Board of Education Approves Hire of New AHS Principal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Issued By: 

• Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi
• Board President Ryan LaLonde

 Alameda, California — March 25, 2026  —  At its March 24 public meeting, the Board of Education approved hiring Alex Harp as the new principal of Alameda High School. Mr. Harp will take the place of Angela Barrett, who is leaving at the end of this school year.

Mr. Harp currently serves as the principal of both the East Bay Arts High School and Royal Sunset High School in the San Lorenzo Unified School District. Prior to that, he worked as a high school principal and assistant principal, a middle school principal and assistant principal, a Human Resources Coordinator, an Equity Transformation Consultant, and a middle school teacher.

“We feel fortunate in having found an administrator with broad experience, commitment to equitable practices, and skills as an instructional leader and educational thinker,” says Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. “We feel confident that Alex will support academic rigor at Alameda High School, continue our ongoing work on positive school culture, and ensure that comparable and engaging opportunities are available for all students.”   ”

Mr. Harp received a BA in French from UCLA and did his Masters work at CSU East Bay.  He earned his administrative credential through St. Mary’s College.

“I'm thrilled to be joining Alameda High School,” he says, “and I look forward to learning, leading, and working collaboratively with students, staff, families and the community to ensure positive and equitable outcomes for all.”

Hiring process

AUSD takes a multi-phased approach to hiring site administrators. This process begins with a paper screen of applications and a preliminary telephone interview and then proceeds to a panel interview with members of the school community. The final two steps are an interview with AUSD senior leadership and, finally, a one-on-one interview with the superintendent, who makes the final recommendation to the Board of Education.

No one person or panel is tasked with the exclusive selection of the final candidate. Instead, each phase helps to surface different characteristics and competencies of leaders, including a candidate’s educational background, experience, community -building skills, understanding of district goals and values, and vision for instructional leadership at the site.  Ultimately, the superintendent makes a decision based on who they think will best lead students and staff in achieving the best outcomes for all.

“As a board, we’d like to thank Ms. Barrett for her calm leadership at Alameda High School the last several years and wish her the very best in her future endeavors,” says Board President Ryan LaLonde. “We welcome Mr. Harp and look forward to getting to know him as an educator, a leader, and a member of our AUSD community.”

Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) serves more than 9600 students in Alameda, California, an island community in the San Francisco Bay Area.  For more information, please visit the AUSD website or follow @AUSDNews on Twitter or Facebook. Questions? Contact Susan Davis, Senior Manager, Community Affairs, at 510-337-7000 extension 77175.