MDUSD Board Reorganizes Leadership, Navigates Budget Pressures

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District's Governing Board ushered in new leadership, defended a challenged classroom text, and confronted the fiscal realities of running a large district on one-time funds at its Dec. 10 organizational meeting. The session underscored both the routine machinery of school governance and the values debates that increasingly animate local education politics.

• Debra Mason elected Board President; Keisha Nzewi becomes Vice President

• Board votes 4–1 to keep "The Four Agreements" on 9th-grade supplemental reading list after parent challenge

• First Interim budget approved with positive certification, but staff flags reliance on one-time funds

• Adult education students and teachers turn out to advocate for ESL programs

• District marks 50th anniversary of IDEA with special education progress report

• Food & Nutrition Services highlights scratch cooking, compostables, and local sourcing expansion

Debra Mason will lead the Mt. Diablo Unified School District Governing Board in 2026 after colleagues elected her president unanimously. Keisha Nzewi was chosen as vice president, also without opposition.