Cambrian Superintendent Update
June 5, 2025
As we wrap up the 2024–25 school year, I want to take a moment to reflect on all that we have accomplished together and to thank you—our families—for your continued support, partnership, and trust.
This has been a year filled with growth, learning, and community connection. From the excitement of the first day of school to the achievements we’ve celebrated along the way—academic progress, social-emotional development, engaging performances, STEM projects, and so much more—our students have thrived thanks to the dedication of our outstanding teachers, staff, and your involvement at home.
We are especially proud of our students' resilience, creativity, and kindness. Whether they were solving complex problems in the classroom or showing compassion on the playground, they represented the best of what it means to be part of the Cambrian community.
Looking ahead, we are excited about the 2025–26 school year and the opportunities it will bring. Our team is already preparing for an even stronger year—focusing on high-quality instruction, student well-being, and inclusive practices that ensure every student feels valued and supported.
To our families of students who are moving on to new chapters—especially our 8th grade graduates—congratulations! We are proud of all you’ve accomplished and can’t wait to see where your journeys take you.
On behalf of the Cambrian School District, I wish you a restful, joyful summer filled with memorable moments. Thank you for being an essential part of our district’s success. We can’t wait to welcome you back in August!
With gratitude,
As our students grow and learn, their needs and access around technology also change. The home-school partnership is critical when it comes to supporting our students to use their digital resources in a healthy, safe, responsible way. This page is intended to provide parents with a list of curated and age-appropriate resources for supporting their child at home as their technology needs and access evolve.
Research shows that students lose significant math and reading skills over the summer break. While still playing and having fun this summer, there are things you can incorporate into your student's summer schedule to minimize this learning loss.
The next meeting of the Cambrian School Board will be held Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 7 p.m. Meetings are held in person at the Professional Development Center located at 4115 Jacksol Drive, San Jose, CA 95124 in Building 7, and can be viewed online as well. Agenda and login information will be available the week of the meeting. The meeting is open to the public.
On Tuesday, June 3, Cambrian School District will present its budget for the 2025–26 school year. Like many school districts across California, we are facing financial challenges as we transition out of the temporary, one-time funding provided during the pandemic. These funds were critical in helping us support students’ social-emotional well-being and academic recovery.
Unfortunately, the way school funding works in California means Cambrian receives significantly less funding than the average district in the state—and we are among the lowest-funded districts in Santa Clara County.
Despite these challenges, our top priority remains the success and well-being of our students. Our District has worked extremely hard to make necessary budget adjustments without laying off any staff. We remain committed to maintaining strong student support services and quality education for all.
Thank you for your continued support as we navigate these financial realities together.
We were able to come to the table following the governor’s May Budget Revision with both bargaining teams. Thank you to all our CDTA and CSEA bargaining teams for your ongoing partnership in supporting all employees.
CDTA
The negotiating teams met on May 16, 2025 for a full day of negotiations. Time was well spent reviewing information from the Governor’s May Revise and implications for Cambrian as well as review of costs to proposed options.
We discussed Article 6 - Compensation and health care benefits. The teams agreed to stretch negotiations into the following school year in order to evaluate the fiscal situation once the “books close” for the current school year. In the meantime, there was agreement to support an MOU aimed at increasing the district contributions towards health care for all cases as these costs continue to increase from our providers.
The teams generated options for Article 7 -Hours and Length of Work Year and Instructional Duties.
The teams also discussed Article 9 - Staffing and Class Size. We had some good conversation and will continue to look at this language in the fall. An MOU was proposed and agreed to for Preschool as it is not currently covered in the bargaining agreement.
We will continue an MOU for Back to School Night landing on Thursdays with an adjusted instructional day. We look forward to coming back to the table with CDTA in the fall of 25-26.
CSEA
The District and CSEA met on May 20, 2025. Dr. Pappalardo reviewed the Governor’s May Revise.
The teams discussed Article 11 - Salary and Article 13 - Benefits pausing negotiations until the fall to review the budget following the close of the year. The teams agreed to an MOU to increase the district contributions to health benefits for all groups to provide some offset of the rising costs from our providers.
There was conversation regarding providing a clear procedure for members to request vacation and receive responses. We also worked on some language clean-up in Article 9 - Vacations.
The teams reviewed the language added last year in Article 11 - Salary regarding Daily Living Requirements and the benefits/challenges experienced and discussed the new language. We look forward to returning to the table with the CSEA Bargaining Team in the fall.
