The board currently models bad behavior for our kids. Staff and district management don't trust each other. No confidence votes in leadership. People are not at the table where decisions are made. No wonder the community is not confident in the district.

High performing districts regularly spend 50% or more of their time on issues that are directly related to monitoring student achievement. PVUSD regularly spends less than 10% of board time on this most essential topic. There are many great teachers and some outstanding learning and achievement, but those are islands rather than representative of a systemwide commitment to student success

Decisions are often made in secrecy while study groups have unfinished business, and important people are not present for input and discussion. There is little transparency in budget and planning, or student achievement. Consultants are hired and renewed without clear definitions about scope of work and deliverables. The strategic plan has more "activity goals" and not enough "outcome goals".

I've watched budget debates and collective bargaining debates where different sides are using different information. Student programs are evaluated without data about accomplishments or regular progress reports. There are conflicting data platforms that prevent a coherent approach to using data to measure achievement. Students do not regularly have learning plans with benchmarks for progress.

The end of Covid funding, declining enrollment, and budget cuts led to large layoffs of counseling and support professionals. There was no clear commitment to the continuity of care for kids who need it. As of now (June 2026) there is no clear path or restructuring of contracts with non profit partners. This system needs to be restructured with sustainable partners to support student needs.