by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont Unified School District has named Geoffrey Payton and Rose Bomentre as Claremont High School’s new assistant principals of student services, succeeding outgoing principals Grant Guillen and Tara Moxley. Moxley is returning to the classroom at CHS. Guillen resigned.

Geoffrey Payton pictured at the May 21 Claremont Unified School District Board of Education meeting where he was approved as assistant principal, along with Rose Bomentre, for Claremont High School. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Bomentre is an author, 33-year LA and San Bernardino County educator, and a former Baldy View Regional Occupational Program Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. Payton was previously CUSD’s culture and climate intervention teacher and was the district’s teacher of the year in 2024-25. Both started their new jobs July 1.

CUSD Director of Communications Elaine Kong declined to divulge the exact salaries for both, referring the Courier to the district’s management salary schedule posted at cusd.claremont.edu (search “management salary schedule.”), which indicated that across 211 working days, Payton and Bomentre will each receive annual salaries from $134,207 to $186,471.

“For exact salary figures, I want to give you a heads-up on a change to how we are handling these requests going forward,” Kong wrote in an email. “Our website posts the full salary schedule with every step and column, so the ranges for any position are available there for reference. For any request that goes to an individual employee’s exact salary, we are now asking reporters to submit a public records request. I want to be candid about the reason. Many of our employees live in Claremont, and when their exact salaries have been posted, they end up fielding comments about their pay while they are out in the community. That is an uncomfortable spot for our staff, and the records process lets us handle these requests consistently and with appropriate review.”

The Courier filed a public records request with CUSD on June 29 to determine Bomentre’s and  Payton’s actual salaries.

“CUSD received your PRA request … and within 10 days from receipt of the request, will determine whether the request, in whole or in part, seeks disclosable public records in the possession of the District,” wrote Assistant Superintendent Human Resources Rick Lopez. “If it is determined that the request seeks disclosable public records, the estimated date and time when the records will be made available will be provided.”