Los Alamitos High School Hiring for New Principal
After five years in the role, Christiana Kraus will not return as LAHS principal for the 2026-27 school year.
After five years in the role, Christiana Kraus will not return as the principal of Los Alamitos High School for the upcoming school year. The Los Alamitos Unified School District made the announcement on June 26.
“On behalf of the District, I would like to thank Christiana for her five years of service to Los Alamitos Unified and the Griffin community,” Superintendent Andrew Pulver, Ed.D., wrote in an email sent to LAHS families announcing the change in leadership. “We wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” the statement read.
In its search for a new principal, the Los Alamitos USD is seeking the community’s input through an online form. Responses are due by July 7. “We are committed to a thoughtful yet timely selection process to ensure a smooth transition and a strong start to the new school year,” the district stated. An online posting for the job lists July 7 as the deadline to apply and an annual salary range of $177,653–$201,084.
It’s not clear why Kraus will not continue as the top administrator at the district’s only high school. Details on personnel issues are not shared publicly due to privacy and legal concerns, according to the district. A closed-session agenda item for the school board’s meeting on June 23 read: “Public Employee Discipline/Dismissal/Release.” Closed-session votes are generally not made public until they appear in the meeting minutes when approved at a subsequent meeting. The board’s next scheduled meeting is Aug. 4.
In response to a text message seeking further comment, Nichole Pichardo, the district’s Public Information Officer, directed this reporter to Dr. Pulver’s message to families. Spotlight Schools sent messages to Kraus via social media but did not hear back before publication.
Kraus was hired in 2021 after serving as principal at Paramount High School, following several other leadership roles at high schools, according to a LinkedIn profile. During her public introduction in April, 2021, Dr. Pulver described Kraus as “extremely student-centered, passionate about the four A’s (academics, athletics, activities and arts) and someone who I think really inspires others to elicit the same commitment and passion.” He also stated stakeholders in the search process wanted someone “who really wanted to stay in the position.” Her hiring came after the unexpected departure of Chris Vlasic as LAHS principal in 2020, and Gregg Stone coming out of retirement to serve in the role in the interim, as reported by The Sun.
Kraus’s Tenure at LAHS
During her tenure as LAHS principal, Kraus saw 100% graduation rates in 2023 and 2024 and an improvement in college-readiness metrics among Griffin graduates, as she explained during the school’s annual presentation to the board delivered on April 21, 2026.
Kraus also celebrated the completion of the district’s biggest bond-funded projects at LAHS including the three-story STEM building, which opened in 2022, and the Griffin Center gymnasium, which opened in 2025.
“What makes this so meaningful is that it’s not just about today’s students, it’s about generations of Griffins still to come. One high school, one district, one community, and now another incredible space where Griffin pride will radiate and grow stronger year after year,” Kraus said in a press release on the gymnasium’s opening.
In 2025, the LAHS varsity football team won the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 Championship under coach Ray Fenton. In 2026, after ten years as head coach of the Griffins, Fenton left LAHS to become head coach at Orange Lutheran High School.
Kraus wrote on LinkedIn of the “many proud moments” she has had as the LAHS principal. She refers directly to when two of the high school’s renowned show choirs earned first place finishes at a premier national competition this school year.
“We live by the statement, ‘If we extend our reach a little farther than it naturally lands, then everyone is taken care of,’” Kraus wrote on the post, which linked to a video of the show choir SoundFX’s "Grand Champion" winning performance at the Heart of America competition in Orlando in March.
During Kraus’s five years as principal, the school has also navigated an unresolved dispute over the leadership of its nationally recognized show choir program. In 2025, the district sought to dismiss David Moellenkamp as choir director, a position he had held for 17 years. At the June 10, 2025 board meeting, Moellenkamp and several of his supporters pleaded with the board to reconsider.
According to documents released to Spotlight Schools through a Public Records Act request with the California Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), the district accused Moellenkamp of “unprofessional conduct,” “dishonesty,” and other alleged violations.
Moellenkamp challenged his dismissal through the OAH. Last month, after days of hearings that included testimony from Moellenkamp, students, parents, and staff, including Kraus, a three-member commission ruled in Moellenkamp’s favor, stating the district “failed to meet its burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence Moellenkamp's unfitness to teach.” The district has since appealed the decision in Orange County Superior Court, according to Pichardo.
The district has not indicated Kraus’s departure as principal is related to the Moellenkamp case and has not made any public comment about the reasons she will not return in the role.
It’s not clear who might lead LAHS next. Applications will be accepted through July 7 at 12 p.m. and a tentative schedule shows the final round of interviews happening July 15, according to the job posting.
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