2023-2024 End of Year Message

Dear PYLUSD Students, Staff, Parents, and Community Members,

This week marks the conclusion of another successful school year in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD). As we embark on summer recess, I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate some of the outstanding accomplishments (outlined below) we have achieved together in our ongoing commitment to Putting Kids First.

To our nearly two thousand PYLUSD graduates, I wish you great success in all your endeavors. We have full confidence in your abilities and we are excited to see what the future holds for each of you.

In the 2023-24 academic year, we successfully opened two new preschools at Bryant Ranch and Wagner. We will be opening three additional preschools for the 2024-25 academic year at Glenview, Tynes, and Morse.

We have achieved an increase in enrollment, with over 400 new students signed up to join us for the 2024-25 academic year compared to the 2023-24 academic year.

We initiated the first State of the School District event, organized superintendent community advisory committees, distributed Monday Messages via email, actively engaged with the PTA Council and REACH Foundation, attended city council meetings, and maintained active membership in Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce.

We have added a School Resource Officer (SRO) to Esperanza High School, ensuring that every comprehensive high school in our district now has an assigned officer on campus.

We announced the opening of the Orange County School of Computer Science (OCSCS) for the 2024-25 academic year. OCSCS is a new district charter school specializing in computer science for students in grades 6-8. It has resulted in the addition of over 200 students to Bernardo Yorba Middle School’s enrollment as they transition to OCSCS.

We have established the Universal Sports Institute (USI) at Parkview School and successfully secured a California Golden State Pathway Program Grant to help fund it. USI will open in the 2024-25 academic year. Learn more at usi.pylusd.org.

Through our adult transition program, Venture Academy, we created a special education employment program called Placentia-Linda Upward Success (PLUS). To date, we have successfully hired three students to work in PYLUSD!

We established a new diploma-bound program for special education students called PYLUSD Advance. Three students successfully graduated with their high school diplomas thanks to the addition of this program.

We developed a complimentary after-school intervention program, aimed at helping over 4,000 students reach grade-level proficiency. These five, four-week intervention cycles under the guidance of approximately 200 dedicated teacher facilitators involved an approximate investment of $582,000 and encompassed 8,670 hours of instructional support!

We are committed to attracting and retaining exceptional educators, evidenced by the receipt of over 300 teacher applications for positions within PYLUSD.

• We successfully passed the district's first multi-year contract with our employees in many years, providing them with raises and bonuses while ensuring a long-term fiscal budget for our board.
• We increased compensation for special education aides by over 15% to enhance our competitiveness in hiring and to honor their invaluable contributions.

We initiated a Fentanyl Awareness Program for all high school students commencing in October 2023. Additionally, we augmented NARCAN supplies across our schools and facilitated comprehensive training for staff to support its administration.

We bolstered our Middle School Athletics Programs by adding more sports and scrimmage opportunities, serving thousands of students. Middle schoolers had the chance to participate in basketball, track and field, wrestling, cross country, and volleyball.

We have ensured that all 5th and 6th-grade students are provided the opportunity to participate in an overnight outdoor camp experience. This inclusive initiative allows elementary students to engage in this culminating experience, irrespective of their financial circumstances.

We can’t wait to see what excitement the 2024-25 year holds! On behalf of the Board of Education, we hope you have the opportunity to recharge, enjoy yourself, and spend quality time with your loved ones during a summer recess filled with sunshine and joy.

Respectfully,

Dr. Alex Cherniss

Superintendent of Schools

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

Putting Kids First

acherniss@pylusd.org

June 13, 2024 — Last Day of the 2023-2024 School Year

June 18, 2024 — Board of Education Meeting

August 27, 2024 — First Day of the 2024-2025 School Year