News Briefs | FYI
March 9, 2026
Celebrating Black History in Redlands USD
On Feb. 20, Redlands Unified School District in partnership with the District African American Parent Advisory Council (DAAPAC), hosted its annual Black History Month Celebration at Clement Middle School.
The Black History Month Celebration welcomed all families throughout the district, and brought together vendors, community organizations, and art from local elementary schools.
“What we want is for other people who are not Black to come to this space to learn about our children and our families, and how we can work together, because Black history is American history, and there is Black history here in Redlands,” shared DAAPAC President Juanita Watkins.
On Feb. 20, Redlands Unified School District in partnership with the District African American Parent Advisory Council, hosted its annual Black History Month Celebration at Clement Middle School.
Students participating in the “Hail the Taxi” presentation, where influential figures from Black American history got into a taxi and the audience had to guess who they were. Here, the taxi driver chats with Venus and Serena Williams.
CDE data show CA admins growing more diverse
California’s school administrators are becoming more diverse, according to a new analysis of state data.
The UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools has analyzed administrator workforce data from the California Department of Education — the first data of its kind available in six years — to identify trends in race/ethnicity, gender, education and experience among California principals and superintendents.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the most recent data available, California employs 28,780 administrators, up by about 2,000 from 2019-20, according to a brief on the data analysis.
While administrator numbers are increasing, the percentage of experienced administrators (defined as more than two years of experience), has been steadily declining since its peak in 2020-21.
The overall number and percentage of administrators of color has increased over a span of five years. Latine administrators represented the biggest increase since 2019-20, growing by more than 1,000 administrators. The number of Asian and Black administrators each grew by around 300.
The percentage of female administrators has also increased since 2019-20, from 63.97 percent of administrators to 66.86 percent of administrators in 2023-24.
The authors posit that there are likely multiple factors contributing to the diversification, including equity-focused state and district initiatives, mentorship programs, and residencies.
Turnover during the COVID-19 pandemic was also a factor, resulting in experienced teachers (which have grown more racially diverse) rising to fill administrator vacancies. Superintendent turnover rose from nearly 12 percent in 2019-20 to 20 percent the following year, leading to a large share of typically white, male leaders leaving the administrator workforce post-COVID.
The authors noted one limitation to the data is the inability to distinguish between various leadership roles, making it difficult to see role-specific trends and pathways.
Among the many recommendations, the authors suggest investing in administrator-centered research and needs assessments, noting that while organizations like ACSA surface insights from administrators, more could be done by the state.
“While some initiatives seem to be contributing to growth in administrators of color, sustained state investment and closer analysis of leadership pipelines and placement outcomes are needed to expand equitable access to principal and superintendent roles and to strengthen administrators’ impact on teachers, students, and the communities they serve,” the authors write.
Read more at https://transformschools.ucla.edu/research/who-leads-californias-schools-new-insights-from-statewide-administrator-data.
These Model SARBs help students show up
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond recently announced that 13 School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs) have been designated as model programs by the State SARB for exemplary practices that have contributed to reducing chronic absenteeism rates and improving student attendance.
“Helping students show up to school every day is one of the most powerful ways we can support their success — not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well — especially for our most vulnerable young people,” Thurmond said in a news release. “I’m truly grateful to each of our Model SARBs for stepping up to lead by example. Their willingness to share best practices and provide technical assistance to other SARBs, districts, and counties across California makes a real difference for students and families throughout our state.”
Model SARBs often provide sample materials, telephone consultation, and invitations to visit, see, and discuss the model SARB in person. Model SARBs may also be asked to present best practices through participation in webinars and in workshops at statewide and regional conferences.
The Model SARB Recognition Program identifies and recognizes multi-tiered school attendance improvement programs at the district or county level. This includes efforts to reduce the use of exclusionary school discipline practices of suspensions and expulsions and replace them with prevention efforts and positive alternative means of correction. Attendance interventions have been modified to address students in independent study and students in quarantines.
Thurmond convenes the State SARB, which brings together key agencies, professional organizations, and community partners for statewide policy coordination and personnel training to divert students with serious attendance and behavior problems from the juvenile justice system and reduce the number of dropouts in the state public education system.
The Model SARB Recognition awards will be presented at the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance State Conference on March 16-18, in Sacramento. For more information, visit www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/sb/modelrecognition.asp.
2026 Model SARBs and their chairpersons
Alvord Unified School District, Ian Fish (Riverside County).
Clovis Unified School District, Dan Moorhead (Fresno County).
Desert Sands Unified School District, Cathy Wuertz (Riverside County).
Jurupa Unified School District, Olga Alferez (Riverside County).
Kern High School District, Roberto De la Rosa Jr. (Kern County).
Lawndale Elementary School District, Alberto Paredes (Los Angeles County).
Lindsay Unified School District, Laura Cortes (Tulare County).
Orange Unified School District, Mark McLaughlin (Orange County).
Palm Springs Unified School District, Garrett Schaperjahn (Riverside County).
Santa Ana Unified School District, Joel Cruz (Orange County).
Upland Unified, Antonio Moreno (San Bernardino County).
Ventura County Office of Education, Mike Winters (Ventura County).
Ventura Unified School District, Vicky Yasenchok (Ventura County).
FYI
ACSA offers strike prep training to districts
Are you prepared? ACSA offers strike preparation training to school districts. The assistance includes step-by-step guidance on what to expect and how to prepare should a strike occur. Knowledge you can gain from participating in ACSA’s strike preparation assistance includes: legal issues regarding strikes; unprotected and protected concerted activity; roles and responsibilities; post strike procedures; communication and public relations; and more. Need subs? ACSA can reach out to recently retired members to announce your teacher sub opportunity. To make an appointment with an ACSA strike expert, please contact memberservices@acsa.org.
Immigration enforcement resources available on Hub
ACSA has compiled resources to help school leaders respond to potential immigration enforcement impacting students and families in California K-12 public schools. ACSA’s Resource Hub contains a growing library of resources to educate school leaders on the rights of undocumented individuals at content.acsa.org/immigration.
Summer food service applications open
Applications are now available for the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option, federally funded, state-administered programs that serve free meals to children 18 and younger when school is out of session. Organizations eligible to participate in Summer Meal Programs include schools, camps, nonprofits, Tribal governments, and government agencies. Applications are due by May 15, 2026. For more information visit, https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sf/index.asp.