Valdez did not show up at the district administrative office. It was not learned until the next day that all three had gone out on leave. Lovett returned on January 25, but Walker and Valdez did not return. Walker, Valdez and Lovett being absent from January 19 to January 23 led to the school board meeting that should have taken place on January 27 being canceled because an agenda could not be prepared. This left both Love-French and Steward, whose terms on the board are up this year and who must run for reelection if they are to remain on the board past December, in a vulnerable position, having to explain why the superintendent they are championing as one worth keeping would simply up and vanish, leaving the district’s 7,742 students in the lurch.
Word has now come that as of February 13, Walker is gone, permanently.
“It has been my honor and privilege to lead the Adelanto Elementary School District,” Walker said in a prepared statement released by the district announcing her departure. “I want to extend a very special thanks to the students, parents and team members who worked tirelessly to embrace change initiatives and improve student outcomes. I wish the Adelanto community nothing but success in the future.”
The statement put a positive spin on the circumstance, relating, “During her tenure, Dr. Walker provided dedicated leadership to the district during a period of significant financial and operational complexity. Under her direction, the district undertook a comprehensive effort to increase average daily attendance, contributing to improved student outcomes across AESD. Dr. Walker also advanced key initiatives focused on inclusivity, student empowerment, and strengthening connections between the district and the broader Adelanto community. The board of trustees expresses its gratitude for Dr. Walker’s contributions to the district.”
There was no mention of the Walker’s political involvement during the 2024 election cycle and the statement did not disclose the payout made to her, which she apparently negotiated during her unannounced leave from the district.
It was not made clear who is to oversee the district in the immediate future.
“The board of trustees is committed to ensuring a seamless and stable leadership transition,” the announcement said. “The board plans to appoint an interim superintendent in the coming days and will keep the community informed as the process moves forward.”