Board Appoints New Trustee, Filling Trustee Cho's Vacant Seat

The Jefferson Union High School District Governing Board devoted much of last week's meeting to celebrating the people who make its schools work — from a student leader with a 4.24 GPA to a coach whose 40-year career has shaped generations of athletes. But the board also tackled urgent policy updates on immigration enforcement and student privacy, heard impressive academic gains at Jefferson High, and began the delicate process of filling a vacant board seat.

• Board unanimously supports naming Westmore High School track after Coach Ron DiMaggio, with a formal resolution returning at the next meeting

• Jefferson High posts 7% CAASPP math improvement and narrows achievement gaps to near parity across all student subgroups

• Five board policies get first reads, including new immigration enforcement protections under AB 495 that bar staff from collecting student immigration status

• Four candidates interviewed for Trustee Martin Cho's vacant seat, with LaSaundra Gutter appointed to serve through November 2026

• Orgullo y Educacion (OYE) Conference returns March 28 at Cañada College with student-chosen "Resilient and Strong" theme

A Community Turns Out for Coach DiMaggio

Six public commenters spanning graduating classes from 1985 to a current student athlete testified in support of naming the Westmore High School track after Coach Ron DiMaggio, who has coached cross country and track at the school for more than 40 years.

Why it matters: DiMaggio's no-cut program draws 100 to 120 students per season and has produced league, Central Coast Section, and state champions across multiple generations. Alumni return as volunteer coaches, and the testimony made clear his influence extends far beyond the finish line.

Where things stand: Superintendent Toni Presta introduced the proposal, telling the board that "Coach DiMaggio has given more than 40 years of his life to this district as a teacher, a coach, and frankly, as a cornerstone of the Westmore community." She said nominations came from staff, students, parents, and alumni.

Caroline Barrow, who has coached alongside DiMaggio for 25 years, testified to his character-first philosophy and more than 50 championships. The public commenters who followed painted a vivid, multigenerational portrait:

Allison Torres, a 1988 Westmore graduate, said DiMaggio found her in a hallway when she stopped showing up to practice as a shy freshman and convinced her to return. She went on to become cross-country MVP and a collegiate runner. Benicio Labuguen, a current Westmore student athlete, described how a single coaching decision — moving him from sprinting to horizontal jumping — transformed him into a state-level triple jumper now being recruited by colleges. Alicia Perez, class of 1993 and a current volunteer coach, spoke emotionally about all three of her children competing under DiMaggio, noting that he stays despite being able to retire.

Vice President Rosie Tejada shared a deeply personal story: "My son's dad had a very serious brain injury and he had to learn how to walk again, but he was able to see. And what got my son through that sophomore year was running track, being really good at it, and Coach DiMaggio just keeping him together."

Board President Sherrett Walker told the crowd, "For you to give up a Tuesday night to come here and speak for a person who has made an impact on your life, that's a powerful story."

What's next: All three trustees expressed strong support and directed the superintendent to bring back a formal resolution for a vote at the next meeting.

Jefferson High Narrows Achievement Gaps With Intentional Math Overhaul

Principal John Harrigan delivered a detailed academic spotlight showing Jefferson High School posted a 7% improvement in CAASPP math scores and a 4% gain in English language arts — gains he called difficult to achieve at scale.

Why it matters: Jefferson's socioeconomically disadvantaged students are now just two percentage points below the overall A-to-G eligibility rate, a level of parity rare among California high schools. The class of 2025 achieved a 95% graduation rate with 66% UC/CSU eligibility, and 190 seniors have already been conditionally admitted to San Francisco State through an on-the-spot admissions program where the school pays application fees.

The basics: Co-teaching — pairing general education and special education teachers in the same classroom — is a model gaining traction statewide as districts seek to serve students with Individualized Education Programs in the least restrictive environment. At Jefferson, the results have been dramatic.

Where things stand: Harrigan described an intensive teacher-led process: "We started just by looking at what is the test. What does the test ask, what kinds of questions are being asked, and then what do we do with that?" Teachers took the CAASPP themselves, identified four focus areas including recall and problem-solving for unfamiliar questions, created CAASPP-style questions for unit tests, and met 10 to 12 times on release days throughout the year.

The co-teaching results for students with IEPs were particularly striking. ELA scores moved from 157 points below standard to 90 points below, and math from 224 to 164 points below standard since co-teaching began.

Harrigan also announced a new student recognition program using collectible keychains and charms to celebrate the 614 students — 60% of the school's enrollment — who achieved above a 3.0 GPA. The school is implementing a learner agency framework based on Universal Design for Learning, with teacher peer observations and tuning protocols.

Board President Walker highlighted the equity data: "Everybody talks about closing the gaps. And here you are actually closing the gaps. I don't know that I can remember any of these subgroups being this close to the top line."

The other side: Student Trustee Violet Schueller raised an important caveat, sharing feedback from English language learner students: "A lot of the feedback we got was that there were students who were really interested in, like, excelled at math and science, but they just weren't getting good grades because they couldn't understand how the questions were worded." Vice President Tejada connected the challenge to her own experience as a Jefferson graduate whose first language was not English, saying she was class salutatorian but tested poorly because of the academic language on standardized tests.

District Updates Immigration, Privacy Policies to Comply With New State Laws

Superintendent Toni Presta presented first reads on five board policy updates, headlined by BP 1445 on immigration enforcement response.

Why it matters: The updated immigration enforcement policy, required by AB 495, now explicitly bars district staff from collecting or sharing student or family immigration status and prohibits enforcement officers from entering non-public school areas without legal documentation. The superintendent must report any enforcement request to the board.

Where things stand: The other policy updates include BP 1340 (Public Records), updated per AB 1004 to protect tribal financial records and per AB 370 to allow response-time extensions during cyber attacks or states of emergency; BP 1000 (Community Relations), which strengthened two-way communication language; BP 5125 (Student Records), adding provisions on deleting data from third-party apps and responding to immigration status requests; and BP 5125.1 (Directory Information), adding student email addresses to the release framework.

Board President Walker expressed support for the immigration policy, stating he was glad policy was catching up with state legislation.

What's next: As first reads, these policies require no board action yet. They will return for adoption at a subsequent meeting.

Four Candidates Vie for Vacant Board Seat

The board interviewed four candidates for the provisional appointment to replace Trustee Martin Cho, who resigned in December. The appointee will serve immediately and through the November 2026 election, when voters will choose someone to complete the remaining two-year term.

Why it matters: With only three voting trustees seated, the appointed member will immediately shape decisions on budget, policy, and capital projects during a period of federal policy uncertainty.

Where things stand: Superintendent Presta outlined the process: each candidate answered the same questions with three minutes per response, followed by public comment and a ranked-choice paper ballot.

Jesse Levin, an education economist joining remotely, emphasized 23 years of research experience, prior board service in the Pacifica School District, and having two sons in district schools. He articulated a dual equity framework: "The other form of inequity that I'm really afraid of because I've studied it for 23 years is resource inequity. The fact that you have some schools that have better programming and more experienced teachers and other schools that have less." Levin also invoked Horace Mann, arguing that "self-governing democracies really require a knowledgeable and literate population. And where are they going to become knowledgeable and literate? Well, in public schools."

Joelle Castoreno, a Westmore parent and healthcare administrator, highlighted her school site council service and work on a bell schedule change that improved graduation rates.

Jennifer Kramer, a 47-year Pacifica resident and 26-year electrician who serves on the executive board of IBEW Local 6, grounded her candidacy in deep community roots. Her mother attended Cabrillo, she attended Cabrillo, and her three children — ages 15, 17, and 21 — all attended Cabrillo as well, all living a block away. "I just care about what happens to our schools and our community," she said.

LaSaundra Gutter, retired from San Mateo County Juvenile Hall, drew on decades of youth work experience and her current service on the Commission on the Status of Women.

Three community members spoke during public comment, all in support of Gutter:

• Dr. Lauren Sneed praised her leadership at Juvenile Hall, crediting Gutter with opening the door for the first detained youth to attend college — a precursor to what became the Project Change program.

• Dana Johnson, who worked alongside Gutter for 14 years in the juvenile justice system, offered personal testimony: as someone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and trans non-binary, Johnson described how Gutter created space for them to feel accepted in an environment where that wasn't common, including empowering Johnson to celebrate Pride Month on their unit.

• Former 12-year JUHSD trustee Kalimah Salahuddin told the board she had encouraged Gutter to run for a school board seat two years ago after hearing her speak, and called her "an empathetic leader full of kindness and heart."

The decision: The board used a paper ballot system to rank their top two choices. Three of four trustees selected Gutter as their first choice. President Walker chose Castorino first with Gutter second.

With a clear majority, the board voted unanimously via roll call to appoint LaSaundra Gutter, who was immediately sworn in using the loyalty oath.

What's next: While Gutter takes her seat immediately, she will need to run in the November 2026 election to complete the remaining two years of the term.

OYE Conference Responds to Political Climate

Jennifer Blanco, a former San Bruno Park school board member of 17 years and current Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commissioner, presented the upcoming Orgullo y Educacion (OYE) Conference, scheduled for March 28 at Cañada College.

The conference, which began in 2010, has dual meaning: "oye" means "hear me" in Spanish and is an acronym for "Orgullo y Educacion" (Education and Pride). This year's student-chosen theme — "Resilient and Strong: We Always Carry On" — was selected in direct response to the targeting of Latino communities. The keynote speaker is Dr. Manuel Alejandro Perez, CSM's college president. Workshops include know-your-rights sessions from Sequoia High School's Dream Club.

New this year, the San Mateo County Office of Education will provide transportation for participating school districts, expanding access for schools that previously could not send students. Student outreach intern Chris Velasco of Canada College described the student MC selection and training process.

Second Interim Budget Report: Positive Certification, But Structural Deficit Looms

The district filed a positive certification on its second interim financial report, confirming it can meet financial obligations this year and for the next two years — but flagged a structural deficit that could eventually force cuts.

Why it matters: The second interim report covers actual spending through January and projects the remainder of the school year. While only minor adjustments were made since the first interim in December, the district continues to spend down reserves to cover ongoing costs — a pattern that is unsustainable long-term.

By the numbers: The district's ending fund balance sits at 12.5% reserves, roughly consistent with the first interim. Tax revenue projections and other budget factors have remained stable. However, the multi-year outlook shows persistent deficit spending, with one-time reserve funds covering recurring expenses.

What they're saying: Chief Business Officer Van Raph called the situation a "structural deficit" and said the board would discuss it further at an April work study session focused on the 2026–27 budget, which comes to the board for approval in June. One trustee noted it was "disconcerting" that the district operates at 128% of base funding yet still faces a significant funding gap compared to neighboring districts.

The vote: Approved unanimously.

Minor Items

• Agenda and February 10 meeting minutes approved unanimously by voice vote (3-0).

• Consent agenda approved unanimously by voice vote (3-0).

• Thornton High School received Model Continuation High School designation from the California Department of Education, announced by Superintendent Presta.

• Facility subcommittee reported on the Serramonte Del Rey construction project and noted the joint powers authority with the City of Pacifica for the Oceana High School pool is set to expire in December 2026.

• Ms. Casey of AFT Local 1481 addressed the board during reports.

• Student trustee reports covered events and updates from Jefferson, Terra Nova, Oceana, Westmore, and Thornton high schools.