New principal for Westpark is well-versed in curriculum, instruction and Common Core

IUSD Superintendent Terry Walker has announced a new principal for Westpark Elementary School. Deanna Rutter, who is currently vice principal at an elementary school in the Anaheim City School District, will succeed Principal Ann Marie Simmons, starting July 1.

Walker on Friday touted Rutter’s credentials, saying she is well-versed in curriculum, instruction and the new Common Core instructional standards. “She is also a leader in technology who has experience with numerous school programs, including Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Response to Instruction (RTI) and special education,” the superintendent said. Rutter's career in education began in 2004 at Key Elementary School in Anaheim, where she taught fifth- and sixth-grade Gifted and Talented Education, as well as a regular fifth-grade class. From 2008 through 2010, she served as a Teacher on Special Assignment, and, after teaching third-grade GATE at Edison Elementary for a year, she was named vice principal of Juarez and Guinn elementary schools in 2011. Earlier this year, she was named vice principal of Anaheim’s Ponderosa Elementary School. A resident of Irvine with her husband, Neal, and their two daughters, Rutter has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCI and a master’s degree in teaching with a specialization in reading from National University, along with teaching and administrative credentials. Westpark won't be the only school with a new leader next year. On April 4, IUSD announced new principals for Canyon View, Meadow Park and Stonegate elementary schools, and district officials announced a new principal for Plaza Vista School later that month.