Natomas Charter leaders outline back-to-school enrollment, summer programs and instructional focus
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Summary
Executive Director Dr. Wood presented August 1 enrollment counts, summer program outcomes and a year-long instructional plan emphasizing attendance, instructional practice and family partnerships.
Natomas Charter District Executive Director Dr. Wood opened the board meeting with an enrollment report and a preview of the 2025–26 school-year priorities, saying the district is focused on “empowering the leaders of tomorrow.”
Dr. Wood told the board the district reports enrollment as of the first of the month; the August 1 counts were 267 at Leading Edge, 109 at PACT, 773 at PFAA, 592 at STAR and 139 at the Early College Academy, with small day-to-day fluctuations as the school year began.
Why it matters: Dr. Wood said the district’s strategic work this year centers on instruction and school culture, and that attendance is a central lever for student success. “Students are only on campus about 15% of those minutes,” Dr. Wood said, arguing that family and school partnerships must support learning during the other 85% of the year.
Board members were briefed on summer programming and staffing changes. Dr. Wood described two “summer boost” programs — an elementary-focused literacy and math program and high-school credit recovery — and a redesigned middle-school program focusing on incoming sixth and ninth graders; the middle-school program peaked at about 95 students and then stabilized in the 70s during the second week. The district also expanded a student-worker program at STAR Academy, placing roughly 10 high-school students in summer work roles and continuing some as paid student workers into the school year.
Dr. Wood highlighted facilities and technology work completed over the summer — custodial deep cleaning, trimmed trees and wireless access-point replacements — and said the district planned an intercom replacement during fall break. Professional learning over the summer included GLAD training for English learner strategies, math training and new-employee onboarding, and the district is planning learning walks and other measures to “deprivatize practice” so educators can learn from one another.
The executive director told the board the district will emphasize three family actions at back-to-school nights: connect with teachers and school communities, contribute by supporting routines and screen-time limits at home, and champion schools through volunteering. Dr. Wood said the district will continue to prioritize instructional practices and building collective efficacy among educators to accelerate student learning.
Ending: The presentation closed with an invitation to back-to-school nights and a reminder that the official enrollment snapshot for state funding is the CBEDS census day the first Wednesday in October.
