> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Lincoln principal to move to John Muir - URL: https://www.smdp.com/lincoln-principal-to-move-to-john-muir/ - Published: 2008-06-24T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T00:17:36.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import *Parents express disappointment in John Muir principal move* Lincoln Middle School Principal Tristan Komlos, the head of a community that was thrust into the media spotlight after the arrest of a teacher on sexual molestation charges, is expected to be transferred to John Muir Elementary School. The Board of Education is expected to meet in closed session on Thursday to discuss several administrative shifts to occur within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. While the agenda does not mention the specific names of the affected personnel, it does specify that there will be discussions related to the interim superintendent, principal, assistant principal and coordinator. Among the administrators who will be moved is Lincoln Assistant Principal Francis Costanzo, who will be transferred to work in the district’s special education department. Costanzo was the first person notified about the alleged molestation of a Lincoln Middle School student in 2006, two years before a teacher at the school, Thomas Beltran, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of child molestation involving girls in his class. District officials have confirmed the principal vacancy at Lincoln and the move of John Muir Principal Martha Duran-Contreras, they have yet to acknowledge that Komlos is headed to the south Santa Monica school. “We asked the superintendent to develop a transition plan that would bring administrative strength throughout the whole organization, especially in the area of accountability and transparency and that is what we are striving to accomplish by moving our staff around,” Oscar de la Torre, the school board president, said. Neither Komlos, Costanzo nor Duran-Contreras could be reached for comment on Monday. Komlos has been the principal at Lincoln for the past two years, replacing former principal Kathy Scott who vacated her post in 2006. Outgoing Superintendent Dianne Talarico was asked by the board to present a staffing plan that would align administrators’ experiences and talents with the schools in which they could best serve, according to de la Torre. “We’re looking at administrators and experience and talent where we think it will be a good fit,” de la Torre said. While the reasons for the administrative shifts remain unclear, a contingent of Lincoln parents have voiced their concerns with the leadership at the school, pointing out that Komlos had taken two maternity leaves since her arrival, adding that the arrest of Beltran in May was the last straw. Lisette Bauersachs, the parent of a sixth grader at Lincoln, said the arrest of Beltran demonstrated the safety risks posed when there isn’t a principal in place at a school, adding that there wasn’t an interim principal hired when Komlos took her most recent maternity leave. Beltran, who taught in the district for nearly 30 years, was charged in connection with the molestation of eight female students. “The first time they were able to find a great elementary principal to pinch hit for three months,” Bauersachs said. “But a substitute is never good as a full teacher.” But some parents say they don’t believe that Komlos’ transfer is attributed directly to the Beltran case, saying that there has been a problem with turnover at the school the past several years. “Since Ilene Strauss was at Lincoln Middle School, there has not been a long-term leader in place,” Karen Gardner, a parent of a seventh grader, said. “There has been a revolving door for a long time.” Gardner listed the principals who have followed Strauss, a former principal at Santa Monica High School, including Scott and Hank Harris, who left in 2004. The problem is the lack of support at the district level, Gardner said, adding that Komlos wasn’t given a chance to be effective. “I think the Beltran situation is terrible,” she said. “I’m not one of those who felt like heads needed to roll, but my feeling is this whole school needs to be reevaluated.” The interviews for the replacements at Lincoln Middle School will involve parent input, de la Torre said. He added that there is an internal candidate who might be considered to fill the assistant principal vacancy. Several parents at John Muir have expressed their unhappiness that Duran-Contreras was going to be moved without prior notification to the school community. “I was very disappointed to read that the district had replaced our principal without consulting us (much less preparing us) at John Muir and has replaced her with a person who is leaving her previous position because of parent dissatisfaction there,” Nina Fresco, a parent of a fifth grader, said in a letter to the Board of Education. De la Torre said that the board has yet to determine where to place the John Muir principal. “Mrs. Contreras did a great job at John Muir where test scores have gone up almost every year and she has been there for the past five years,” de la Torre said. “We are seeking her leadership and expertise at a school site that can benefit form her experience.” Michael Chwe, one of the parents who have been calling for changes in the district’s sexual abuse reporting policy, said he was concerned with the effect that the departures might have on available knowledge of the Beltran case, which includes Komlos, Costanzo, Scott and Talarico, who is leaving Santa Monica for the Burlingame School District on July 1. 658,“I am concerned that these moves and transfers allow the SMMUSD to avoid fundamental questions about the handling of the Beltran case which have yet to be answered,” Chwe said. “These four people must be held accountable to the public and answer basic questions about what happened.” One of those questions relate to Scott’s handling of a 2006 complaint from a student who claimed that she was uncomfortable with the way in which Beltran touched her. The complaint was originally reported to Costanzo who forwarded the accusation to Scott. The former principal notified the Santa Monica Police Department in a letter that she discussed the allegations with Beltran, who responded that he was shocked his actions were misinterpreted as inappropriate. The principal instructed the teacher not to touch any of his female students, to which he was in agreement. The incident was never reported to the district, prompting the changes in the sexual abuse policies. “It is difficult to determine who is at fault concerning the Beltran situation without knowing some basic information about what happened,” Chwe said. “Since the district has not supplied this basic information, members of the public have no idea what to think.” The school is expected to discuss changes to the district’s sexual abuse policy Thursday. Jump hedline: Parents express disappointment in John Muir principal move Suggested pullquote: “I am concerned that these moves and transfers allow the SMMUSD to avoid fundamental questions about the handling of the Beltran case which have yet to be answered,” Michael Chwe 0Å 55 3 569 4 6AA 3 A04 4 111C 5 126D 4 12CA 3 13D0 4 13D1 3 1A59 0 1ACC 3 1B72 0 1B90 0 00050000001F00000005 0 1 55 2 1A59 1 1AB7 2 1B90 0 00060000013A00000006 3 0ÅÅ E 3 0 *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 24, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/062408.pdf?ref=smdp.com)