Administration and Leadership

Principal Palomares joined Junipero Serra Elementary School in 2021, bringing decades of dedicated service and leadership within the San Francisco Unified School District. She began her career in 1998 as a Spanish bilingual elementary educator, where she developed a deep commitment to culturally responsive teaching, equity, and strong family partnerships. Her experiences in the classroom led her into school leadership, where she has served as both Assistant Principal and Principal across a range of SFUSD school communities.

Her leadership is grounded in equity, inclusion, collaboration, and a deep commitment to supporting every student’s academic, social-emotional, and personal growth. As the principal of a Community School, she embraces a whole-child approach that brings together academics, wellness, family engagement, and community partnerships to create the conditions for students and families to thrive.

At Junipero Serra, Principal Palomares is committed to building a culture of shared leadership, recognizing that strong schools are built through the collective expertise, relationships, and leadership of staff, students, families, and community partners. She works to create structures that empower teams to collaborate, make informed decisions, and take collective ownership of the school’s goals and priorities. This approach reflects her belief that leadership is strengthened when the entire school community has a meaningful role in shaping its direction.

With her steady, collaborative leadership, Principal Palomares continues to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and student-centered community at Junipero Serra Elementary in Bernal Heights, where academic excellence, belonging, family partnership, and community connection are shared responsibilities and collective commitments.