Behind the Scenes - June 3, 2025

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Timothy “Chip” Dale, Ed.D., has been appointed as the district’s next deputy superintendent of schools and student support. He’ll assume the role starting June 23, pending board approval. He currently serves as a community superintendent at Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee.

“I am looking forward to joining San Juan Unified and excited to be part of a district that leads with purpose and puts students at the center,” said Dale. “I look forward to working alongside dedicated educators, staff, families and the broader community to support every student’s success and build on the district’s strong foundation.”

As the deputy superintendent of schools and student support, Dale will oversee and support elementary and secondary education and educational services. He will directly supervise Special Education, Professional Learning and Curriculum Innovation and Assessment, Evaluation and Planning.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chip to San Juan Unified. His depth of experience, commitment to equity and student-centered leadership make him a strong leader for our district. I’m confident he will be a valuable partner as we continue advancing the goals of our strategic plan and working to ensure every student is empowered to succeed,” said Superintendent Melissa Bassanelli.

Before serving at Hamilton County Schools, Dale served as a regional instructional superintendent with Denver Public Schools and as a principal in the San Diego Unified School District. Chip enjoys spending time with his wife and teenage daughter, spending time outdoors and trying out new recipes.

Daniel Thigpen has been appointed as the permanent chief of human resources, pending board approval.

Thigpen has been serving as the acting chief of human resources since late March 2025 and previously served as the executive director of labor relations and government affairs at the district. Before his time at San Juan Unified, Thigpen served as the deputy superintendent of public instruction, communications branch, at the California Department of Education.

“I’m honored to continue serving San Juan Unified in this new role and to support the incredible people who make our schools thrive,” said Thigpen. “Our team is committed to building strong partnerships, advancing equity and ensuring every employee feels valued and empowered to do their best work on behalf of students.”

In addition to overseeing the human resources department, Thigpen will continue to oversee labor relations in the district.

“Daniel brings a deep understanding of both the human and strategic sides of leadership. I’m confident he will continue to build strong relationships and systems that support every employee in helping our students succeed,” said Superintendent Melissa Bassanelli.

San Juan Unified School District is honored and proud to recognize Shannon Faltermier and Haley Zerr as the 2026 Teachers of the Year.

Teachers at San Juan Unified are the foundation of education for the next generation of post-secondary students and professionals. Both teachers have made significant contributions to the district and are committed to setting their students up for academic success.

Read more about Faltermier and Zerr.

Changes designed to better align services and supports for student outcomes, build greater cohesion and improve efficiency across the system and to strengthen charter school oversight were announced within the Division of Teaching and Learning this week.

Key changes include:

• Unifying Before/After School and Extended Learning Programs - Before and after school programs and expanded learning opportunities (Bridges, ELO-P) will join with Early Childhood Education led by a Director II. This shift will help ensure we maximize the use of ELO-P funds and programs for students while providing leadership in the development of instruction Pre-K through third grade. The director II position is a new position in the district replacing the soon-to-be-vacant program manager of ECE position and will post shortly pending board approval.

• Expanding School Supervision and Charter Oversight - The director of LCAP and continuous improvement position will be redirected to create a fourth schools director. This change is intended to provide more focused support to schools and school leaders and also enable schools directors to assist with the district’s charter school oversight duties. The work of developing the LCAP will move to the Office of Student Learning Assistance (OSLA).

• Maximizing Support for Multilingual Learners and Student Groups - To help better align our efforts to support student groups:

• Our multilingual learner office and foster youth program will report to the director of equity and student achievement. This includes the district’s newcomer support team, multilingual learner and American Indian education programs with the intent of creating greater opportunities for supporting student needs.
• Support of student advocacy and support groups will be consolidated with the equity team including Learning Communities for Schools Success Program (LCSSP), San Juan Youth Advocates and support for Black Student Unions which are currently supported by the student support services department.
• To align delivery of programs and services, prevention programs will join with the MTSS department while supports for interventions including Navigate360 and SCIAs will move to student support services.

The district’s TK-8 math curriculum review committee has narrowed our selection down to four options and will team up with the pilot committee for an in-depth look at each. Only the top two will be recommended for pilot in the new school year. Once the pilot is in progress, community members (including teachers not on the review committee) can view the programs and share their feedback on www.sanjuan.edu/curriculum.

Further updates will be added to this internal document. With so many of us invested in what’s chosen and how decisions are made, our goal is to make the process as open and transparent as possible. The document will be updated throughout the process.

We’re still looking for feedback from all teachers about their experience with TalkingPoints. Whether you're a frequent user or haven't tried it at all, your input is valuable and will help us improve support for school-to-home communication.

If you haven’t completed the short survey yet, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts.

Take the survey here.

Last week, we celebrated the incredible growth and dedication of our Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) cohort at a culminating event. Cohort members invited guests that included peers, site administrators, students and family. It was an evening of celebration, learning, and reflection.

As we reflect on our learning journey, we’re also looking ahead to next year’s cohort.

• Are the ideas from BTC resonating with you or someone you know?

• Are you ready to take the next step in transforming your classroom?

• Did you engage in a learning team, book study, or other learning and want support to take the first step? Join us!

Our upcoming 2025-26 cohort is designed to support you in implementing BTC practices with the tools, materials and guidance you need to get started on day one. For more details, check out the cohort flyer. If you're interested in joining, be sure to watch the recording of the informational session, and apply by completing the form.

If you have any questions or want more information, don’t hesitate to reach out to Liz Julienne.

Check out the latest issues of these department/program newsletters:

FACE Forum newsletter - Inside this month's newsletter, you'll find summer resources and events for families and staff, summer community supports, partnership highlights, summer programs and more.

Humanities Happenings: Secondary ELA/HHS Newsletter - Check out the June edition of the Humanities Happenings for information on cohort opportunities, summer professional learning with the California HSS Project, digital access to the new San Juan Unified literary magazine and more.