Mobley Serves as New Principal at Herk Bouris Elementary

A school administrator from the high desert area has filled the void former principal Midge James left behind at Herk Bouris Elementary School.

David Mobley, a principal from Apple Valley Unified, was hired by the Menifee Union School District Aug. 4 after James became principal at Santa Rosa Academy, a public charter school in Menifee. Mobley is the second principal of Herk Bouris Elementary, a 3-year-old school located just over the border in Lake Elsinore.

During a recent phone interview, Mobley explained he found the job posting on EDJOIN.org, a webpage that posts job openings for educators in California.

“I saw the ad posting, did some research on the district, thought it was a great place to apply, and I was offered the position,” he said.

Mobley has 21 years of experience working for school districts in the high desert area. He worked for Apple Valley Unified for 18 years and Adelanto Elementary School District for three years. He said this would be his 17th year working as a principal.

According to Betti Cadmus, public information officer for the district, Mobley was selected from a good quality pool of candidates.

“Many candidates were interviewed, and those on the interviewing committee selected the best of the best,” she said.

Mobley, who is currently commuting from Apple Valley, where he still lives, said his first day as principal was “wonderful.”

“The staff and the students and parents here at Herk Bouris are amazing,” he said. “They’ve really welcomed me. It’s an amazing place, and I love being here.”

As the new principal, Mobley said he’d like to build onto the foundation James left behind. He is pleased with the selection of the staff and looks forward to creating more traditions. He said he’d also like to continue and expand on the helpful programs the school has already started, such as a reading intervention program and a STEM lab.

“We want to continue to build the tradition of the school,” he said. “They don’t have a lot of traditions yet, but we want to put all of those in place and build a real community school so families can be proud their kids go to school here.”

Mobley has been married for 28 years and has four children ranging in ages 11-26. As a parent himself, Mobley said he would like parents to know that their children will always come first.

 “I understand what it means to be a parent,” he said. “We’re going to make all our decisions here based on what’s in the best interest for our students, and that will be the filter we use for every decision we make,” he said.