Principals Bring Experience, Ideas to New Academic Year

The new principal of West Granada High School in Granada Hills intends to work to change the perceptions of his continuation school students by the public and the students themselves.

Phil Romans said that during his 25 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, he found that the public often has false and “very destructive” ideas about who these students are.

“My focus is to get them into the community and get the community to see what my students are capable of,” he said. “These kids are very bright.”

The Boston native earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in special education, with an emphasis on learning disabilities, at Cal State Los Angeles. He also is a certified resource specialist.

Romans, 52, began his career as a first-grade teacher and went on to teach special day classes and courses in a continuation school in Venice. He also was a teacher advisor to the district’s Senior High School Options Office. Just before his appointment at West Granada, Romans was a district program specialist.