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Stakeholder Input Report for

Newark Unified

School District

Newark, California

submitted by

April 2020

11725 Arbor Street, Ste. 220 Omaha, Nebraska 68144

Phone: 888-375-4814/402-991-7031 Fax: 402-991-7168

Email: [email protected] Website: www.macnjake.com

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Stakeholder Input to the Search for a Superintendent

Newark Unified School District

April 3-9, 2020

From April 3 to April 8 and May 1 to 8 consultants Mr. William Huyett and Daniel Moirao

conducted one-on-one and small group meetings with district stakeholders on-line.

They received input from approximately 66 individuals in these groups and 108 additional

responses to the online survey. Input was gathered regarding the selection of a new

superintendent for the District using four consistent questions listed below.

The final section of the report consists of responses by individuals who completed the online

survey and responded to the same four questions. These survey comments are reported

unchanged as written by the respondents with the exception of omission of vulgarity and

individual names.

Executive Summary

1. Tell us what is good about your community.

• Small, tightly knit community

• People have a long history with the district

• Warm, caring and friendly people

• There is housing growth in the district

• People pitch in to help each other

2. Tell us what is good about the District and the schools.

• Internally staff like each other

• There is a good staff, both classified and certificated

• We get to solutions quickly, there are not several levels of bureaucracy.

• Loyalty of the staff

• Most staff have been here for a long time, many went to school here

• There is a willingness to pull together in a crisis (Covid 19)

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3. What are the issues a new superintendent should know about when coming to this

position?

• Budget; qualified status

• Upper level management is not highly experienced, not well seasoned

• We need a leader who can help us make tough decisions

• There is not a sense of team between the district and the schools.

• There is a lack of trust between the district and it’s employees

• Too much turnover in some principal positions such as the high school

• Frequent change in turnover of the superintendent has resulted in constant change of programs

with no evaluation of results

• Healing is needed, not everyone is treated fairly or equitably

• We need to create better teams

• There is a culture of the survival of the fittest instead of fairness based on performance for

principals and administration

• There is the perception that loud community voices have too much influence on decisions at

the Board and superintendent level.

• Classified staff do not have an equal voice in discussions and decisions.

• There is a lack of collaboration

4. What are the characteristics, attributes and skills the new superintendent should have to

be successful in this position?

• A healer

• Someone who will build morale and trust

• Someone who will build upon past successes instead of bringing in their own new programs

• A person who has students first

• Someone who knows how to work with the Board

• Is inclusive and equitable

• Can listen to and manage outspoken individuals from the community

• A person with good follow through

• Straight forward and tactful

• An effective communicator; can market the schools to the community

• Values all employees

• Highly visible in the schools

• Someone who helps everyone around them get better

• Someone who can put problems out there with solutions that are supported by good staff work

and are acted upon

• Builds trust through good decision-making

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Group Responses

Executive Cabinet (2 people)


• Small enough to know each other

• There is a lot of potential for program partnerships

• There is a potential for the community to pass facility bond measures

• They are involved and want the best for students

• Welcoming, caring, and friendly

• They want to adopt you, want to have you become part of Newark, they are thankful you

chose Newark

• Friendly and focused Board, they are committed

• There is support for high quality education

2. Tell us what is good about your district and schools.

• A lot of good potential for program improvement

• Potential for good labor employee relationships

• Staff model good behaviors of having a vision that is good for students

• When we do things right we are able to accomplish things faster than a big district

• Can see plans come to fruition

• A lot of employees grew up and live in Newark


position?

• Budget, deficit spending, declining enrollment, and a structural deficit

• Change overs in executive cabinet: new CBO, superintendent every two years

• Lots of community issues at the Board Meetings, community finds what is wrong rather than

what we can do to solve problems

• Schools are under capacity by as much as 50%; we have been talking about closing schools

but have not gotten it done but have made some recent progress

• Schools not running at efficient sizes

• Some processes need to be reviewed for effectiveness and efficiency (I.e. classified must be

paid time and a half to work during a crisis, custodial formulas)

• Facilities are in bad condition, need a new bond

• Salaries are not competitive, but we have made some resent progress, TA with NTA

• Trust issues, there are well intended people but we spend a lot of time convincing others

because of lack of trust

• There has been a loss of faith in the leader because of lack of trust

• The community says things promised have not happened hurting trust, and relationships

• Everything revolves around the trust issues

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4. What are the characteristics, attributes and skills the new superintendent should have

to be successful in this position?

• We need a superintendent with strong leadership skills with staff and community

• Be able to work with the new Board, needs a lot of experience working with Board members

• Someone we can trust, has integrity and good values, honest

• Can deal with difficult community members

• Being able to establish positive relationship with employee groups

• Someone we can look up to

• Someone who we do not have to train, need experience in all aspects of school district,

instructional and management

• Not a micro manage but can guide and direct, not tell me step by step how to do my work

• Can surround themselves with really good people

• Is respected and trusted

• Someone who has mutual respect for our expertise

• Must be someone who will made decisions and give recommendations to the Board

• Someone who can bring us together, has the creativity to do so

• This is a unique district that is demanding the best from us

• Brings fresh ideas and challenges us with a vision

• Someone that can develop a plan that will focus us and bring us together

• Open and friendly, but firm and assertive

• Someone who will become part of our community

• Someone who can cultivate relationships with our employee groups

Classified Management (12 people)


• It’s a small community; family like, everybody knows everybody

• This is a close knit community

• The city is growing

• Employees live here, they are loyal and committed to the schools and community

• Lot’s of parent participation

• Lots of community involvement

• Even parents of graduates continue to stay involved

• There is a feeling of camaraderie

• Community can get more involved in gathering financial commitments

• The community is very involved: want to know what is going on, be informed, participation

• Many of the employees live in the community, very involved, small community, small town

mentality of support

• Willing to participate and be part of the solution

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• Because we are small we work closely with everyone

• Smallness allows for quicker solutions

• Not layers of hierarchy

• Dedication of employees

• Loyal employees

• Camaraderie, everyone is part of the team vs. us versus them, everyone is working together to

get what needs to be done.

• Size allows for finding solutions sooner,

• There is a feeling of wanting to work together.

• Lots of good teachers

• Lots of dedicated teachers, been there a long time, teacher longevity

• Teachers have a sense of loyalty

• Lot of the staff live in Newark, want students to succeed and do what is best for students

• Not just teachers are loyal all staff and management

• Staff tends to become a tight community, promotes commitment to the community

• We build a strong community


position?

• District is in qualified status, structural budget deficit exists

• The executive cabinet is not well seasoned, HR in second year, CBO new, Student Services

new

• Superintendent needs to know this district needs to heal. People did not feel supported in prior

year.

• Need to get trust back and that we are going to do this together

• People need to be valued

• Rebuilding of trust

• Serious fragmentation and damage to bargaining groups, needs to be rebuilt

• Put the management team back together

• Bonds haven’t been spent; surprised at how much wasn’t spent

• Somebody is needed with financial experience

• Still in negotiations with CSEA, a bit contentious

• NTA TA’d on everything; NTA cannot ratify due to bylaws, in limbo

• Definitely have a district in financial struggles

• Lots of healing needed among all bargaining units “We have got a District of schools and not

a School District.”

• Nobody is working collaboratively

• It is survival of the fittest

• No trust among anybody or within departments

• Lack of respect for classified staff, needs to be a value on classified staff

• Lots of damage over the last couple of years

• We have a lot of new people; example, CBO five years, then new person, now a brand new

person

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• Listen to the classified

• People on the current Board have children in our schools which is a good thing but we need a

superintendent who can help the board to understand the laws, expectations. Teach them

about how a district operates different from the corporate world

• Help guide the board together, put the community together

• The superintendent needs to be able to manage the outspoken individuals in the community

• Classified management needs some TLC

• Need a people person like a prior Superintendent

• Make classified feel valued

• Classified management feels dismissed

• Not seasoned cabinet members, financial situation is qualified

• There is an issue that maybe facilities are not up to standard despite unspent bond money.

• Recent superintendents have started out with lots of energy and enthusiasm but then fade out

and end up not being able to work with the board.

• Superintendent and Board relationships need to be built. Want long relationship with the

Board.

• The Board is new and superintendent will need to build the connections early

• Need follow-through with all departments, make certain we follow-through once a decision is

made

• Lack of decisions

• Our district is seen as a stepping stone for past superintendents. There is no sense of stability

with a superintendent.

• Need someone to openly communicate with the board

• Need to collaborate with the board

• Not confrontational at board meetings

• District is in declining enrollment,

• We have not had a board that wants to make hard decisions to turn our finances around and get

to a stable financial point.

• The same message has come from various CBO’s that changes need to be made but the Board

is not making the hard decisions to do so. This is not new in Newark.

• We need support from cabinet to get board to make the decisions needed

• Need to implement decisions to correct financial problems

• Facilities are needed to be attended to, they are old!

• Mandate mentality. Haven’t had the financial stability to put money where it is needed

• We keep providing information and then no follow-through, a decision must be made

• Band-aid mentality cannot continue

• Going for the lower bids is not helpful. Then the follow-through with those vendors and no-

one to back to the contractors, because it wasn’t in the scope of work. No one followed

through with the contractors and held them accountable.

• Quite often with a new Superintendent, they bring their own crew in upper management. They

start changing things that we have in place and have been implemented for a while. We

should be working with what we are.

• Frequent turnover results in constant change of new initiatives

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• A collaborative leader

• Somebody who is motivational, dynamic to pull us out of the pit we are in

• Someone to build morale

• Has some successes

• Make our students first and foremost of why we are here

• Student centered and desires student success

• Someone who will have us live our mission statement

• Will have a focus on student success and is student centered

• Someone who follows through

• Tell me what I need to know, be straightforward

• Honesty and follow-through

• Vision to go with that mission and the goals

• Experience would be nice

• Demonstrated track record of bringing a school up to higher standards

• Experience in California

• Vested in our district

• Ideal to have superintendent with some HR background; some knowledge of bargaining

agreements and negotiations

• Someone who will build trust with the teacher’s union and administration

• Somebody that is inclusive of all groups

• Very diverse in Newark, someone who can be inclusive

• Need a sense of humor

• Motivator, dynamic, builds morale,

• Lives the mission and has the vision to implement,

• Has good follow-through,

• Someone straightforward and tactful with a demonstrated track record

• Who sets a clear vision for the district, works with the board to set vision and goals and gets

those accomplished

• Instructional leader

• Effective communicator

• Follow-through with commitments

• Experienced with school closures

• Someone who recognizes all levels of staff and students

• All levels of staff need to be acknowledged, valuing classified employees

• Ability to determine where students are going!

• Someone who can market the district

• New homes in city: condos, single family, $800,000 homes . . . how do we market them, what

instructional programs are being promoted.

• Strong in education

• Connection building with staff and Board, without -- nothing happens.

• Works well with the board and works with the decision of the board.

• Stop being reactionary

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• Be a collaborator and communicator

• Board needs to know they are being supported by the Superintendent

• Thoughtful reactions, solutions

• Someone open to every level of idea. A listener.

• Someone who is pragmatic, creative, who can promote the programs we have. Who knows

innovative practices, who enables the board to make effective decisions.

• Somebody who can put problems out there with solutions that are then supported and act

upon. Balance public opinion with staff time. Who prevents paralysis of the district staff who

must respond to input. Leader who is an influencer and a healer!

CSEA (7 people)


• Small community, can go anywhere and see people I know

• A community that pulls together

• We are the heart of the Fremont area

• Everyone is involved in many ways, tight community

• Many communities within our community, community that looks out for each other

• Growing up here, having gone through the schools, we know each other we get together even

in tough times

• We even have the grandchildren attending our schools. It is like Mayberry!

• Members of the community and businesses will help the schools and find ways to help.

• Businesses help with fundraising

• Stable little town!


• Incredible staff that pulls together.

• Parents want the best for their children and willing to do what is necessary to help

• Classified at our site are held in high esteem

• At our site, classified are part of the staff and are included; we are asked for advice and look

for understanding

• Classified works well with the community as a whole

• Works well with the community, allowing community to use playground equipment

• Helpful staff when I call

• Offices are understaffed, but there is a willingness to help

• We are vested in our students’ full career, not just our own

• Students are top priority for classified staff

• Staff empower our students, student council, fundraisers, athletics


position?

• Deficit spending

• Not using reports that they spend over $400,000 on consultants

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• They keep cutting classified staff, they cut us and hire more teaching staff without us in the

support roles

• Priority in spending

• No evaluation in LCAP programs that are being implemented

• It is getting harder and harder to get my job done, due to cuts in other areas

• Communicate with us

• Consider our input

• I am an integral part of the district just like everyone else

• The superintendent needs to know what is going on

• Stop the revolving door of superintendents

• Need a leader to tackle the critical issues, like the deficit we have. We need to count on our

superintendent to communicate to the board about the issue

• There are some top heavy salary wise administrators who aren’t doing the work

• Do not leave our students behind, close the achievement gap between general education and

special education

• Need parent involvement and get their opinions. Need to hear all voices

• Not having the revolving door . . . do the critical investigation for a new superintendent

• Need a superintendent who will stick around

• The board and the superintendent have not been a good match for each other; each blamed the

other

• Need clear definition of the roles between the superintendent and the board

• Morale is bad right now, due to the last two superintendents. Get morale up

• Respect issue, one past superintendent would meet with us once a month

• Acting Superintendent sent out message with NTA voice, but not the classified voice. This

showed a lack of respect for classified staff

• Even today certificated employees are being asked for their questions, but not classified

employees

• Are they really listening to us?

• Sometimes the district puts things into play and then begs for forgiveness, like not honoring

the contract.



• Honest

• Transparent

• Follow-through

• Collaborative

• Create relationships with bargaining unit

• A feeling they will negotiate with us until they settled with the teachers

• In negotiations administrators are looking at their watches and their phones, eye rolls,

• Value based bargaining. Do not to do a “me too clause”

• They look at us that we are a waste of time in bargaining. The district team leader is

constantly looking at her watch

• Ethical

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• Go to bat for us with the Board

• None of the board members know what we do,

• Track record, (proven)

• Vetted in our district and wants to come to us and be successful

• Be visible

• Live locally so that they can go to different events

• Value the staff with bottom up leadership

• Community focused

• Fiscal responsibility

• Open the door for CSEA

Secondary Administration (4 people)


• We are small community, everyone knows everyone

• Community has a strong voice (Texas of the East Bay)

• Community that loves to give back

• Small and tight knit community, one junior high school and one high school

• Level of parent involvement is higher

• Overwhelming number of parents care about kids

• It is an old community with deep roots (long serving Mayor). As a result we work together

well.

• High expectations to be deeply involved.


• Allows for easier transition from junior high to high school

• High school has positive feel for the community

• With one junior high school and high school easier to get things done

• Good articulation between junior high and high school

• Ability to articulate, not been done . . .

• Potential to be very articulation


position?

• Lacking structure for articulation

• Need mentorship

• Constant turnover at district office even here at high school and people are moving on before

we can get started

• Six high school principals in last decade

• Sustained effective leadership is how we get over our hump

• Communication, we should be the best in communication

• The common message is not getting out there, big items and smaller issues

• A lot more vertical articulation

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• Elementary language, junior high school language, HS language . . . no common language

• Needs to see whole picture and get everyone on the same page

• Let’s all speak the same language

• There has been little instructional leadership; shotgun approach

• Very little or consistency or leadership about instruction

• High school left to own devices

• A past superintendent communicated a vision, not necessarily implemented, but

communicated. That is not present now

• Increase morale while focusing on academics and budget. When your people are happy they

will work hard for you. A past superintendent’s was able to create a pride to work in Newark

• Advantage to being on your own at sites, but across the district it doesn’t work for students

• Community voice is huge. We need to balance community voice, the truth and the knowledge

at each level

• HR is an issue: Hiring and support of hires, HR department is punitive in our district

• New people need to be brought onboarded correctly and supported wisely

• Healing is needed

• Competition with neighboring school districts

• What do we need to know is that folks are happy and want to stay here

• Need to post jobs as quickly as possible

• Need to be competitive in hiring

• Need to have good screening process

• What supports do we need to provide for students to be successful

• People want to believe that Newark is a destination district but we are not. We are a stepping

stone district.

• If you are not going to pay well, be certain to provide people a sense of belonging

• As a site administrator I want stability

• We as a leadership team needs to be supported by the superintendent

• Manage gossip, especially in a small district. Know the parameters of communication, who

needs to know, and what is or is not said behind closed doors

• A smaller district needs to cut its niche. Continuity is essential for the long term



• Be able to share communication with everyone

• A leader invested in all levels, Experience with all levels

• Integrity

• Decisive (repeated)

• Inclusive

• Communicative

• Instructional leadership

• Supports principals (administration) I am going to trust that you know how to do your job

• Knows this community, be aware of the community and become part of the community

• Boost and sustains morale

• Know secondary schools, knows about credits,

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• How to support an alternative site, not used as a dumping site

• Likes kids! It is a value.

• Knows how to lead a team (especially in the district office)

• Be able to communicate a message so everyone knows what is going on., No one knows how

decisions are made.

• Forward thinking

• Authentically leading a team

• Believes that students are first and make that an expectation of all.

• Talks about students first

• Be visible

• We should not feel like an island unto itself at our sites

• Can make a decision with the fortitude to move forward.

• Knows all secondary.

Newark Teachers Association (9 people)


• Close knit, families are great. Everyone related to everyone and cares about everybody

• Very diverse,

• Families stay in Newark

• Lots of staff who send their students to Newark schools

• Lots of stability in the community

• Community likes how small our community is.

• Community pride

• Tight-knit, small-town feel

• Community is growing, hundreds of new homes

• The level of community engagement with upper level administration.

• There is a vocal minority, they show up at every Board meeting. The broader community is

not involved in the decision making.

• With new housing will families move in?

• High level of trust between parents and teachers, especially at elementary level

• When asked, parents will help their teachers


• Resiliency in staff because of lots of turnover; a lot of commanders

• Very resilient. Lot of people come through, we know how to hunker down and get things done

without anyone’s help.

• Newark teachers are the most dedicated and caring teachers ever

• 25% of teachers live in Newark, greater % of classified staff

• Teachers have lots of buy-in because they live in the community

• Because so many staff live in community it supports community pride

• Teachers will do what they need to do what is right for students, with the right leader

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• Teachers have lots of buy-in because they live in the community

• Our community loves it’s teachers


position?

• Newark teachers are like “kicked puppies”, disrespected by leadership

• Be ready for a lack of trust from teachers because this has happened so many times

• We are Initiative heavy and results weak! (repeated six times via support)

• Administrators come into positions they have not had before, get trained, make changes, new

initiatives, and then leave for another district and more pay.

• We are a stepping stone for administrators and sick of being one, they bring an initiative so

they can put that on their resume for the next bigger job

• Too many chiefs and not enough Indians

• Someone needs to assess what we are doing before starting new initiatives,

• We never assess our initiatives if they are doing any good,

• Make appropriate decision making and actually willingness to take risk and make an educated

decision.

• Someone who sees themself staying 10 years

• Get feedback, but not used

• Administrators who are ‘chill ’and observant their first year ad then change everything the

next year

• Responses need to be honest and genuine

• Too many backdoor deals to placate certain individuals. Decisions without deep analysis

• Too many quick implementations to add to the resume

• Our students do poorly on the state test. Math scores are dismal, low LA scores, because we

are not addressing learning needs in the initiatives

• We are spending time doing other things that are not helping students

• We are ignoring the top ten percent

• Things have become inequitable, because there has been so much focus on equity

• We cannot teach students who don’t have basic needs met

• A lot of the upper management using us as a stepping stone

• Need long-term administrators

• Distrust between administrators and teachers

• Since Mr. Sanchez has left, there has been an increase in trust.

• Right now there is this feeling of authenticity, integrity, and respect with current interim

superintendent

• The current person in Ed. Services has listened and wants to include teachers

• Ed. Services treats us like professionals

• Having meaningful collaboration with SPED and regular Ed. Their are communication issues

at the top and trickles down to the site

• Everyone needs to feel supported to do their jobs correctly

• Site administrators are not developed, not coached, not well trained and when do something

wrong they get blamed and criticized.

• Student performance is in the context of constantly changing programs.

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• We are focusing on lower achieving students but not addressing the needs of high achievers.

• How do you come into a district and assess what they are doing and what is working? How

are you going to build upon what the district is doing?

• While feedback is requested and received but not acted upon.

• Trust is an issue

• Past administration has been perfunctory but there was no evidence that what was said to them

was heard and considered (account) in some meaningful and genuine way.



• Need to build trust of staff

• Being genuine and seeing how input is effectively being used

• Have communication explaining, upfront, why something can and cannot be done. Be honest

about why a decision is made

• Someone who listens, transparent

• Visits the school sites and gets involved with sites

• Set goals that match the goals of the community

• Team player

• Integrity and honesty

• Bi-lingual, Spanish preferred

• Coaching other administrators

• Helping other people be better

• Open door

• Transparent

• Be a leader. A leader lifts people up (i.e. what ___ is saying, don’t blame, help and support) A

leader helps everyone around them be better

• Someone with knowledge of budgets

• Accountability of all staff

• Able to use data to show what program is and is not working.

• Outgoing (to be willing to step out into the community)

• See expenditures in SPED as an investment in the future

• Community builder

• Approachable

• Someone who leads and mentors others.

Elementary Administration (7 people)


• Small community, although in urban area

• Generations of families go to school, strong connection of school to community

• Good spot with silicon valley. We have resources on our doorsteps,

• Families tapped into new and innovative ideas

15

• On the borders, south end and west end is where some growth is occurring (Schilling and

Birch Elementary) Not certain if these new homes will generate students and send them to

Newark schools

• Majority of neighborhoods are static


• Small district , total of eleven schools

• Preschool to high school to support our students

• Can walk directly into the superintendent’s office

• Teachers and employees have been Newark students

• Because of District size there is the opportunity to be collaborative and get to know who

everyone is, regardless of your title in the district.

• Easier to be more present if you make your presence known

• Opportunity to collaborate


position?

• We are a small districts. When someone comes into our district, you are wearing multiple

hats.

• We do not have huge teams in each department. It is often a team of one or two people

• Need to know our budget issues and the ability to step in and make hard decisions

• Instability the last few years at HS level, someone able to support the HS in stabilizing.

• New School Board

• There may an issue of trust

• We felt there were some excellent candidates in-house and who were passed over for outsiders

not as great

• Us not understanding and trusting the hiring process

• Having people who are always new

• There is a lack of processes and with so many new people there is always someone cleaning

up and catching up. Someone else comes in and they do a triage.

• There are people in positions who are not qualified, they don’t have site based experiences.

Lack of confidence as a principal to go to someone who has not been in our positions.

• We have the opportunity to be collaborative, but it is very much still top down management,

yet some things are left totally up to site leaders. That breeds frustration among site

administrators and teachers. Yet it is being said that it is being driven by the administration

team. (i.e. Professional development, we cannot explain how it got selected because it was top

down. The optics of it are to look collaborative from team)

• Huge disconnect between district administration and site in communication

• Strong site based leadership, all colleagues will step up and get things done, will meet out of

typical meetings to get things done.

• It is left to site leaders to create collaboration to get consistency

• Because there are so many new administrators at the district level, things are not clear.

Expectations are not always clear

16

• Several new principals who would need support

• There are some principals that get more communication than others. Not equitable.

• Sometimes send email and not get a response or phone call and not get a call back, depending

on who is in the position at the time.

• Knows about the community, small town and people talk. There are some strong voices, and

express passion to Board. Some specific communities that feel as respected or as heard as

other schools.

• There is high turnover at the high school principal position

• High turnover at the district level turnover.

• High school administrator controversy has influenced the community.

• There is almost a sense of fear, am I next? Because nothing was shared about it with us. You

are afraid to make waves.

• Culture is very fractured

• Need someone to build community,

• Building community, building relationships. Used to be comfortable to go to the DO to talk

out issues. This is not true anymore.

• We are told to stay in our lane. If not that looks bad upon us.

• Building community and trust, we are team, we are all valuable



• Communication at all levels, not afraid to talk to students at all levels

• Be visible, toss a football with students

• When issues arise come and see it.

• Don't be hesitant to see the people you work for

• Elementary and secondary experience

• Competency, proven track record )

• Ability to create trust (foster trust)

• Work closely with school board, shouldn’t be all about the politics with the school board, it

needs to be on student achievement and supporting families

• Understanding what equity really means, Not a conversation behind closed doors

• Have courageous conversations publicly and privately

• Preferred bilingual (Spanish)

• Integrity; need a leader, that builds trust and relationships.

• Make tough decisions and follow-up with those decisions

• Do the right thing even if it is not the popular thing.

• Able to make difficult decisions

• Being able to lead in a time of crisis

• Haven’t had a leader who is willing to lead in tough decisions, need a leader who is doing

right for students

• Desire someone who will make a decisive call

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Community At Large Input (6 people)


• We are tightly knit community, small tightly knit

• Kind of like Mayberry and Peyton Place

• The educators are a strength, some of the finest educators

• Community is vibrant

• Explosive growth

• City well managed

• Community days

• Measure G & T we maintain our roads, community center, parks, nonprofits bring programs to

our students.

• A lot of people are longtime residents, when someone moves in Newark, it is to another home

in Newark

• Lot of community support, business support

• Local business serving our families and students during this crisis

• We are also a little a bit of Cheers


• Small neighborhood, elementary schools

• The educators are outstanding

• Talented and caring group of teachers and classified

• Teachers and classified longtime residents who care

• Dedicated and volunteer for co-curricular activities

• Athletic programs that support students who might drop out of school

• Mission Valley ROP

• Students graduate from here and return to Newark

• Multi-generations will have same teacher (child and even the grandchild)

• Sites have that family feel

• You know who to go to if you have an issue, because of size


position?

• An inexperienced Board, the Board is new.

• A majority of the Board are appointed (3)

• Need to assess what is working

• Need leadership between and among elementary-middle-high school - district

• Identify the problems

• Focus on academics, bottom-line we need to educate our students (focus on the basics, math,

English, etc.)

• Financial conservative, we will have fiscal problems. We have a qualified budget

• We want this to be a high caliber district, we do not want to lose the students

• This district has been deficit spending for years. We are sucking up money from new

programs being continually being implemented. Coding errors on budgets, etc.

18

• Declining enrollment because disappointed on our performance

• Low A-G completion ranges, Only half of students in AP take the test and less pass

• Problems brought to Board are not addressed

• Turnover of district Administrative staff, no training for the jobs people are in

• Proper oversight of school programs.

• With new principals every two-three years, staff ends up doing their own thing

• No continuity of programs

• Community members don’t have an agenda, want things done correctly, I have a feeling there

is an agenda on the part of the district. There were things kept from the Board i.e.

• Using one time grant money

• Failing to investigate consolidation of schools

• Maintaining classes and staffing levels, not supported by enrollment

• Structural budget plans

• Work schedule change, that allows classified excessive payout

• FCMAT advise not implemented

• TK implemented without Board approval

• $200,000 given to certain schools and not used as regular.

• Brown act, even after cease and desist orders

• Hidden salary increases and retroactive pay in footnotes

• Need to fully vet the Superintendent. We need someone who isn’t fired from another district

• Too many Special Ed. directors turnover

• Nepotism in the district.

• A Superintendent in retribution.

• The Superintendent and the district is a blight on the community

• Generally educators are under-educated in working with Special Education Students



• Understand the Board is new, need to work with the Board, not run over the Board

• Transparency with the Board and Superintendent

• Open and not vindictive

• Takes care of employees

• Visible, attends community events

• Heart in the community

• Committed to Newark

• Ethical person

• Needs to be ready to be a Superintendent, needs to be good and motivated

• Be here for a time

• Someone who is willing to vet new administrative hires (not the good-ole boys)

• Take charge of administration in a ethical manner

• Develop, explain, seek improvement plans to move the district forward . . . between Board and

Supt.

• Take the strategic plan that was developed a year ago and run with it.

• Knows laws and codes and Brown Act

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• Does not allow favoritism to override decision

• Needs to understand leadership and doesn’t become part of the problem. Doesn’t make

alliances with groups and gets locked into commitments that do not benefit everyone

• Understands finances, works with CBO and develops a plan to move forward

• Has a knowledge of back-to-basics

• Takes the time to look at Newark, does their homework

• Displays accountability in their work ethic

• Trustworthy, ethically,

• Transparency

• Honesty

• Integrity

• Willing to collaborate to build trust with staff, parents, and community

• Values employees and knows their name.

• Visible

• Effective communicator

• Make decisions and follow through with those decisions, Then move on with the decision.

• Somebody with no baggage. Have vetted them on social media

• Is not apathetic

PTA SSC Leadership (6)


• Small knit community

• Community with lots of caring, compassionate people and hard working

• There is growth now

• People look out for each other

• Safe community

• We know everybody in our neighborhood

• Like that it is small community with more and more diversity

• Very diverse incomes, everyone helps each other regardless of income status


• Small community neighborhood based schools

• Dedication of teachers and staff

• Parent involvement and willingness to volunteer to help at school

• Teachers have stepped up during this time of online teaching

• People who go above and beyond working long hours

• Dedicated teachers who are working to get students where they need to be at the high school.

• After school programs that are free for middle school students

• After school at the junior high, everyday is dedicated to a different content area. Teachers

there to help students

• Teachers have the dedication despite the pay

• The diversity that translates into outreach to serve students of various culture

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• Amount spent on English Learners


position?

• Teachers are underfunded

• Little attention to what students need, i.e. at high school, limited number of counselors

• Funding worries me, wanting to close schools

• The way the bond money are being used, some things that are not listed on the bond

• Top heavy district, more funding at top of district and teachers not getting their fair share

• Hiring and retaining of staff. The desire is to stay in Newark, but cannot afford to live here.

We are not doing what needs to be done to stay here.

• Test scores are declining in some schools

• Some parents not feeling like they are wanted to get involved

• After school programs at the elementary level, to help with educational growth

• Closing of schools will defeat the neighborhood concept

• How the bond funding being used and the mismanagement of contracts

• General lack of trust as it relates to the board and how they execute their responsibilities. Supt.

needs to know and it needs to be addressed

• Feedback not heard and not respected

• Lack of transparency that has fostered distrust

• Facilities are aging

• Three of five board members are appointed

• Issues of honesty and integrity

• Retribution from Superintendent

• Lack of trust of teachers association with the Superintendent

• Attendance rates, the unexcused absence rates have not improved

• Top companies here in Newark, so why do we have the finance issues that we have

• Vendors pitching products to the Board, wrong forum

• Our school has had three principals in last five years,

• Despite community recommendation in interview process for new principal, it was ignored

• My son had 6-7 principals in four year career as high school principal

• Interim principals who had no authority and money was lost for students as a result

• No consistent leadership at the high school level. Rudderless ship. No collaboration at high

school due to administration turn over

• Class sizes are way too large. 28-30 in Kindergarten class

• Superintendent and staff have not put together solid presentations that hurt the trust and

confidence in the Superintendent.



• Know how to read a budget report

• Ability to present a budget report to be understood

• Know how to read and implement a contract according to the requirements of the contract.

Primarily an issue with facilities

21

• Not lose money through mismanagement of contracts

• Know what to do to address the issue of declining test scores

• Needs to be honest and have integrity

• Clear vision what want to do for Newark, taking into account the people of Newark

• Done homework and know what Newark is about

• Talk with parent groups to gather information and to communicate this back out

• Effective communication, uses multiple modes of communication

• Address people one-on-one

• Action plans, to go along with tough decisions

• Someone not just looking for a job, but looking for dedication and commitment to our students

• Listen more than anything

• Someone who wants to be here and is going to dedicate themselves to the district

• Build on what is there, rather than bringing own ideas

• Be visible to the community, the staff, parents, to students

• Show that they care to give their time to the students

• Ethical

• Not afraid to make right decisions, even if it is hard

• In ‘it ’for the right reasons

• Somebody who doesn’t need pay increase every year

• Ethical bearing and sensitive to their compensation and what students are getting

• Somebody with the heart of a servant

Middle School Department Chair (5)


• A very small community. We run like a small town. Everyone knows how you are doing and

whats going on.

• Many of the community supports the school district

• In the small community is an impressive range of socio-economic level, thus very different

student needs

• Throughout the district many people who came through our schools

• Many who love the neighborhood and work for the neighborhood, but not willing to pay (not

many bond issues get through)

• We are growing, quite a bit of new development, which can bring in new people.

• Many generational families

• Families will donate a lot of money to a school


• Populated by dedicates, smart creative people

• We have technology, we could use more

• Elementary schools built around very small schools

• Staff and teachers work hard for the best outcome for students

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position?

• Performance in language arts and math of our students

• More ELA & Math support, Especially in K-8 grades!!!!

• Coming to school site, talk to teachers, not make decisions based on what they think they

know.

• Support teachers and staff. Visits schools, wants to be hands on.

• I don’t even know what our Superintendent looks like.

• Why aren’t we a part of Fremont, downtown would not allow it.

• Hard to attract someone at the salary we have, compared to the Fremont School District.

• Revolving door in administration, we shouldn’t be a stepping stone for someone

• None of the initiatives are free. We are so cash poor. We keep throwing money at it to get at

the problem.

• Online teaching was happening by the time the district brought us seminars, if we needed. We

don’t always need to start with something new.

• Pull from creative teachers



• Know the community

• Buy-into our community

• Interest in staff’s well being rather than generating for him-or herself a raise.

• A charismatic leader

• Manage the ‘other ’people in the district, in the administration. There are 4-5 new initiatives

every year.

• Need someone who can reign in on that proposal list as opposed to reigning in top two or so.

• Someone who is willing to look at the past, what worked and what did not work. We don’t do

best practices, because we practice everything.

• Someone with a plan, Not try to put a band-aid

• Never given time to sculpt our lessons, because we are always being asked to do something

new.

• Communication, communicator, in a variety of venues: teachers, students, community,

community leaders

• Be present, we are too small to have ‘vice-superintendents’.

• Have a plan, Someone who we can trust to help fulfill the plan? Charismatic

• Look at our history, see what actually works

• Roll-up your sleeves and get the work done, with teachers, families. Etc.

• Should not find history of person when google that person that is blemished

• Show up to events that make Newark, Newark. Newark days, BB kick-off, community dates

and meetings

• Some experience, at least a Asst. Superintendent in a reasonably sized district.

• One that is not eying retirement in a year or two

• Experience, kind, understanding, strong . . . no retirees

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• Trustworthy

• Open-door

• Confidence

High School Department Chairs (5)


• Lot of people return to the community, because they want to give back.

• Feeling of community,

• I have been associated with the community and staff for over 25 years

• The community wants to be involved, but don’t know how to get involved.

• My children attended school in Newark

• People are looking for ways to get involved

• Really an accepting group.

• People in community step up to fill the need

• At the core, community believes in kids and steps up for them

• Able to do more with less


• Loyalty of the teachers in the district

• Strong vestment in the community

• I have stayed because of the people I work with, commitment to the kids.

• Truly committed to the community and the kids

• Small enough where you can stay connected with others

• Lots of knowledge and good quality people who want this school to succeed.

• This is not only my job, but it also my community


position?

• Need huge capital outlay to get schools to the 21st century

• See the board room and it is nice, yet there are pot holes on our campus. It hurts to see the

schools deteriorating

• The cost of living in the area. To attract teachers in this area will be difficult due to the cost of

living.

• Starting to see ten-twenty year teachers leaving the distinct, due to salary differentials

• Administrative turnover, need consistent leadership. It is hard .to keep changing to adapt to a

new administrator.

• Consistency and transparency

• Fifteen principals during my tenure

• Also, lots of turnover of AP’s

• District office level has had lots of turnover.

• The process for hiring principal is archaic. No filtering, no meet and greet, no scenario’s,

• Trust issue, from district to school site. From site administration to staff

24

• A small group of people who get heard and that is assumed to be true.

• I have been asked to speak up and then stopped for some reason.

• Inconsistency in how things are implemented.

• Small group who does not have all or accurate information and that is trusted more than those

who actually do the job

• Need to be visible.

• Need to support the district administration or you will lose your job or be transferred.

• The rapid turnover causes people to work independently.

• As a single high school we would be more involved in the community

• Not a lot of support, but then the expectations are very high.

• It is unfair that community members can have coffee with school board members and

influence a decision.

• We have a very involved school board and that is good and by. There is little collaboration at

that level.

• Just by asking question you can get branded as someone negative. It is not constructive.

• Supt. and admin turnover is so frequent. I am so tired of getting candidates who want to make

a mark and then move on.

• Trying to make a mark, not utilizing where we are and has led to the district. Dlo the

candidates come in not trusting us?

• Our entire board has changed over the last two years.

• One principal, one asst. Principal was difficult. Why have we gone through so many HS

principal and no information to the staff. Very demoralizing. It is not communicated as to why

and down one administrator . . . no transparency.

• It is difficult to make advancement when criticisms are prevalent. Asking people to do more

than one job. This comes with a price, personal price. Yet the distinct is OK with it, because

the school hasn’t fallen down.

• Twenty-years of declining enrollment. At one time we were up to 2300 and now down to

1600.

• Last principal put on leave without any word, then suddenly a lady is walking around and we

learn she is our new principal.

• It is a type of survival of the fittest, not everyone’s voice is heard.

• With change of upper level administration so frequent, there is a fatigue factor and nothing is

taking hold overtime. Sustainability over the long term is non-existent because of so much

change.

• Lack of administration support is harmful.



• Someone who knows you, by name.

• Encourage in-house people to move forward.

• Visibility, he had a clear picture of the community. Was very connected. Visibility to build

trust and credibility.

• Need to have pulse of community. Do a lot of listening and not all the talking.

• Be able to make tough decision through grace, not fear.

25

• Transparent as to reasoning why as good communicator.

• Good decision making skill, based off what the community needs.

• Listening, listening, listening

• Need to make facilities appealing and updated.

• Decisions made and then carried out.

• We are in survival mode, need someone who isn’t coming in with own agenda, but who takes

us from where we are.

• Build trust, earn trust by actions. Come to school, come to school activities.

• Patience and grace. Everyone here has faced some level of trauma over the last five years.

• Grace: more empathy, being able to really hear and feel the sacrifice and trauma that staff

endured.

• Spend time with boots on the ground

• Grace: someone who is going to build people up, rather who comes in with an ax. Someone

who is a bridge builder. Someone with integrity who can be trusted

• Avoid the skeletons

• Someone who understands our community. Not from out-of-state.

DELAC/LCAP Parent Groups (7 people)


• We live in a small community

• This is a diverse community

• Hard working people

• People know and support each other


• This is a small district with small schools

• I am happy with the results at my school for my child

• Students do well in school

• Good responsiveness from the school staff

• Distance learning is working

• Teachers are responding to the Covid 19 crisis


position?

• Achievement Gap between groups of students persists

• Communication barriers

• The district needs to improve ways of being more inclusive with parents of second language to

improve opportunity for students

• There is a lack of collaboration and consistency to get the goals of the district accomplished

• There needs to be a way to be more inclusive and invite more parents to be a part of the school

and express their opinion.

• Parents looking for help are hampered by lack of communication on homework and its value.

26

• There are too many changes in staff, especially leadership for the district and schools to

remain stable

• Parents are working two jobs and are unable to involved with the schools

• Many families are leaving our district and going to schools outside the district

• Some teachers do not have the passion to do a good job

• Evaluation of teacher performance is inadequate



• Integrity

• Be more active and present with parents and students

• Bilingual

• Team member

• Someone who communicates constantly and consistently

• Some who is inclusive

• A person who works collectively with the city and the schools

• Supports the ELD program

• Visible and close to students

• A superintendent who is accessible to parents

• A person who will unite the community

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Survey Monkey Results for Newark Unified School District

April 2020 (NOTE—these responses have not been edited,

they are printed as entered by the stakeholders)

99 Responses

Administrators

Tell us the good things about your community. (This information is used to help us recruit

quality candidates.)

• Very supportive families dedicated to their childs/children education

• It maintains a small town culture but adopts to the ever changing culture & progress of

the Bay Area. It appreciates the personal relationships that are developed through time.

Tell us the good things about your schools. (This information is used to help us recruit


• Organized and most are fully staffed appropriately. Class sizes remain low & PD for

leadership and personnel is ongoing.

• Majority of the staff at each elementary has been with the district for 8-15 years.

Teachers are very resilient and dedicated to their own professional development to

address the changing needs of their students.

What issues should the superintendent be aware of as he/she comes into the district? (This

information is shared with the final candidates.)

• Budget concerns, declining enrollment, over ID of special education students and schools

that require updating. No systematic MTSS model.

• Consistent and long-term leadership at NMHS is needed. Principals are very intelligent

and strong instructional leaders who need strong leadership and support. The community

appreciates collaboration but also a strong leader who is accountable and has a vision for

the future.

What skills, qualities or characteristics should the new superintendent possess to be

successful here? (This information is used as we screen potential candidates.)

• Strong leader with clear vision for the District. A collaborator that values all

communities voice.

• Strong instructional leadership skills Interpersonal and collaborative Knowledge of

current educational systems Has a vision or plan to develop culturally responsive

systems with equity and conversations about race in the fore front

28

Classified Staff



• It is a small, close knit community full of families that have resided in Newark for some

time. Everyone knows everyone and work together.

• Great people with great ideas to improve our community. Lived here for 52 years it is a

unique set of different ethnicities.

• We are small and therefore family-like unlike large Districts

• Everyone knows each other. Most families were born and raised here. Everyone is

willing to give a helping hand in times of need.

• We are a small community with many of our employees living here as well. This makes

for a real vested interest.many of our employees went to our schools and some even have

grandchildren here.

• Small-town feel. You get to know your neighbors.

• We are a close community. We believe in helping and supporting each other. We want

what is best for our children and families. We support small businesses in our city.

• We are a small community with many of our employees living here as well. This makes

for a real vested interest.many of our employees went to our schools and some even have

grandchildren here.



• Despite financial struggles in schools or the district, our teachers work hard for our

students and support one another in search of less expensive alternatives.

• Educators in Newark really like educating in Newark. They are dedicated to their

community.

• Staff are all great and have worked in our district for years. We are united and do the

best we can with what we have.

• Small school sizes, so the staff knows all the students and families by name.

• Most of our schools have great staff. Very welcoming to new parents or even ongoing

parents of children at their sites. We’re a team that works well in every aspect when it

comes to our children’s education.

• We have the finest educators. They are committed, creative and compassionate.

• Close-knit community feel. Caring staff.

• Our schools have wonderful amazing teachers and staff who go way out of their way to

make sure the students get what they need. I have never seen such hard working teachers

who do everything possible to make sure their students understand what is being taught.

The support staff... aides, custodian, food servers, secretary and all the rest of the staff do

everything they can for the students in the school. I am proud to have my children attend

Newark schools.

• We have the finest educators. They are committed, creative and compassionate.



• I would like to see better distribution of funds within the district.

29

• Need to hire more maintenance and grounds staff our sites are very old and need care.

Look at our past reports as to how to handle our finances and get us out of debt. Close

schools our enrollment has declined. Follow through on your promises to fix our district.

• There are large financial issues. In addition to budget issues, there are problems with

how money is spent. There is a lot is wasted money. Audits do not seem to find issues

that are right in front of them.

• Budget! There’s a money problem. It never seems to get resolved unless you cut staff and

the jeopardizes our children’s education. It’s been going on to long. Very top heavy and

never any $ money cuts but have no problem cutting staff. We need to cut from the top

down not the other way around. The other issue is communication. Not enough of it from

the District. Last I would say equality. Stop the revolving door!

• There is widespread mistrust layered with nepotism, personal agendas and abysmal

misspending.

• We have a history of hiring not the best candidate for the job, but rather the relative or

friend of those in decision-making roles. This has resulted in incompetence in some

cases, and unfair advancement of less qualified in others. We need the best and the

brightest, not the most connected.

• Parents and staff feel that they are not heard and their opinions dont matter. The

superintendent that I'd coming in needs to listen and acknowledge and understand what

we are sharing. The parents and school staff are the ones at the schools every day not the

district office. The superintendent should listen and get advice from the actual people on

the campus not the people sitting behind a desk looking at reports

• There is widespread mistrust layered with nepotism, personal agendas and abysmal

misspending.



• To be able to bridge the gap between the special education staff and the general education

staff.

• When interviewing candidates for the position of principal, the superintendent should be

someone who respects the votes of an interview panel, doesn't completely disregard their

votes, and instead, chooses the candidate that he/she prefers.

• Be a Leader not a talker follow through on our needs. Run our district like a business

get rid of the weight that is bringing us down. Listen to the little guys and help make our

district a better place to work. Have a United district not a district who is always having

separate celebrations - bring back our BBQ's our gatherings. Visit all sites and meet

everyone all the time check in on sites and offices.

• Calm presence, not afraid to up sleeves and work hard. Be visible to the students. Value

ALL employees not just the teachers.

• Communication skills. Now how to work the budget. Bargaining skills. Putting students

education first. Someone that is going to invest in our schools and community. Invest in

our students put them first.

• This superintendent MUST be vetted and be willing to work for change, not massive

wage increases as educators are not seeing such salaries.

• Good people skills, empathy, business sense, experience with with educational funding

and curriculum, and great public relations skills. The Superintendent should be the

30

biggest cheerleader for the district to the community, but also work well with city and

educational leaders.

• Be open minded. Dont be a push over. Dont let the board members push you around.

Listen to the community and employees on site. Dont let politics rule you.

• This superintendent MUST be vetted and be willing to work for change, not massive

wage increases as educators are not seeing such salaries.

31

Community Members



• The community is very diverse, is very kind and could be amazing. Newark once was the

most supportive of its school and athletes and has recently fallen off track.

• Motivated to be inclusive; lots of volunteering.

• close-knit, small, traditional, diverse

• Our families care about their child's education. It is a small town so we can effectively

promote our schools given the right leadership.

• Our community is very close knit. Everybody knows everybody. Whoever the new

superintendent coming in is he or she needs to understand that.

• Small growing community with a diverse population.

• Grass roots...close knit community

• Dedicated long term employees in the district

• East Bay Regional Parks – this is my favorite thing about the Bay Area that I’d never

heard of before moving here. The parks are fantastic! • The Newark Library averages

180,000 visitors annually and checks out about 250,000 items per year, with about 2/3rds

of these being children’s books. • The City of Newark is building a new $90 million

Civic Center including a new library with a large community meeting room, makerspace,

and outdoor amphitheater. These spaces will provide many opportunities to partner with

the school district. • The City of Newark is one of 5 Alameda County cities to receive a

$135,000 First 5 grant. In Newark the grant is focused on serving low-income, Spanish-

speaking families. After only 2 months, there are already 150 families in contact with the

program. Families are eager to take action to improve their jobs, education, and

leadership.

• Smaller community, but growing quickly, at the northern end of the Silicon Valley. Easy

access to major highways in both the east and west bay. Surrounded by Fremont and the

San Francisco Bay. Close proximity to regional parks and wildlife refuges. Large

grocery stores, Newpark Mall with state of the art theaters. New City Hall, police station

and library currently under construction.

• The city is broke, and the district is on the skids. The previous/current superintendent

wanted to take one school and have it conducted entirely in a foreign language when the

children attending that school were most likely to need help with English so that they

could go through high school and qualify for university. We have new housing being

built far from any existing schools.

• Our community is very close knit. Everybody knows everybody. Whoever the new

superintendent coming in is he or she needs to understand that.



• there are wonderful kids at the school and some very good teachers.

• Recruited from Newark alumni often, this helps them view Newark over time not just in

the moment which can be disconcerting next to other neighboring cities.

• small, led by caring principals, wonderful students

• We have many excellent teachers who care about their students.

32

• NUSD has amazing schools with amazing teachers. Everybody in this district has pretty

much self taught themselves because there has not been a leader in this district in a lot of

years

• Diverse, hard working teachers, involved

• Good schools but some could be better Dedicated staff

• The teachers and most principals

• • HS Rocketry and Robotics clubs: both have held recruitment workshops at the Newark

Library to introduce younger students to their programs. The robotics students are so

passionate they often work on their robots for 6 or more hours after school, and of course,

the Rocketry Club has been national and international champions. • Newark Junior High

music program: I played in band from 6th grade through college. I think there is huge

value in school music programs for motivating students and nurturing creativity,

leadership, teamwork, and persistence. • Birch Grove Intermediate School 3rd grade

teachers. They created a complex “Brave Stories” project and have partnered with the

Newark Library for an annual display and live event. The students interview an

immigrant – usually a parent or grandparent – and then write about them and create art

based on the experience. We plan to do the do the live event during United Against Hate

week in November, since the project goal is to build empathy for newcomers to our

community.

• Diversifed population, many Hispanic students whose parents are eager to help their

children be successful. They are willing to volunteer, take English classes if offered at

their neighborhood schools. Dedicated teachers who work above and beyond to make

learning enjoyable, are cheerleaders for their students. They work tirelessly to meet all

learning styles, and to work with students individually and in small groups, to assure their

students don’t fall behind as they put in many hours beyond school hours To ensure their

students are getting the extra help they need. Competitive salaries with neighboring

school districts of Fremont and Union City.

• There are some dedicated and wonderful teachers and staff. This does not extend to the

level of principals and other supervisory staff at some schools. We have had school board

members who turned a meeting where people were concerned about the rats that offered a

live zoology lesson at one school into the notion that some of the school board felt

"unsafe" in their meeting room because the building had asbestos in its construction.

They were not amused when it was suggested that they trade with the kids with the rats in

the classroom.



• ABSOLUTELY NO consistency with principal at the high school, very under handed

firing, discipline actions regarding teachers who speak out froth HR and ;past super

intendant, JR is a joke and a total mess. It is failing in so many areas and the school

board/superintendant were previously only worried about getting new families into the

schools. No family is putting their kid at a School that is a 4.

• It is VERY expensive to live here. Newer residents are often white collar, older residents

tend to be blue collar and not think a world-class education is important for success in the

Bay Area. Many parents depend on schools to raise children in their working absence.

Simultaneously we have a home-schooling and after-schooling population who are

33

deeply invested in being with their children for their entire schooling and blending these

families to participate on campuses is essential to school buy-in.

• low staff morale Lack of infrastructure budget issues

• Our school infrastructure needs a lot of work. The quad area of the high school

desperately needs to be remodeled. There is a lot of distrust of the district office by

district staff and by the community. The DO staff have not been visible to staff, the

community, or the students. The principal, Ms. Rangel, at the high school has been doing

a good job of holding things together but the number of staff to help her (VPs, monitors,

etc) is inadequate. We need a leader who is going to tackle the high school as a top

priority - it is the most important school in our district and it has received the least

amount of attention.

• Understand that you are coming into a school district that has not been run very well by

the school board members for a lot of years. Past and present.

• Too much change in administration...,this has been an issue for many years. Budget???

• Low key ..hands on approach...good with finances Be involved in the community

• They will always be on the hot seat for everything that does not go well. Ironically even

when decisions made by the superintendent are the right ones!

• • There is significant support in the community for the Newark Schools but there is also

significant feeling that the Newark Schools are not as good as the Fremont Schools. I

think this criticism ignores that over 50% of Newark students receive free or reduced-

price lunches whereas in Fremont the percentage is just over 20%. It’s not that low-

income students can’t excel, but family finances are linked to many challenges that

wealthier families don’t face. • My dream for the Newark Schools would be for them to

focus on project-based learning, maybe even develop into a system of magnet schools.

Maybe Newark will never match Fremont in test scores, but there is so much more to life

success than that. I would love to see Newark Schools become known for being the most

creative, in every subject area. Examples: Could Newark Schools have a math and

architecture program where students construct real buildings? Could Newark Schools

have the best Latin Jazz or Indian music or Mariachi programs? Could the Newark

Schools partner with 42 Silicon Valley to develop a computer science program that

mirrors what 42 offers to adults for free?

• 1 highschool and 1 junior high with frequent turnover in leadership in the last 7 years.

Appriximately 2 principals out of 8 have been in their position for 8+ years, and

promoted from within. 1 new principal hired from within. Administrators and teachers

should be encoraged to apply for openings for which they are qualified. Newark has lost

strong, competent leadership both in the District Office and in the district’s schools,

under the last Superintendant.

• Our school board is composed of cronies who tend to resign right after an election so that

another crony can be appointed. They crony then wins the next election because they

have name recognition. We have had people who were new to town and were friends of

the city or district bureaucracy who were appointed instead of runner up candidates for

the board.

• Understand that you are coming into a school district that has not been run very well by

the school board members for a lot of years. Past and present.

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• open to communication, willingness to listen to teachers, not afraid to enforce discipline

with the kids, understands that we have a mixed populations of incomes, but that does not

mean that you allow some kids to run wild and disrupt while the others have different

rules to follow, ability to work with the kids and ask all the kids what they need at the

school- not just the kids on ASB, - The superintendent must be firm, friendly,

understanding, communicative, willing to listen, willing to make changes, ability to

understand the community and the issues the community has had with past school board

and superintendents.

• Extroverted, multi-lingual, Cross-culturally competent, have worked in public, private

and home- / independent schooling environments. Know the difference and picks apart

scores that show English learning, home crises and regular achievement to highlight

every school’s competence. Understands teacher commitment to community is important

in this district.

• Integrity, compassion, excellent communication skills, supports staff, serves as a mentor

and coach, humility

• Our new superintendent has to be a really hard worker and dedicated to helping our

district improve. The superintendent has to be visible to the teachers, staff, and students.

Communication is paramount. Experience running a large school is very important,

especially high school experience. Newark Memorial is the flagship school in our district

and every effort must be made to improve the physical property and improve leadership.

Experience running a bond campaign would be helpful as the district needs money to

make improvements to our campus. Wisdom. A sense of humor. Charisma.

Intelligence. Experience, Dedicated

• Likes small town life. Works well with others. Listens to staff and administrators at every

site. And don’t try to fix what isn’t broke

• People oriented, not just about the business. Someone who listens and values the

experience and opinion of employees. Understands the challenges, but moves forward

realistically and considers the input of the community and other board members.

Someone who likes students and will engage with them as well as the adults in

education.

• Should be staff oriented...not "above it all" like the previous superintendent

• Honesty to the students and parents of the district. Commitment to the education and

growth of each and every student no matter what!

• • Someone who can build on the good things mentioned in #2 and lead the district to do

more of that kind of program • Could the new superintendent be someone who will lead

the community to say, “We are not going to try to compete with Mission San Jose HS.

We are going to change the game and work to be known as the most creative school

system in the south Bay. After all, getting straight A’s and top test scores might actually

be measuring conformity and not ability to innovate.” Could the Newark Schools be

structured to enable all students to be creative and innovative? The result would be that

parents will want to send their students to Newark Schools, not because they will have

the highest test scores, but because Newark students are the most creative and inventive.

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• Visible, transparent, open to input from principals, teachers and parents. Help to

promote and encourage teachers and staff to promote from within. lead, Listen, and

encourage. Have a positive attitude, be visible and have a sense of humor,

• The ability to work well with unrealistic board members who do not seem to understand

that we have one of the worst districts in the Bay Area. The district is so bad that a

developer in a neighboring town provided a turn key school when informed that the new

residents children would have to be sent to the Newark district in return for the Fremont

district paying tuition. The impact of the children being sent to Newark schools was

several hundred thousand dollars on the price of each house in the development. The poor

board members actually thought that there was a chance that the developer wouldn't buy

Fremont a new school and that the Newark district would receive new revenue.

• Likes small town life. Works well with others. Listens to staff and administrators at every

site. And don’t try to fix what isn’t broke

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Parents



• Supportive, engaged

• Diversity and feeling of inclusion

• The small community feel we have

• I love the connection that we feel within our community. Newark cares about its own.

My mother in law is a retired teacher and when she goes places, she’s like a local

celebrity, running into former students or families. The connection is strong here.

• Although the City has increased in population over the last few years, it’s still a small

town with that small town feel. A feel of family and community is what we need!

• Small-feel; loyalty to community, maybe?--there are many adults I have met who went to

school in Newark and still live here and whose kids go to school here now

• Our community it’s is quiet and neighbors are nice.

• We have many parents who are active at the school, and we value working together to

make our community better for everyone.

• The schools are secure and people are nice and respectful.

• Newark is a small friendly community. It provides fun activities for all ages. We love

our Newark Days every Sept and get the whole community together starting with the

parade to the carnival.

• We have a very diverse and united community that want change and for education to be a

priority in Newark.

• I'm a Newark citizen since 1979. Many stay/live here because we're a small community

between big growth cities. We have access to new developments but remain a somewhat

quiet town. People raised here keep fond memories and have seen changes (as it's

inevitable) but because there isn't too much growth too fast, it remains a pleasant town

with diverse population, access to the bay, big/small companies, shopping mall, family

businesses, small town sports, city recreation, new/old housing, etc. We're abundant in

many respects.

• Small town that wants the best for our children and next generations. We have nearby big

businesses that we should tap into for support the way other school districts do. (Google,

Facebook, Apple, LinkedIn, Engineering companies, etc.)

• Newark is the perfect location to live in the Bay Area. Close to the big cities without

having to live the big city life. Close to all three airports and tons of shopping. Newark

is a small town with big-city ambitions. We have people that care passionately about the

community, the schools, and the parks. You know a school district is loved when

teachers send their own students to the school. So many of our teachers live in the

community, their children live in the community - and I know of a few that have become

teachers at the same school they attended.

• Our community is small but supportive.

• Newark is a tight knit community that has very caring parents. The network of parents is

strong, so we are aware of what is going on at all school sites and in the district. We are

all very concerned and involved in the education of our children. The elected officials in

Newark are all very accessible and very connected to each other, and work and

communicate well.

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• Provide food for students when they shelter in place

• Newark is a small community and thus pretty close knit. Despite being in silicon valley

we maintain a small town feel.

• Newark is a very diverse and proud community. The parent partner support network is

passionate and hard working, which exemplifies the communities commitment to their

children and quality education.

• Beautiful view near lake and kind neighborhoods.

• Some good things about my community is the cultural diversity and acceptance.

• Newark is close-knit, values education, and has maintains a small-town feel despite the

growing population.

• Diverse, small but growing

• We like to work together and help each other.

• It feels like a small town with direct attention for every citizen.

• Diverse, but there are fewer and fewer children as the population ages and people move

away due to the expense of the area.

• Small community feel compare to other bay area cities.

• small community near larger cities - kids that play sports together end up going to junior

high & high school together

• We are here for each other .

• It is small town-minded and managed. This is mostly a positive, as we have a great

community center, low crime, well regarded police force, quality soccer fields, and a

sweet little library.

• small, close community parent involvement in K-6

• It is a good mix of lower income and middle class.With more houses being built. I hope

this will help with providing the support our children need from the taxes.

• Newark is a very small town and a few of us have been here since the 1960s! We are

watching our city grow and we need a Leader who can bring more kids who go to private

schools to our public school system. We love our city!!

• small, close community with great families.

• Nice town with good people

• A small town of 43,000. Everyone knows everyone. Very caring.

• Good things... we currently have a stable Superintendent- from my perspective. I am

hoping for NUSD board members to consider keeping her. (That is if she would like to

stay as Superintendent). Why put out money for a search when we have a really good

person who knows Newark very well and she is doing a remarkable job!!

• close knit, hard working

• Small, close knit community

• It's very diversified, new housing and new community

• Small town feel, friendly neighbors, diverse community.

• Balanced budget, smart creative folks. Always growing and changing for the future.

Small but full almost like in the story of 3 bears.. last bear stuff is just right. Part of

Silicone Valley. Very close to all the action.

• Small and close

• Teacher dedication, diversity, support to low income families.

• Diversity

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• My community is small and respectful for others. It has variety of different backgrounds.

• Newark stands united when it comes to teacher and student wellness

• Supportive, engaged

• Diversity and feeling of inclusion



• Have great teachers and many options for after school classes. Have great PTA.

• Feeling of community and pride (experience at Kennedy Elementary) - parents engaged

and wanting to help students.

• I love the small community that we have in Newark

• I love that our schools are small. Our principal knows every student’s name. Teachers

care about their students and families. We run into teachers in the grocery store. We

love that our schools are close and within walking distance for students and families.

• I will only speak at the elementary level, that our teachers and staff at our school

(Kennedy Elementary) are what makes it great. I have an 11th grader at the high school

and unfortunately, cannot find much good to give input on.

• The teachers, the staff, the openness and space. Parents who care and show up for their

kids, despite some language barriers.

• We like the school spirit and teachers.

• We love our kids and we want the best for them. We have lots of famlies who are

passionate about volunteering and being involved in the classroom. Our principal and

teachers at Kennedy are amazing and deserve the best.

• The teachers teach good and are secure.

• Birch Grove is awesome because of the staff and teacher who are willing to help our kids

learn and grow. Our PTC is also great for helping out our schools with the extra funds

needed.

• Newark has dedicated teachers and staff.

• With all small communities, there is the opportunity to shine and lead in an average

school environment. If a strong student is willing to make a difference, they have an open

path to do it. Committed educators can create a career here. The district is open to

change. Online communication tools (email, resource apps, and more) have worked well

for parents. Having current technology is good.

• I really like the principal at BGI. She is involved in so many levels and is very proactive

in the school.

• Newark schools have so much potential and there are so many passionate teachers and

parents in our schools. There aren't enough of these people, but those that are active -

help keep our schools moving in the right direction.

• Our schools care about the kids, I feel like that quality gets lost further up the chain at the

district office. Teachers and administrators see the kids daily and realizes these are little

people with feelings. The district just sees numbers and makes decisions off that rather

than thinking about the kids and how it would feel if their school is shut down and if their

friends are split up.

• The elementary schools are terrific, the teachers are well qualified, and I have been very

happy with my son's education.

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• Provide chromebooks for students, support students well in distance learning, inform

parents completely

• Our schools are a lot like our community. Many of the students in the district cross paths

with each other outside of school through extra-curricular activities and therefore know

each other.

• Newark is renowned for having high quality, committed, and compassionate teachers.

Even through the turmoil of instability within it's leadership ranks within the schools and

in the District office, many of the teachers remain steadfast in their determination and

conviction to care for students and prioritize their learning over the politics of public

education.

• Teachers are very passionate and ready to communicate with parents. Our principal

always put kids in the priority and made better school. Moreover, PTA is very passionate

for the school. Parents volunteer a lot.

• Some good things about my school is the willingness and openness of the teachers to

work with the parents to make a friendly and welcoming environment for the students.

• great teachers and no bullies

• We have strong parent support, teachers who really care about the kids, and a legacy of

great program offerings.

• Small

• Teachers and staff are over standing!

• Small schools allow for more personal interactions with teachers, administrators, and

students. Schools are very near to walking distance for every student.

• Good amount of activities for students (outdoor and indoor)

• we have some really GREAT teachers - in our 18 years here, with 2 kids' entire education

here we have encountered less than 5 teachers that do not understand their job or should

not have been teaching anymore.

• Schilling school has improved so much with the principle Dr. Castaneda she is the best

for our community....

• The Special Education Department is well managed, and the staff is phenomenal.

• many gifted teachers who go the extra mile

• The teachers and staff care greatly about our children.

• The teachers are great. Kids want to learn.

• the best elementary teaching. Teachers know how to move students. Teachers are also

parents in the community and are dedicated to serving Newark.

• The people who work ate the schools are nice. The teachers work really hard but do t

seem to like anyone in management especially HR

• Teachers are amazing even though they get little direction from the central

office/leadership.

• We need a Superintendent who can intermingle with the community. She is very

approachable and listens to everyone’s concerns. Newark is very special in that we have a

very tight knit school community. We can continue and build on this with Leticia.

• caring and friendly staff and principals

• We like the teachers and the principal. The science teacher is somewhat weak but overall

the school is great!

• Kids love to go to school, strong PTC

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• Teachers care about their work and their student's success and are personable and take the

time to listen and promote the kid's education.

• MCA @ high school. Dedicated and smart teachers. Activities at the high school.

• Bgp, bgi, have amazing staff, teacher, and principles.

• Technology offerings

• Teachers work hard to provide education to students and they are good teachers and

principals.

• The teachers are caring and attentive to student and parent needs

• Have great teachers and many options for after school classes. Have great PTA.

• Feeling of community and pride (experience at Kennedy Elementary) - parents engaged

and wanting to help students.



• Teachers not being compensated properly.

• District funding is a consistent issue as well as current impending needs for school

maintenance. Also, challenges competing with local private schools.

• We have had superintendents who did not want to listen to the shareholder opinions. I

have a skin in the game because my shares(children) wellbeing and education is at

important and we are the ones who feel the gravity of your two minutes thoughts put into

action.

• We have declining enrollment in an area that has a high cost of living. It’s hard to live

here and raise a family here.

• I would hope our new superintendent is AWARE. We have so many big company’s

offering incentives forthwith employees to live here near their campuses, yet those

individuals don’t enroll their kids in Newark schools because our schools are in dire need

of repairs and updating. We have 1 high school that looks like a prison, 1 junior high

with an overgrown track, falling bleachers and a pool in disrepair, yet students are

expected to run a mile on uneven soil! How about those companies dumping some

money into our schools via grants or something so that their kids can actually attend

Newark schools and support our community! Our kids deserve it!

• The demographics of school and how that can affect school engagement--how do you

mesh the backgrounds of families so that they come together as one? Mostly, I believe

the majority of our school's families will be loyal to those they trust; some of that trust

comes from having similar backgrounds or shared history. If the superintendent lives in

or is from Newark, I think s/he will understand the community s/he serves better. If s/he

speaks Spanish or makes sincere efforts to get to know the students and families, that will

make a lasting impression.

• More after school programs.

• There have been financial issues and concerns that money has not be handled properly in

previous years.

• That they should be secured of bullets with the windows and walls.

• Making our schools more high tech. Protect our teachers and give them better pay,

because some of them are leaving and going to another school district that will pay more.

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• Newark teachers, staff, and specialists are one of the lowest paid in the area and have no

benefits. Many families that live in Newark send their kids to private school because

they are fed up with the lack of resources that are provided by the district. Policies need

to change and focus should be on improving our schools, paying teachers more,

providing opportunities that are equitable for all students. As parents, we are supportive

of change and want to see this happen. We are tired of elected officials misallocating

money and making decisions that are not minded in education. We don’t need another

career politician, we need someone that knows education and can make the changes

needed to improve Newark schools.

• NMHS needs a passionate, committed principal and team that supports the students; not

dictates to them. Long time staff and teachers show their lack of motivation and subpar

support to students/parents. Educator engagement and enthusiasm is low. No principal

has stayed longer than a year in the past few years. Families are known to try enrollment

outside of Newark public schools after elementary grades. Over-crowded schools. Better

budget planning?

• 1. Low academic standards and no focus on academics 2. The Board refuses to monitor

the success/failure of programs 3. No accountability

• Newark has been often used as a stepping stone for educators. Unfortunately, this leaves

our schools in a bad position as quality teachers are difficult to retain and thus our

students are negatively impacted by the turnover. We have a large Latino community and

although they are challenging to engage we need to reach out more in culturally

appropriate ways to get their buy in and engagement. I have seen in certain school

communities groups of Latino parents who are very solid and involved in the schools.

Unfortunately, it seems like it’s always the same groups of parents so expanding that

circle would be beneficial for all.

• I have been on the interview committee twice - and it's clear the people that were brought

in were not aware of all of "concerns" nor did they have the skillset to address them. I am

glad you are sharing this information with the final candidates. There are so many

issues with our school district (but all fixable): Finances: No one can figure out how

the money is being spent in this district. Between lawsuits, poor decisions, and ineffective

financial advisors, the kids are losing out every day. This is a big one! Teachers: Not

enough of the good ones stay very long. Too many of the bad ones stay too long. Too few

want to change and learn new ways of working. At the same time, they are definitely not

paid their value. School Board: They are not connected with the community. I don't

even know who they are and they don't attend enough community events. One of them

has been on the Board too long. Superintendent: So much to clean up from past

mistakes. Finding the right people to listen to will be hard. This district has too many

people that do not do things for the greater good and only focus on their personal gains.

There is a substantial amount of relationship repair that will need to happen with the new

Superintendent. Technology: Dated and not enough training happens with parents about

how to engage the school and teachers. Communication: Not enough, poorly done (at

times) and not consistent across schools. Special Ed: Again teachers are trying, but the

process is broken. My son has attended three different schools since he was diagnosed

with Autism. Kids with special needs must have a consistent environment and changing it

every couple of years just doesn't make sense. Decisions around full-inclusion vs. SDC

are inconsistent. I could go on for days.

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• It's not an easy job, you're not going to make everyone happy, please just do what would

be in the best interest of the children. That's the most important thing.

• The high school has been without solid leadership for a very, very long time and needs to

be addressed immediately. We aren't preparing our students to graduate and go to college,

it is reprehensible. There are some incompetence in the district office, especially in

facilities and HR.

• Our child attends Birch Grove Primary and soon our younger will begin there as well.

When Bunker and Milani Elementary were merged and then split into BGP and BGI, this

was a huge disappointment and disservice to the students of Bunker. Milani was an

underperforming school while Bunker excelled. In addition, it's a drop off/pick up

nightmare for parents who's kids attend both schools.

• How to consolidate knowledge for students when they study from home and how to

manage the students don’t submit assigments?

• I know there has been a lot of conflict recently due to the possibility of school closures.

This has created strong feelings from members of the community.

• From my limited experience as an employee, union site rep and parent in the District, I've

found that some of the rumors regarding a deep disconnect and distrust of District

leadership has changed dramatically with the departure of the former superintendent. In

my humble opinion, this shift in leadership engagement and trust shows how prepared

certificated and classified staff are to reach new heights for their students and the

community.

• The superintendent should be efficient with budget so make educational environment.

Don't put so many kids in the classroom. Moreover, the superintendent should treats

teachers better so they can focus on teaching kids and developing teaching methods for

kids. Then parents are ready to help and support her/him.

• As a parent and a resident of Newark, I believe that we need to value our teachers and

staff and pay them a decent salary. We also need to keep classroom sizes low as this

benefits all the students.

• There are some equity issues where some schools struggle more and have fewer

resources than others. We need someone with a strong moral compass and a good head

for numbers to figure out how we can afford to retain quality teachers by passing along

the state COLA while still balancing our budget.

• No diversity in all schools

• Maintaining the small school paradigm while balancing the budget is tough, but parents

enjoy the close relationships with faculty at schools and it is important to keep that in

mind. Budget should not be out most important factor with deciding what is best for our

kids.

• There is a lot of talk about corruption and excessive pay among school board members.

The district will receive less money as fewer students enroll if NUSD continues to have a

bad reputation as the new parents moving here will place their kids in private school.

• School in Newark needs to focus more on STEM and other high-tech programs (e.g.

programming language) for all student, not just limit to number of students can

participate. I have heard our neighbor's kids turned away from the STEM program

because the program only choose a small # of minority students and turned away other

students who are actually interested and succeed in STEM programs. The class

curriculum needs to be more attractive and competitive for parents who live in Newark to

43

send their kids to Newark schools. We have sent our kids to private school because the

Newark schools are just not good enough to meet the education (type of classes,

competitive level of grades, etc) we want for our kids. Many of our neighbors feel the

same way. We live in the heart of silicon valley where all schools focus on technology

and science. We need to step up and start moving forward for these kids. Hope these

programs will attract more kids who lives in Newark to go to local schools instead of

searching somewhere else.

• There are a lot of good parents here but we are frustrated with some of the district's

decisions especially regarding the turnover of high school principals. the best principal

that we ever had should have never been forced to leave. our current temporary principal

is doing a great job.

• Budget shortfalls, cronyism at the board level, incompetence of district staff and a couple

school board members, high school issues all around.

• We lose talented teachers to other districts We lose students to private schools and other

districts Despite having some great teachers, there are also some under-performing

teachers High admin turnover at NMHS

• The lower income students are struggling. It is very difficult for our school to handle the

issues. From providing food and mental health care. That these children so desperately

need.

• Our schools are a imbarrasing part of this city. The school ratings should all be 7 to 10s

here in Newark. Our school board sucks and need to be replaced.

• small community means misinformation spreads quickly. Rumors of school closures

causes fear. High School needs strong admin team with experience. Way too much

turnover, hiring of inexperience/unqualified admin has been a pattern for the HS the last

two years.

• The high school is a mess. The principal is nice but not experienced. Elementary school

teachers are so nice. They care about the kids. I hear the board micro-manages and

listened to one or two people and not all us parents.

• Sports and coaches rule the day and little emphasis on academic needs. Teachers hide in

their classrooms because they are afraid. Parents blame everything on the teachers and

the administration backs the student and never the teacher. So the teachers will is

completely broken.

• What our current board members are overlooking is what is currently working. You are

focused on changing things that are working which gets us into trouble and in more debt.

For example, why is there a position posted for our high school principal when we have a

interim who has done THE BEST job I have seen in the last 4 years!! Please offer be a

contract!! She connects with the students and parents. Do not take that away!! You can

save money on recruitment of a superintendent and a high school principal. Please

reconsider your plans.

• The need for prioritizing communication and community input over school closure when

considering budget.

• Newark has had a lot of turnover in upper management and has had a lot of change in

staffing in the last 10 years. It seems that many people leave after 1-3 years. How will

the next superintendent help retain the good teachers/staff we have (support them so they

don't leave) and get rid of those who aren't fulfilling their job duties?

• how to bring the Newark school grading up

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• The fact that we the people are asked for our opinion, yet when we vote the school

district does what they want on their agenda without taking direction from the parents and

the community.

• I think the superintendent should be aware of any budget concerns, and now covid-19 and

herd immunity. The safety and maintenance of all the school buildings and what needs to

be done. Updating the technology for the future and hiring more IT staff to support it.

• Putting the correct people in the right spots as teachers and aides

• Wonder if long-tenured teachers are keeping up with current methods of

teaching/learning. Would like to see a greater emphasis on STEAM offerings and

partnering with local high tech companies in Silicon Valley to keep up with latest

learning platforms and technologies

• Covid is one the major issues that need to be worked on. How they will keep distance

between students as not every student listen to their mentors.

• Getting involved in school events

• Teachers not being compensated properly.

• District funding is a consistent issue as well as current impending needs for school

maintenance. Also, challenges competing with local private schools.



• Passionate about children’s future

• Experience working with diverse student populations with a variety of needs and

economic levels. Thinking creatively about funding strategies and ways to increase

school rankings to be able to retain students in district schools and compete with

Ardenwood and Fremont.

• An important characteristic would be for the superintendent have been is to have empathy

as a parent and an educator too

• A former teacher or someone who looks out for teachers is crucial. Our school board and

superintendent have felt antagonistic and numb to the community and teachers in the

past. We need a team player.

• Good question...we haven’t had much luck. I would hope they are fiscally responsible

and will lead with openness, understanding, clarity and responsibility. We need someone

transparent, not someone we’re constantly questioning their motives. We hope for

someone with strong core values and a genuine interest in the Newark community.

• I mentioned in my answer to #3 as well. Loyalty, longevity, commitment, and dedication

to Newark--have some history here or demonstrate a long-term future here Personable--

makes sincere and concerted efforts to get to know families s/he serves, on a more

personal level, in order to meet their needs and goals Educated, organized, honest--Gets

the job done, efficiently, even if hard decisions have to be made, doesn't play politics but

operates in the best interest of the STUDENTS, even if it means upsetting some

stakeholders

• Kindness. Strong leader with an open heart. Transparency. Financially savvy.

Willlingness to listen to our parents' ideas and concerns.

• That he/she knows the rules,listens carefully and is more aware of schools and fixes the

problems they have

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• We would like see the new superintendent visiting our schools more, and get to know our

schools needs. It will also help having a coffee with the Superintendent once a month to

give updates to parents.

• They need to have a strong background in education and administration. Years of

teaching and working with diverse communities. A leader that can stand up for this

district, prioritize students and their families, support teachers and staff across situations,

and create change to improve this school district. They need to be invested in this

community.

• Community-driven to work with all levels of staff, schools, board members, county

officials and the public. Listens to both sides of what's working well and what's not but be

diplomatic to make a decision on behalf of the community (not what a few parent

speakers continuously complain about or what the board wants). Leads with change

management in their many years of public education experience and embraces diversity.

• 1. We need an experienced superintendent, not a beginner. 2. Leadership skills and focus

on academics 3. Be capable of cutting pet programs or programs that don't give results

• Trustworthy, culturally competent, out the needs of students and families at the forefront

of decision making. Have a good relations with the teachers union that is transparent and

supportive, manage budgets effectively, respond to crisis in an effective manner, be able

to work with the diverse ethnic groups in our community. Promote a culture of trust and

respect with all district employees and parents. Collaborate to support our students’

academic and social emotional needs for better outcomes.

• Knows how to listen and learn. Knows how to connect with the community - both

Spanish and English Business savvy Wants to build the community and schools not tear

them down. Innovative thinker and know what would work for Newark (not put a Palo

Alto idea in our schools - were are a different community and require a different

approach - we might end up with the same outcome) Knows how to solicit feedback

from various community members (all walks of life) Knows how to earn respect and not

assume they are entitled to it Someone that knows how to create a strategic plan that will

last with or without them for years to come.

• Kid-friendly, understanding and a problem solver.

• TRANSPARENT. They should be a good communicator and not lie! They need to be

competent and be a proven leader. Most importantly, we don't want another district's

drama, we need candidates that have a clean background with no major issues. The

person should be a consensus builder and not have issues of bullying or being a

micromanager.

• Successfully managing a budget; prioritizing allocation of funds to insure a better

learning experience for the children

• Have skills to make students be willing and interesting in distance learning and

understanding the lessons well, finish the assigments

• Someone who is able to bring people together and explain and give clear information to

the community. We need better communication across the board so that people are given

the correct information and rumors don't start spreading.

• We need a patient, magnanimous, student-centered leader with integrity and a willingness

to shake things up at the District level, if needed. Someone with a stated vision who has

the courage to establish their own student-centered goals while also possessing the

humility to admit when they are wrong. This leader should always recognize and utilize

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the expertise within the District as opposed to relying on outside resources and vendors to

provide professional development or training. Lastly, our leader needs to understand the

role mental health professionals and school counselors play in schools, and how vital they

are to the community at large throughout the school year as opposed to just during

emergencies.

• The passion for developing schools. Most important is that the superintendent should

have good personality. Please check the reputation and prior record such as no

embezzlement and molestation record. She/he should have experience before that

changed school district much better.

• I think a new superintendent should possess a good sense of value and financial sense.

• Ethics, integrity, transparency, advocacy for students and staff, problem solver: make

partnerships to get our district a stem school to increase our reputation and enrollment...

• Have a vision, be able to solve problems effectively, good leadership skills as well as

communication.

• Teaching! They must have been a teacher to have perspective for those they will be

deciding the future.

• Get rid of financial corruption and NUSD's bad reputation. Focus on supporting teachers

and students. Offer Mandarin language instead of Spanish.

• Must focus on new technology and new tools for students to move forward faster.

Understand what education is important for students now to success in Newark and

continue to college.

• work hard, and not be into the politics as much, listen to people & collaborate

• Bilingual would help a lot with our community

• Empathetic, intelligence, finance savvy, willingness to respond to parent concerns,

innovative in problem solving. The superintendent is the final stop. The criticism and

accolades land here. A good superintendent will listen to the staff, parents and larger

community and proactively address their concerns. Ignoring these stakeholders will spell

problems for the person in this role.

• listen to parents and teachers promotion of Newark talent, not bring in outsiders to fill all

positions

• They need to possess the understanding of balancing a budget and spreading the districts

funds to help the lower income schools.

• Leadership and willingness to listen to the people in our community! New homeowners

are not sending their kids to our schools because of the ratings. We need a Leader not a

follower of our school board.

• transparency. must over communicate with community. should have experience.

• The new principal should raise our test scores. My son has a good grades but everyone

seems to think academics aren’t as important as other things. Kids act up in class and we

no k e does anything especially if their parent calls. My sone gets moved not the kids who

do t want to learn but have parents that complain. The new principal needs to stick of for

learning and not other things before all of us move our kids.

• Experience, experience, experience. The new superintendent needs to focus on academics

as test scores have not improved in many years. Emphasis on academics not sports.

• All the current skills, qualities, and characteristics are shown in work. I am completely

against searching for a new superintendent. Consider searching for an associate

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superintendent. Att BOARD MEMBERS- listen to the parents!! We are the true

stakeholders of our community and need you to do what is right. Playing around with

plans is not ok. It’s like gambling our kids lives away.

• Good communication with the community (not just staff), someone who is willing to get

to know the families, someone local

• Personable, friendly, develop good rapport with staff and the community, be visible, go

to sites and know people's names, and have a good idea of what everyone's jobs are in the

district. Support the staff!

• Willing to listen to parents, teachers, educators advise and giving feedback

• Understanding of the area's living expenses and be willing to budget and balance a

teacher's salary package that will retain good talent. Secondly look at the programs that

the state is telling us how we should teach and rise above to identify holes in the system

so we can truly educate our future leaders without following some canned form that is

outdated or full of grammatical errors. Lastly, someone who can actually respond to the

parents when they receive a personal question, comment, or concern. Not once have I

received a response from the School Board or superintended to any of my concerns or

questions.

• Being able to bring in different ways of teaching that is fun, planned for the future and

complete.Forward thinking, creative with the budget, get along with all personalities,

Work with the City and Library. Understand the kids and their mindset.

• Approachable and friendly

• Innovative, proactive, curious and action-oriented. Not afraid to ask questions and

challenge status-quo and has the ability to assess and take action in a timely manner.

• Caring for the community to grow. Making sure schools staff is not cut. Provide more

funding to schools so they can provide better education and extra curriculum.

• Transparency, kind, empathetic and outgoing.

• Passionate about children’s future

• Experience working with diverse student populations with a variety of needs and

economic levels. Thinking creatively about funding strategies and ways to increase

school rankings to be able to retain students in district schools and compete with

Ardenwood and Fremont.

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Students



• Even with COVID-19 my community is still happy it like summer for us.Even if things

are bad we look for the good and we find it every time.

• Close knit areas and giving to help improve everyone’s children have the ability to

succeed



• My school is amazing they make it so fun to learn.They have made spelling fun with a

fun game called sparkles.You play by taking turns to say a letter if you get the letter

wrong or if you say sparkles you sit down.

• They’re diverse, understanding, compassionate and have a more capable teacher base

because the ratios Of teacher: kids are less.



• They should be aware of issues like not enough computers, teachers getting paid enough,

money for field trips, and a lot more things.

• To try making bold moves without truly representing the body of residents desires for

their kids would be undermining our interests as a whole.



• They should be confident, not afraid to speak their mind, and a leader.

• Compassionate, caring, communicative, understanding, with the ability to perform to help

our children excel individually not just as a collective statistical set of numbers.

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Teachers



• Newark has a small town feel and is very community minded.

• Small, Connected, Devoted to moving our district forward

• We’re a tight knit group who look out for each other. Newark has a small town feel while

being in the middle of one of the busiest, most populated areas of the US.

• Small, close knit, willingness to help and provide support to each other.

• Caring, hard-working, close-knit neighborhoods. Small town atmosphere, but close

enough to every activity and entertainment that you'd want. Small town is getting bigger,

but it's good. Growth should be thought out carefully to maintain quality of life.

• Our community is a small town with strength in our residents being an integral part of the

services, schools, government, and local agencies.

• We are a close-knit community that support each other as much as we can. We care about

transparency and communication.

• Small town vibe in a big metro area.

• The community is very close and tight knit. I work in the district I grew up in. I teach a

lot of students where I went to high school with their parents. Some of the teachers I had

in school I now work alongside, which I think is something very special about Newark.

The parents are involved and interested in what is happening in our district. Parents want

to see that admin not only cares about their students but also the teachers they employ.

• Newark is unique in that it is bigger than a small town but it still feels intimate.

Sometimes the community can be intense, but please do not mistake that intensity for

meanness. That feeling is passion and dedication. I am proud to be of Newark and to

teach in this city. We are strong folks who all want what is best for our students.

• Newark is a small community where generations of families seem to stay. I have taught

many families where both parents are products of NUSD schools since elementary.

• Newark prides itself on the small town feel of living in large suburban area. This small

town feel is changing as businesses move into our area and new housing is springing up

all around us.

• It's small and tight knit.

• Newark is a tight knit community and people care about each other and are invested in

the community.

• Though I do not live in the neighborhood, the community is friendly, small and

neighborly. The schools reflect that small town feel. I love the involvement of the

library through the bookmobile, the engagement from the police department and the

support from restaurants and stores for our families.

• Small and caring community. .

• NUSD is small but close-knit community of professionals who are passionate about

education and passionate about their students.

• Newark in a tight-knit community; everybody knows everything about everyone in a

good way. We support each other. Many students return to Newark to be teachers. The

community supports the schools.

• For many years Newark Unified has been a tight community that may not pay the best,

but we have felt that we are valued and we work hard to do what is best for our students.

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Recently though our district office has very much changed, and it feels like an "us versus

them" mentality. At the high school we have had way too many principals in the last 20

years.

• The community is strong when there is a plan

• I appreciate that Newark still has a bit of a small-town feel, even in the middle of the Bay

Area metropolis. It is a community with a lot of diversity. In our current time of crisis,

I’ve been really impressed to see how much the community has banded together to

support each other (especially to make sure kids are fed).

• Newark has a small town feel and is very community minded.



• Teachers and principals put students first and go out of their way to make each child

successful.

• We have a huge number of teachers who grew up within Newark and are now wanting to

give back to the district and community. We have buy in - and have highly motivated

staff members - because of this.

• They are full of high quality staff who truly care about their students, are dedicated to

them, and put them first in all their thoughts and decisions.

• Teacher communication and collaboration is very good. All staff support each other and

every one is treated with equality and respect.

• Caring teachers, administrators, and staff that go above and beyond to help our students

as best as they can. Parent club at our school is amazing. Parent Club Fundraisers help

support all teachers and specialists with activities, supplies, assemblies, choir, family

movie nights, and after-school sports. That's just a few things. Our school is a family.

• Our schools have dedicated staff that focus on student learning. Many of the personnel

have been with the school/district for many years and have either attended the school

and/or have children who attended or are attending our schools. The staff are personally

vested in the success of the students and our schools.

• Our schools are dedicated to helping students be safe, responsible, respectful, and

successful. They support families as much as they can as well.

• Our kids. Period.

• Our schools are all unique with different demographics at each site. The teachers at each

school are intune with the diversity and teach to the needs of the students. The teachers

care about their students and go above and beyond what is necessary to make sure all

students learn.

• I am very proud to be a teacher at Birch Grove Intermediate Elementary. We work hard

to provide rigorous instruction and our expectations for student achievement are high. I

can't speak on behalf of all schools, but at mine, we work as a team. We see problems and

we try to solve them in the best way possible.

• I have worked in 4 elementary schools in NUSD and I have to say that NUSD does

elementary school very well. The teachers in the schools I have work in care about their

students and will try to do whatever they can to help them.

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• Teachers have been the strength of our school. In this recent National Covid-19

Emergency teachers made heroic efforts to maintain contact with their students and

support one another.

• Great teachers, support staff, most families are supportive.

• Our student body is very diverse, talented, and unique widely with differing needs.

• Schools have such heart. Learners are supported through the myriad of programs we

have for them. Staff is supportive and willing to lend a hand easily. We strive to put the

best professional foot forward to support student learning.

• Committed teachers and well behaved students.

• Our schools are headed by qualified and professional administrators and staffed by

capable and compassionate teachers. Classified staff are very helpful and all staff go

above and beyond for our students.

• Many schools employ teachers who are products of Newark Unified School

District(myself included). Snow has 8 teachers that graduated from Newark Memorial.

We use Positive Behavior Intervention & supports which addresses the social and

emotional needs of all students. We teach using reader's and writer's workshops.

Technology is incorporated in learning and many schools have 1:1 computers per student.

Our teachers expect all students can learn no matter what the race, beliefs, socio-

economic status is of the child.

• Newark Memorial is a great school, but has seen a better days. We need to support the

great things that are currently working (i.e. athletics, MCA, PAWS, Puete), and rebuild

the things that need focus.

• We have some dedicated staff

• My school has an amazing principal who is always open to trying new things. Overall,

our teaching staff is dedicated to our work and we are always pushing to improve. We

have lots of involved, supportive parents. Every school throughout the district is very

different, and principals seem to have a fair amount of discretion to make the right

decisions for their own sites.

• Teachers and principals put students first and go out of their way to make each child

successful.



• Valuing teachers and not trying micro manage them with Friday meetings.

• When others have moved in to Newark, thinking it would be best to uproot or start fresh

with "their" hires or "their" new initiatives, inevitably they fail. NUSD has done best,

over the years, when homegrown, dedicated and devoted individuals are put in leadership

roles. (I could list names of those who've stayed - and a few who have been pushed out

who shouldn't have been - to substantiate this comment.

• If I can be as blunt as possible and say stuff I think most people are too afraid to say: The

teachers don’t feel respected/heard as the professionals they are, and more often feel

belittled, taken advantage of, or dismissed. Money doesn’t feel like it is managed

properly, and not nearly enough goes towards the students and supplies to help them

succeed in school. For example, for such a small city, the current superintendent’s salary

is out of line, especially compared to the neighboring cities, and many feel that some of

52

that money should be reallocated to the students. Communication could really be

improved through every level; as someone who has talked with people at many levels

throughout the district about how they feel about what they have and what they need,

teachers and specialists have very different ideas from the principals who have different

ideas from the district administration and I think everyone is too afraid to ask or talk

about it because they dismiss themselves, saying there is no money for what they really

need, before even trying, even when asked outright. And I think this lack of effective

communication is also contributing to the mismanagement of funds. Hundreds of dollars

come out of each teacher’s pockets every year as they try to get their students the supplies

they need to succeed and I believe they wish the administration had the same mindset of

sometimes being willing to sacrifice some of their own in order to help the community go

further. I think the biggest hurdle a new superintendent is going to face is getting the staff

to trust them; they have gotten so used to feeling abused, and they only stay for the love

of their job and this community that it is going to be a difficult journey to make this

district function more effectively where everyone is on the same page for the students’

sakes. The best analogy I can think of is that the district is trying to run the schools like a

big business in the middle of a small town who are all very close and it is creating some

serious tension as the community is more for-the-good-of-the-group based and the district

office feels more for-the-good-of-the-self based.

• District office often seems out of sync with schools. There is a stated vision, but not a

clear path as how to make the journey. It often seems as though they are behind the

curve. Curriculum is purchased that is never used (never any follow-up with "how is it

working for you"). A prime example is the Fountas and Pinnell Phonics program

distributed a few years ago to K-1 classes. It was a nightmare to put together (it came in a

big box with hundreds of pieces that had to be torn apart and assembled), and was

extremely user unfriendly. Some of it is still sitting in bags in my garage. No one has ever

followed up regarding this curriculum. This is not the only time this has happened.

• We need a stable administrative team at our high school. This is not fair to students or

staff. My oldest graduated last year and had 4 principals. My sophomore had a tough

freshman year with 3 different principals. Currently, we have an interim principal who is

doing a fantastic job with just 1 AP. I have asked several staff members how this year

has gone and they say it's the smoothest start that they have had in years. Please let them

continue the good work they have started and get them another AP to help our students

and staff. We do not need another new set of administrators at NMHS. Take away the

interim and make her our permanent principal. PD for staff needs to be more carefully

thought out. One-size does not fit all. We are all at different points in our careers. As

this pandemic has shown, NUSD admin has shown good leadership by providing

different levels of PD for technology. Staff is getting the correct PD to help each person

with their Remote Learning skills.

• The district has been operating in its unique and traditional ways for many years and we

see the landscape of our community changing. We need a leader to have the vision to

incorporate the traditions and lead us into preparing for the future with innovations,

technology, collaboration, and progress. We need to entice and maintain new and

existing leaders and teachers into our school community by offering competitive salaries,

intrinsic rewards and motivation, collaborative environments, and professional

development. We need an active human resources department to be proactive in

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recruiting competitive talents and promptly work together with principals and staff to

address requests and concerns to avoid future complications.

• How money is allocated has always been an issue.

• I feel our next superintendent should be made aware of the negative "culture" that has

existed between the DO and schools during recent years. For us to function as a

UNIFIED district, we need to operate like a family, and show mutual respect towards

each other.

• Our district does not manage money well and it always seems to be blamed on teachers.

In the past few years the morale has been us against you (teachers vs admin) it is

unhealthy and disrespectful. We have a very high turn around of teachers and we lack a

suitable guest teacher pool. We work a lot and it always seems like our district doesn't

appreciate any of the work we do, it always feels like a battle. At the end of it teachers

feel disrespected all the time.

• I think an issue that our city faces is a lack of consistent leadership. There is a high

turnaround for higher level positions such as superintendents, principals, and district

office employees. This lack of consistent leadership impacts certificated and classified

employees but most of all, students. Our district needs to spend more time hiring strong

people who are willing and capable to stay for the long haul.

• For years NUSD has been a training ground for teachers, which means that new teachers

come into the district, but will leave within five years in order to go to districts where

they can make more money. Those teachers who have been in the district for over 20

years are NOT considered valuable to the district. Most of the TSA, ELD, or

Intervention assignment are given to teachers that have less than 10 years with the

district. Because the majority of the staff have less than 15 years, when a vote is taken to

use seniority as the criteria as to who get what position during the staffing meeting, it is

always voted down. The district has wonderful teachers who have been working here for

over 10 years, but they are treated like a nuisance rather than an asset.

• Teachers are the strength of this district, but as housing becomes less affordable many

teachers are moving out of the area. In the Covid-19 crisis it was not unusual to have 2 or

3 teachers teaching from the same house/apartment.

• Lack of trust in superintendent and school board

• We have had very high turnover by outsiders who come in and wreak havoc on our

district and then leave. They come in with their own agenda that does not always have the

students' best interested in mind. They also don't listen to the people who have been here

a long time and know the district inside and out.

• Our school lacks resources: technology issues (software and hardware), school supplies

(paper, pencils, markers, crayons) that we purchase with our own funds. The lack of

innovation and creativity to problem solve is antiquated. We need social emotional

programs to serve the neediest of populations.

• Please chose someone from our own community, who already knows the needs, strengths

and down falls in our district, in that way we won't have to keep repeating ourselves

every year with this type of surveys.

• The incoming superintendent must realize the financial state of NUSD. They must

honestly want to help the community and have a plan to solve the financial crisis for the

district. To gain respect and show serious commitment, the superintendent should

consider taking less pay so that more needs around the district can be addressed.

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• Even though we hold high expectations for all students, ther is inequity. Some schools

hold more power or clout than others. Some parent groups at certain schools are more

vocal than others so the non-vocal schools receive less funding and access to supports.

All schools need to be treated fairly and receive equal supports. Special education needs

more support in the district. OUr special ed teacher has been spread very thin.

• There is a huge disparity between school sites, and it has been consistently perpetuated

by board members and long-time staff for several decades. The whole city knows there

are "good schools" and "the others" and it hasn't changed much since I was a child in

Newark 30 years ago. Teachers, students and parents at the "other" schools are looked

down upon and disparaged by members of the "the good schools" communities publicly.

They are given permission to do things that other schools are not (like raise funds to keep

their students from having to go to the "other" schools when class sizes are unbalanced).

It is hugely apparent as we move into distance learning. The staffs are not held to the

same expectations. They are allowed to forgo district initiatives if keeps their parents

happy. If they do not like a new program, they publicly announce they will not be

participating.

• The superintendent needs to build bridges in all of the schools, not rip the already

overworked administrators away from their schools at critical times. I don't want the next

superintendent to come in on a power trip, fire all of the principals and hire ones that are

loyal to them.

• Staff is not always appreciated for the work they do, and we are having trouble with

hiring quality teachers/keeping teachers.

• There is a lot of distrust between teachers and district level staff. There is a long history

of district-level changes being made at the last minute, without providing proper

resources, or without asking any input from teachers. There is a definite feeling that

teachers have been blamed for things we do not have control over and generally looked

down on. District decisions have often seemed out of touch with the reality of our

classrooms. There is particular distrust around how the district spends its money.

• Valuing teachers and not trying micro manage them with Friday meetings.



• Be a good communicator. Value teachers and principals opinions and make an effort to

involve them in problem solving and decision making.

• Connect with the community...but not just the city community, the school community.

Make yourself visible and approachable. Get to know staff and teachers and students. Our

previous superintendent decided this wasn't important, hence, there was no relationship

developed. Educators are all about developing relationships. A superintendent should

model this...above all else.

• Strong empathy and communication skills. Someone who is so proud of what they’re

doing that they are constantly going out to the schools and community events to talk with

everyone, get their input, and see how their choices are working for everyone. Someone

who is resilient and can understand the frustrations that have built up in the staff who

have been here for years and can work to better this district in every way imaginable.

55

• The new superintendent should be a visionary-someone who can think outside the box.

Decisions must be bold, possible to fulfill, and made in collaboration with the people who

have knowledge they may not have. This person must visit sites, talk to teachers and

students as often as possible, and have the heart to create an environment that everyone

will be proud to be a part of.

• Be a good listener to all stakeholders in NUSD. Listen to others and let them help you

learn about NUSD. Then ask them to help with your vision for NUSD. Must be super

organized and visible in the community.

• We need a new superintendent who possess effective communication skills to bring

together the needs of the schools with the services of the district administration and

facilitate the collaboration of schools working together as a district. We need someone

with the vision of the changing landscape of our community and preparing the schools

now to meet the needs of new families entering Newark. We need a leader to combine

the traditional ways (of which many of the school staff are vested in for many years) and

new ways to address the future, with effective communication and collaboration with

NTA. We need a leader who is a people person, who can regularly be visible in the

community, schools, students, and families. It would be bonus if the person is bilingual,

since we have a good portion of our population as Spanish-speaking. We need a

superintendent who is vested in our community, as much as we are; who would be here

for at least 5+ years to carry through the vision and continue progress. Our strength is

our community and we need a leader to facilitate and mobilize our community to work

together and make Newark strong again. We need a person who is not afraid to make

hard decisions but communicate the reasons to the community, be transparent. First and

foremost, we need a leader now to uplift the low morale across the district. We need

hope and vision that things will change for the better soon.

• They should be communicative, transparent, organized, caring, and flexible.

• -Former TEACHER who hasn't forgotten what teachers do -STUDENT-focused vs.

D.O.-focused -Ability to establish a POSITIVE work culture

• I would like to see someone who has been in the classroom and is familiar with "teacher

life". I'd also like to see someone who is compassionate towards our work and wants to

put the needs of our students first. I also want to see someone who shows respect to their

employees and doesn't use bullying tactics to intimidate others. I want a superintendent

that wants to be involved, wants to see what we are doing with our students, someone

who shows interest in us and the students we teach, not someone who is here for just a

paycheck. We need someone is going to be kind and someone who is going to actually

care.

• The new superintendent needs to be compassionate. This person needs to see that while

we all have different opinions, all of our intentions are for the betterment of this

community. They also need to be open-minded and flexible. At the end of the day, every

opinion should be heard and no one voice should be any more important than another.

Lastly, this person needs to be VISIBLE. In order for a superintendent to have a steady

pulse on the district they serve, they need to see schools and visit the classrooms often.

They will gain more respect from the community members if they choose to present and

available.

• The acting superintendent has done an excellent job in getting the district through the

COVID-19 situation. She has been with the district since 2017 and deserve a chance to

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show that if she can lead the district through the COVID-19 with expertise, she can lead

the district into a bright future.

• We need someone who is visible to our parents, teachers, students, and community. We

don't need a Superintendent who sends directives to administrators and shows up to

Board Meetings and that's it.

• Superintendent should know the area, know our needs, listen to teachers, keep students as

first priority, not come in and try to change everything, be realistic about goals for

improvement, and listen to wants/needs of community.

• The new superintendent should actually want to be here and should be invested, long

term in Newark. They should take the time to get to know our community, teachers,

students, parents, etc and find out our needs. They should make decisions based on the

students' best interest and not to promote themselves and give themselves and their

buddies raises while classrooms are falling apart and teachers have to spend their own

money to provide materials for their students. Don't micromanage. Staff at NMHS

especially have been through so many principals and VPs we can manage ourselves.

• She/he should possess flexibility, the ability to relate to a diverse population with high

need; be warm, personable and positive. They should be knowledgeable of systems that

run a community like ours. Stellar communicator with a sense of humor.

• The new superintend should be someone from our own community, either administrator

or teacher. That will make his/her job more practical, because that person would already

know what is good and what is not working in our district.

• Dedication to working long hours in service of the interest of the district, its employees,

and its constituents. Have a plan for how to pull NUSD out of debt without selling

schools. Find ways to fundraise and bring money in to renovate our supplies and

classrooms in order to attract more parents who will be willing to enroll their children in

our schools.

• The necessary skills for a new superintendent must possess first must be that person

must believe each employee in the district is valuable, fromt he teachers to principals to

custodians to office staff to aides. Also, the superintendent must get to know all

employees by name. It is so uplifting when you hear the superintendent know your

name. You strive to do better. The last few superintendents have not even been into my

classroom. Finally, they must work on unifying our district. We are stronger together!

• Not sure where to put this. Our district has a money problem. They are proposing a 1%

increase for teachers. We will not be happy if we overspend for a Superintendent, like we

did for the last one. We can’t pay what larger neighboring districts pay. Also, the new

Sup needs to control our spending. Our budget is the most confusing document to read

and try to figure out what we are paying for things. It would be great to have them work

with the CFO to make that document more transparent. To many it is done that way to

hide poor expenditures. Should be transparent.

• Ties to the community. Love for education. People person.

• Willing to listen to what stakeholders actually want, and to follow through on

decisions/promises made.

• I want a superintendent who has true, genuine, respect and appreciation for teachers. I

want a superintendent who will listen to all stakeholders and make decisions

collaboratively with administrators and teaching staff. I want a superintendent who will

57

be transparent about decision making and treat everyone fairly. I want a superintendent

who will empower teachers rather than belittling them.

• Be a good communicator. Value teachers and principals opinions and make an effort to

involve them in problem solving and decision making.

58

Survey Monkey Results for Newark Unified School District

April 2020

Spanish Version (NOTE—these responses have not been edited,

they are printed as entered by the stakeholders)

9 Responses

Administrators/administrador



Diga las cosas buenas de su comunidad. (Esta información se utiliza para ayudar a reclutar

candidatos de calidad.)

• En comunidad de Newark la gente es amable y pasiva puedes andar en las calles o

parqués caminando con seguridad a cualquier hora.

In the Newark community the people are friendly and passive, you can walk in the streets

or parks walking safely at any time.



Diga las cosas buenas de sus escuelas. (Esta información se utiliza para ayudar a reclutar


• Las escuelas cuentan con maestros y directores que se esfuerzan diariamente para llevar

acabo el aprendizaje académico de nuestros niños y siempre están dispuestos a ayudar a

los padres con las necesidades de sus hijos.

Schools have teachers and principals who strive daily to carry out our children's academic

learning and are always ready to assist parents with their children's needs.

59



¿De qué temas el superintendente debe estar consciente cuando él / ella entre en el distrito?

(Esta información se comparte con los candidatos finales.)

• La educación académica de los alumnos debe ser el enfoque principal. Saber cómo

administrar los recursos monetarios. Buen diálogo con los maestros,líderes ,mesa

directiva etc. Programas que necesitan las escuelas para mejorar la calidad de

aprendizaje de los estudiantes,pero qué por falta de recursos no se pueden llevar acabo.

The academic education of the students should be the main focus. Know how to manage

monetary resources. Good dialogue with teachers, leaders, school board etc. Programs

that schools need to improve the quality of student learning, but what due to lack of

resources cannot be implemented.



¿Qué habilidades, cualidades o características debe poseer el nuevo superintendente para

tener éxito aquí? (Esta información se utiliza como examinamos a los posibles candidatos.)

• Un buen superintendente tiene una visión clara para su distrito escolar. Él o ella trabaja

con la mesa directiva para establecer una visión, metas y objetivos para el distrito, y

después se asegura que las metas se cumplan. Un buen superintendente es un líder en la

instrucción. Él o ella sabe que el trabajo más importante del distrito es asegurarse que los

estudiantes aprendan y alcancen un alto rendimiento académico. Él o ella conoce

prácticas eficientes para maximizar el desempeño académico y apoya a los maestros del

distrito. Un buen superintendente es un comunicador eficaz. Él o ella debe hacer un

esfuerzo en conjunto para comunicar las necesidades y logros del distrito en distintos

formatos: a través de reportes escritos, comunicación con la prensa y los medios masivos,

reuniones públicas y con su asistencia en eventos escolares. Un buen superintendente es

un buen administrador. Él o ella guía a los administradores a lograr las metas del distrito,

monitorea su progreso y evalúa su desempeño. Un buen superintendente sabe escuchar.

Él o ella debe escuchar y tomar en cuenta distintos puntos de vista de diferentes

constituyentes, para después tomar la mejor decisión. Un buen superintendente no teme

tomar riesgos o comprometerse. Un superintendente promedio podría establecer metas

vagas o que puedan alcanzarse fácilmente, pero un buen superintendente establecerá

metas ambiciosas que requerirán un gran esfuerzo y compromiso. Estas metas pueden ser

tales como “La mayoría de los alumnos de tercer grado podrán leer al terminar el año

escolar,” y después se asegurará de implementar los programas y disponer de los recursos

necesarios para alcanzarlas. Un buen superintendente es flexible. Él o ella debe saber

manejar la política involucrada en su trabajo- adaptarse a nuevos miembros en la mesa

directiva, cambios en la manera en que el estado provee financiamiento, y cambios en la

comunidad escolar, sin sacrificar la visión que se ha impuesto para el distrito. Un buen

superintendente colabora en vez de optar por un método que lleva a la confrontación.

A good superintendent has a clear vision for his school district. He or she works with the

governing board to establish a vision, goals, and objectives for the district, and then

60

ensures that the goals are met. A good superintendent is a leader in instruction. He or she

knows that the most important job in the district is to ensure that students learn and

achieve high academic achievement. He or she knows efficient practices to maximize

academic performance and supports district teachers. A good superintendent is an

effective communicator. He or she must make a joint effort to communicate the needs

and achievements of the district in a variety of formats: through written reports,

communication with the press and the mass media, public meetings, and with your

attendance at school events. A good superintendent is a good administrator. He or she

guides administrators to achieve the district's goals, monitors their progress, and

evaluates their performance. A good superintendent knows how to listen. He or she

should listen and take into account different points of view from different constituents,

and then make the best decision. A good superintendent is not afraid to take risks or

compromise. An average superintendent may set vague or easily achievable goals, but a

good superintendent will set ambitious goals that will require great effort and

commitment. These goals may be such as “Most third graders will be able to read by the

end of the school year,” and then will ensure that they implement the programs and have

the resources necessary to achieve them. A good superintendent is flexible. He or she

must know how to manage the politics involved in their work- adapt to new members on

the school board, changes in the way the state provides funding, and changes in the

school community, without sacrificing the vision that has been imposed for the district. A

good superintendent collaborates rather than opting for a method that leads to

confrontation.

Classified Staff/personal Clssificado

Sin respuestas

No Responses

Community Members/miembro de la Comunidad

Sin respuestas

No Responses

Parents/padre



Diga las cosas buenas de su comunidad. (Esta información se utiliza para ayudar a reclutar


• Newark es un pueblo muy bien cuidado no tenemos delincuencia. La policía siempre

está caminando por las calles y las escuelas asen su mejor esfuerzo.

Newark is a very well-kept town, we have no crime. The police are always walking the

streets and the schools do their best.

• La comunidad está dispuesta a optar a las escuelas mediante el voluntariado , pero

necesita apoyo del distrito para poder hacerlo, tiene muchas ganas de aprender cómo

61

ayudar a el estudiante, tiene interés de ir a los talleres que se promocionan, tiene ganas de

estudiar y que lo tomen en cuenta , a la cumin idas de Newark es muy competitiva y

ayuda siempre y cuando le permitan hacerlo .

The community is willing to choose schools through volunteering, but it needs district

support to do so, it is eager to learn how to help the student, it is interested in going to the

workshops that are promoted, it is eager to study and Take it into account, Newark

Cumin ies is very competitive and helps as long as you are allowed to do so.

• Que todos estamos unidos , hoy por esto que estamos pasando veo qué hay mucha unió y

mucha ayuda aquí en nuestra comunidad.

That we are all united, today because of what we are going through I see that there is a lot

of unity and a lot of help here in our community.

• La tranquilidad, coperacion entre nosotros mismos comunicando cualquier servicio como

comunidad y con nuestros becinos

The tranquility, cooperation between ourselves communicating any service as a

community and with our scholars

• Somos una gran comunidad de latinos viviendo en Newark.

We are a large community of Latinos living in Newark.

• Comunidad pequeña y familiar respetuosa

Small and respectful family community



Diga las cosas buenas de sus escuelas. (Esta información se utiliza para ayudar a reclutar


• Mi escuela tiene buenos maestros u la directora está asiendo muy buen trabajo,siempre

está buscando lo mejor.

My school has good teachers and the principal is doing a very good job, she is always

looking for the best.

• En varias escuelas lo padres dan colaboran apoyando al maestro en actividades, los

padres dan clases voluntarias , hay cordialidad en algunas escuelas entre los padres y la

escuela , las instalaciones las han embellecido en algunas escuelas y algunos maestros se

enfocan en ayudar a los estudiantes a subir sus grados , algunos maestros se preocupan

por los alumnos y son dedicados a enseñar

In several schools, parents collaborate by supporting the teacher in activities, parents

volunteer, there is friendliness in some schools between parents and the school, facilities

have beautified them in some schools, and some teachers focus on helping students to

raise their grades, some teachers care about students and are dedicated to teaching

• Que la directora y los maestros estAn a pendiente de los estudiantes.

That the principal and teachers are aware of the students.

62

• El apollo para los miños despues de escuela las actividades para los niños durante clases ,

la motivacion de ofreserles clases de musica , bailes, deportes para mantener alis niños

ocupados ya que todo esto los ayudara hacer mejores personas de bien en sus vidas.

Apollo for children after school, activities for children during classes, the motivation to

offer them music classes, dances, sports to keep children busy as all this will help them

make better people in their lives.

• La directora de Lincoln es muy amable, siempre dispuesta a ayudar a todos los alumnos y

padres de familia. La directora de Musick siempre trabaja muy bien con los padres que no

hablamos ingles porque trata de comunicarse con nosotros siempre buscando la mejor

forma para que le entendamos y estemos involucrados en la educación de nuestros hijos.

The Lincoln Principal is very friendly, always ready to help all students and parents. The

director of Musick always works very well with parents who do not speak English

because she tries to communicate with us always looking for the best way for us to

understand and be involved in the education of our children.

• Facilidad de acceso para comunicarnos con directora y maestros en cualquier problema o

dificultad que surja buenos maestros dispuestos a ayudar

Ease of access to communicate with the principal and teachers in any problem or

difficulty that arises, good teachers willing to help



¿De qué temas el superintendente debe estar consciente cuando él / ella entre en el distrito?

(Esta información se comparte con los candidatos finales.)

• Tratar a toda la comunidad igual no aser más l menos ninguna escuela .a si cuando llegan

ala jr todos se sientan igual no q mi escuela fue y es mejor q la tuya .

Treat the entire community the same, no more, no less. If when they get to jr, everyone

feels the same, not that my school was and it is better than yours.

• Es un Distrito donde hay un 60 % de latinos que ocupan mucha ayuda con los grados ,

traer recursos a esta comunidad no había alguien que lo hiciera , no hay apoyo en todas

las escuelas after school, hace falta capacitar a los maestros a saber cómo trabajar con

estudiantes de ADHD una condición cada vez más común en los estudiantes , no es fácil

este Distrito pero enfocado@ en un mismo fin que es hacer lo mejor para los estudiantes

si se puede .

It is a District where there are 60% of Latinos who take a lot of help with the grades,

there was no one to bring resources to this community, there is no support in all after

school schools, it is necessary to train teachers to know how Working with ADHD

students, an increasingly common condition in students, this District is not easy but

focused on the same goal, which is to do what is best for the students if possible.

• De cómo están el nivel de estudio de todos los estudiantes y la seguridad de la escuela, si

hay estudiantes que necesitan ayuda con ciertas materias.

How is the level of study of all students and the safety of the school, if there are students

who need help with certain subjects.

63

• La buena alimentacion en lasescuelas para los niños para que puedan aprender mejor

,seguir apollando con los deportes y otras actividades durante escuela y despues y masque

nada tener siempre presente el apollo para los niños con nesesidades especiales y la

seguridad de la escuela.

Good nutrition in schools for children so that they can learn better, continue to thrive with

sports and other activities during school and after and above all, always keep in mind the

support for children with special needs and school safety.

• 1- Necesitamos mas interpretes en español. 2-Necesitamos asistentes para las clases de

kindergarten Transicional. 3- Mas apoyos de programas escolares para las clases de

educación especial. Mas asistentes para estas clases con personal capacitado. Todos los

maestros de educación especial tienen mucho trabajo y no tienen el suficiente apoyo de

parte del distrito.

1- We need more interpreters in Spanish. 2-We need assistants for Transitional

kindergarten classes. 3- More support from school programs for special education

classes. More assistants for these classes with trained personnel. All special education

teachers are overworked and under-supported by the district.

• De que si lo que está haciendo el distrito académicamente para todas las escuelas y

estudiantes de Newark funciona. De ver si los estudios que reciben son competentes y

suficientes para dejar ir estudiantes bien preparados y continuar sus estudios. ....,,,.........

That what the district is doing academically for all Newark schools and students works.

To see if the studies they receive are competent and sufficient to let well-prepared

students go and continue their studies.



¿Qué habilidades, cualidades o características debe poseer el nuevo superintendente para

tener éxito aquí? (Esta información se utiliza como examinamos a los posibles candidatos.)

• Ser una persona con valores. Siempre un líder tiene q dar ejemplo de lo q queremos ver

cómo equipo y trabajar en comunidad .

Being a person with values. A leader must always set an example of what we want to see

as a team and work in community.

• Respeto, responsabilidad social y educativa , sensibilidad, actitud analítica, apertura ala

comunicación , liderazgo , apertura a la crítica , a la retroalimentación, tomar decisiones

eficaces, fomentar la mejora continua entre otras

Respect, social and educational responsibility, sensitivity, analytical attitude, openness to

communication, leadership, openness to criticism, feedback, making effective decisions,

promoting continuous improvement, among others

• Que tenga Comunicasion con los estudiantes, que tenga paciencia y que en verdad le

interese y futuro de nuestros estudiantes.

Have communication with students, be patient and really interested and future of our

students.

64

• Que sea bilingue y este dispuesto apollarnos en la mas minima cosa.

That he is bilingual and is willing to support us in the smallest thing.

• 1-Una persona con experiencia en educación especial. 1-Que este dispuesto a trabajar

con todas las personas de diferentes razas. 3-Que sea accesible para comunicarse con el .

1-A person with experience in special education. 1-That he is willing to work with all

people of different races. 3-Make it accessible to communicate with him.

• Que conozca bien el cargo que va a desempeñar y que le interese de verdad el la

educación académica de la comunidad de Newark. Que tenga las cualidades de poder

convivir y manejar con un buen grupo que lo apoye que tengan los mismos intereses, que

serían trabajar por que los estudiantes reciban una buena educación que cubra todos los

requisitos y estándares que se requieren para poder sobresalir en cualquier carrera

académica que elija. Que paguen a los maestros lo justo e igualmente a todo el personal

que trabaje para el distrito ya que todos necesitamos de todos y que trabajen de verdad

por buscar nuevos y buenos programas que ayuden a todas las escuelas por igual no

importa sean de la raza que sea. Que pongas reglas más estrictas contra todo lo que

perjudique a los estudiantes y maestros ; como buying, venta de drogas , niños que faltan

a la escuela, padres que no se paran a una junta, maestros que no les importa si los niños

aprenden o no , personal en oficinas que son racistas y no atienden o discriminan por no

saber el idioma inglés. Ay que buscar personal que busque el bienestar de toda la

comunidad no solo que le paguen bien.

That you are well acquainted with the position you are going to fill and that you are truly

interested in the academic education of the Newark community. That it has the qualities

of being able to live and manage with a good group that supports it that have the same

interests, which would be to work so that the students receive a good education that

covers all the requirements and standards that are required to excel in any academic

career That you choose. That teachers be paid fairly and equally to all staff working for

the district since we all need everyone and that they really work to find new and good

programs that help all schools equally regardless of race. be. That you put stricter rules

against everything that harms students and teachers; such as buying, selling drugs,

children missing school, parents who do not stand for a meeting, teachers who do not

care if children learn or not, office staff who are racist and do not attend or discriminate

for not knowing the English language. Oh, to find personnel who seek the well-being of

the entire community, not only to be paid well.

Students/estudiante

Sin respuestas

No Responses

Teachers/profesor

Sin respuestas

No Responses

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