Superintendent

July 29, 2024

 Dear PUSD Families & Staff,

And, we are back!  I am excited to get started and look forward to seeing students and families on the first day of school, August 12, 2024.  I confess, I have missed seeing students on campus, and I look forward to a great school year ahead.

I would like to welcome new members of our administrative team who’ve hit the ground running and are off to a great start. Our new administrators are,

• Jean Fagin - Director of Special Education, 
• Tyler Small - Director of Athletics,
• Jamie Van Kleeck - Assistant Principal of Piedmont Middle School, and
• Dr. David Yoshihara - Principal of Piedmont High School.  

We have an outstanding administrative team, and I cannot wait to see what these wonderful educators will accomplish for our students, staff, and community.

Our staff and Board have been working hard this summer, including work on our facilities and approval of a parcel tax resolution.  The Witter Field renovation project will be completed on August 12th, and I cannot wait to attend our first home football game, August 30th, back on Witter.  We also completed roofing projects on the middle school buildings, Binks Gym, and the MHS/District Office building, along with interior upgrades to MHS, a new play structure at Beach, and HVAC on select campuses. Thanks to Pete Palmer, along with our maintenance and custodial staff for their great work. A closer look at the many facilities projects completed can be found HERE. Regarding the parcel tax resolution, our Board has approved replacing Measure H with a new parcel tax that will improve our ability to attract and retain high quality educators along with continued funding for advanced academic programs. In the coming weeks, you will receive more information about this measure, which will provide critical funding for our schools.

Part of my summer was spent reading about emerging important topics in education, including  Sal Khan’s new book on AI and education and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, which offers a deep dive into the effects of technology, including social media and cell phones, on the mental health of our students. We will explore these topics further in community meetings for parents, students, and staff throughout the school year.

Speaking of community meetings, I want to update you on our work to create additional opportunities for families to engage and collaborate on programs and key issues throughout this year.  Starting in September, our departments will host open meetings where families can join to share ideas with staff and students.  Dates to follow soon for meetings facilitated by the following administrators:

• Ruth Alahydoian - Budget Advisory Committee (BAC)

• Jean Fagin - Special Education Advisory Committee

• Ariel Dolowich - LCAP/Title IX/Curriculum Advisory Committees

• Jean Takazawa - Diversity Equity Inclusion & Belonging Council (DEIB)

• Stephanie Griffin - District Technology Advisory Committee (DTAC)

• Pete Palmer - Facilities Steering Committee (FSC)

• Jennifer Hawn - Superintendent’s Advisory Committee (SAC)

We are stronger together, and I look forward to partnering with our community in the year ahead.
 

Let’s Go, Piedmont!

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D.

Superintendent