I am writing to share some bittersweet news about changes within our leadership team.
I am sad to inform you that Dr. Douglas Harter, Director of Special Education, and Sukanya Goswami, Principal of Piedmont High School, informed us last week that they will be pursuing new opportunities outside of our organization next year. Last fall we received a resignation from Erin Igoe, who is moving to Nevada later this year. Several weeks ago, we also received news that Bradley Smet, Athletic Director, will also be leaving us at the end of the school year. All three will serve through June 30, 2024.
Sukanya, Douglas, Erin, and Bradley have been instrumental in driving our organization forward, each contributing unique talents and insights that have shaped our success. Their dedication, hard work, and leadership have left an indelible mark on our team.
Over the last two years, Sukanya has initiated changes in curriculum, grading practices, the career and counseling program, use of Academy time, along with changes to school practices and policies. Sukanya has also been a strong collaborator with the Parent Club, staff and community. Sukanya will be taking time to finish her doctorate next year.
During his tenure, Douglas has accomplished a number of Board objectives, including the design and implementation of the CEC program on campus, bringing back PUSD students to our schools. He has also worked with families on designing appropriate services at all of our campuses, finding the balance between rising costs and instructional programs that help students thrive. Douglas will be retiring at the end of this school year.
Bradley came to PUSD in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, and managed the incredibly difficult task of offering athletics with the additional health and safety requirements mandated by the department of public health. Bradley also worked with staff to increase athletics offerings to our girls, including Beach Volleyball and Flag Football, also serving in a coaching capacity for both sports.
Erin came to PUSD in 2018 to serve as Assistant Principal at PHS. Erin came to PUSD with extensive high school experience, including service as a teacher and an administrator. She has provided outstanding service, including curriculum and instruction, MTSS, and student services. She has a wonderful relationship with our students and will be missed.
Sukanya, Douglas, Erin, and Bradley have demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of our PUSD goals. While we are saddened by their departure, we respect their decisions and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors. We are actively working on plans to post for these important positions, and we will keep our staff and community updated on our progress.
Please join me in expressing our sincere gratitude to Sukanya, Douglas, Erin, and Bradley for their many contributions to our organization. Their presence will be deeply missed, and we are grateful for their service.
February 28th Board Meeting & March 4th Special Board Meeting
You may have noticed that we have adjusted our Board agenda for the February 28th Board meeting, delaying the layoff resolutions until the March 4th Board meeting (7PM at the Alan Harvey Theater, Drama Room). Below is a summary of how these changes came about.
In an effort to explore all options, we will hold a discussion of the Measure H parcel tax at the February 28th Board meeting before we finalize reductions of staffing at the March 4th Board meeting. As you know, we have a list of reductions that we will need to make in order to adjust our budget for declining enrollment and to offer the proposed 9% salary increase over three years to our labor partners. All groups are included in the proposed reductions, including administration, classified, and certificated staff.
Regardless of the incredible financial support provided by our community through PEF fundraising and our parcel tax revenue, we must adjust our staffing and budget due to declining enrollment. Simply put, we are getting smaller.
I want to thank our staff and parents who have reached out with ideas and questions about what the reductions could look like. We need this kind of collaborative thinking on how we can ensure the highest quality programs. At this point, change is essential, as our budget cannot sustain our current programs and our efforts to offer competitive compensation increases to our staff. We must change.
The Measure H Parcel Tax discussion on 2/28 is an effort to consider a combined approach to our financial path forward in PUSD. We still need to make reductions to adjust our budget; however, we will not likely be able to reduce enough to offer the competitive compensation increases that our labor partners are proposing. Remember, APT has rejected our 9% offer over three years. An increase to Measure H would enable the District to offer improved compensation and slow down on some of the staffing reductions, scheduled for March 4th.
In summary, we are exploring every option to adjust our budget according to our declining enrollment and to offer our staff competitive compensation increases. We will update the community on the parcel tax discussion held on February 28th and any changes to budget reductions on March 4th.
Piedmont Unified School District
Email: communication@piedmont.k12.ca.us
Website: www.piedmont.k12.ca.us
Location: 760 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, CA, USA
Phone: 510-594-2600