Time for re-start at the school district office

The opportunity to hit the reset button for the Sonoma Valley Unified School District is here. The hiring of a new Superintendent is an opportunity that can give our education community a new, positive direction.

The turbulence of the last five years in the District Office has been a distraction from the real purpose of our schools: the students.

The hiring of Dr. Adrian Palazuelos is already sullied by online chatter about the sour ending he had with his previous school district, and that discussion has been a hot topic in the school community. But there are optimistic comments as well – such as about his impressive seven-year tenure at that last position. Do we slay the dragon (no pun intended) before it even becomes a threat, or do we support the Superintendent so he can bring his best to the job, helping us solve some of the serious issues our kids face in learning?

Is it more important to push our own agendas and ignore the real issues? With a large portion of our students struggling with math and reading, do we keep the focus on our adult bickering or do we come together to tackle the issues of extremely poor test outcomes, and let students benefit from a unified effort? 

Our community, state, and country are suffering the effects of division. Do we follow that path in our school district, or take a different path and be a model of how people can work together for something greater than themselves? Our kids’ futures are in the balance and our schools need leadership and support from all stakeholders in the district. 

Supporting our new Superintendent is essential – giving him the cooperation he needs to assess where we are, and to move forward, improving the areas where our students are being left behind. Let’s all move forward into the new school year with confidence and renewed hope.