The Toppenish School District is proud to announce the appointment of Patty Diaz as Interim Principal of Garfield Elementary for the 2025–2026 school year. This decision reflects our confidence in Patty’s leadership and her unwavering commitment to serving students, families, and staff.

Patty Diaz has dedicated 29 years to education, with a career built on advancing literacy, equity, and student success. She began as a bilingual and reading recovery teacher in Pasco, later serving as a reading recovery teacher in Colorado, before returning to Washington to become an ELL coordinator in Yakima. For the past 19 years, she has proudly served the Toppenish School District in a variety of leadership and instructional roles, including reading coach, state and federal programs director, preschool director, and Principal of Lincoln Elementary, where she served for seven years. Most recently, Patty has been the academics director, a role she has held for the last three years.

A proud graduate of Toppenish schools, Patty continues to call Toppenish home, where she has raised three children who all attended Toppenish schools. Her deep roots in the community and her long-standing dedication to students, reflect her personal and professional mission: to work side by side with staff and families in creating supportive, meaningful learning environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

The interim appointment for Garfield Elementary comes after thoughtful conversations with staff and families. This interim structure will allow stability for the year ahead, while also providing ample time for the district to continue to invest in a highly-focused effort for exploring qualified applicants.  This commitment opens the pathway for highly qualified candidates, including Ms. Diaz, the opportunity to apply for the ongoing role moving forward.

We are thrilled to welcome Patty Diaz into this new role and are confident that her passion, experience, and commitment to the Toppenish community will make a lasting impact at Garfield Elementary. 

Please help us congratulate Ms. Diaz!