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District Board

Message From the President

Message From the President

Dear Sierra Unified Community,
 
As we begin to settle into the new school year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past few months in the district. This summer, our school board added two new pivotal board goals for the coming year: improving communication district-wide and raising behavior expectations. These goals aim to form the foundation upon which we will build a stronger, more connected educational community.. Superintendent Jordan Reeves, who now wears the dual hats of both superintendent and junior/senior high principal, is moving forward with these new goals, and has set the stage for a strong and successful  year ahead.
 
This year marks a few other changes on our campuses.  We're thrilled to welcome 27 new staff & faculty members to Sierra Unified this year, ensuring that our classrooms are fully staffed and ready to provide an enriching educational experience. Our commitment to excellence and innovation is evident in the addition of new high school classes, including Floral Design, ROP Sports Medicine, and AP Environmental Science.
 
At the junior high level, students have expanded access to additional tutoring and academic support within the school day. This program, based on the very successful intervention program (REI) at the elementary level, was piloted last year in grade 7 and now will run for both 7th and 8th grades. 
With our new goal of raising expectations for behavior, we have also implemented a new student success room at the junior high, a smaller group setting with counseling support to give students tools and practice with managing their own behavior.  As always, your feedback is invaluable, and we'll be actively seeking input from our dedicated staff, students, and supportive community to assess the effectiveness of these efforts.
 
Over on the Foothill campus, we're setting our sights on building school spirit like never before. Our students have eagerly participated in the first of six school-wide rallies, igniting a renewed sense of pride in our Eagle community.  Cross country, volleyball and flag football are underway at the elementary school as well as an active after-school program.
 
In our pursuit of academic excellence, we haven't forgotten the importance of our school facilities. We've taken a significant step forward by addressing our aging 1960s (and older) electrical infrastructure, thanks, in part to Covid funds and various grants. This crucial upgrade not only protects our students' learning environment but also is critical to next steps for improved ventilation, heating and cooling systems, and safety throughout our campus. This will be a major focus in the coming year.
 
With fall around the corner, we're embracing the excitement of fall sports, including girls golf, tennis, volleyball, water polo, cross country, and football, all in full swing. Plus, the Fresno Fair in October will have an excellent showing from our students in 4H and FFA.  Our very supportive Sierra Foundation will host their annual fundraiser the 2023 Polo Fest on October 7.  In the last year, Sierra Foundation awarded over $42,000 in small grants to classrooms, plus scholarships and several larger grants to sports and club programs.
 
Mark your calendars for September 29th and join us for the homecoming football game against Riverdale Christian. Let's come together to celebrate "A Great Day to be a Chieftain."  ASB students and clubs are actively putting together their floats to entertain between the JV and Varsity games (games start at 5pm)
 
Thank you for your unwavering support and commitment to the success of our students. Together, we can make this school year truly memorable for everyone!
 
Warm regards,
Cortney Burke
Board President
Sierra Unified School District
the role of the school board

  
the role of the school board

The role of the school board is to ensure that school districts are responsible to the values and beliefs, and priorities of the communities. Boards fulfill this role by performing five major responsibilities: setting direction, establishing an effective and efficient structure, providing support, ensuring accountability, and providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district, and public schools.

Our authority as school board members is only as we sit as a board, and by majority decision of the board. Individually, we have no authority. Additionally, the school board has only one employee – the superintendent. A good way to consider the role of the governance team of the district is that we are the direction-setters, taking the input of the educational professionals and setting the “what” for the district. Our superintendent, while part of the governance team, is the “how”, and determines how the “what” is accomplished. The school board does not determine the how.
thoughts and ideas

The community elects their school board to be their voice in the local school district. We appreciate your input and support! There are many ways to provide this input. Informally, you are welcome to share thoughts and ideas with us at school functions, or when you see us at the grocery store!

A more formal way to provide input or share your thoughts is by attending the school board meetings and speaking during public comment at the beginning of each meeting. Board meetings are held monthly on the second Monday at 5:00pm, with workshops typically held the fourth Monday of the month at 5:00pm. While we cannot comment or take action during public comment, you will have three minutes to share your comments and have an audience of the entire board.

attend board meetings
other ways to be involved

Our district has many other ways you can be involved. We have Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) meetings, parent clubs, school site councils, various community input committees, and online surveys. We encourage everyone to please take the time to get involved! If you are unable to attend meetings in person, you can review board agendas, minutes and links to the podcasts we post of each meeting and workshop here on the website, as well as find information available on social media.

Board of Trustees

 
Cortney Burke
 
Ben Kimbler
 
James Hoak
 
Carolyn Capps
 
Ginger Cardoza
 
Connie Schlaefer
 
Wes Qualls

board members

Past and Upcoming regular board meeting dates

Past and Upcoming regular board meeting dates

January 22, 2024
February 12, 2024
March 11, 2024
April 8, 2024
May 13, 2024
June 10, 2024
July 8, 2024
August 12, 2024
September 9, 2024
October 14, 2024
November 4, 2024
December 9, 2024