Anaheim Elementary trustees set communication protocols in superintendent transition workshop

ANAHEIM, Calif. — At a special workshop on the Anaheim Elementary School District transition, trustees and Superintendent Jesse Chavarria agreed on a set of communication and governance protocols meant to tighten coordination between the board and district staff.

The board convened Aug. 20 for a transition workshop facilitated by Dr. Joseph Farley and Dr. Suzette Lovely; the session reviewed a leadership profile based on interviews and surveys of stakeholders and focused on reducing internal silos and clarifying who the board should contact for information. "We thought we'd spend about an hour and a half with you," Dr. Farley told trustees as he outlined the session's goals.

Why it matters: Trustees said quicker, clearer communication will help them respond to constituents and avoid being surprised by school‑level announcements. They framed these changes as operational steps to support district governance during a leadership change and to reduce duplicated work across staff.

During the discussion trustees reached consensus on several practical points. Dr. Farley said it is "pretty standard to have the entire cabinet attend literally all closed sessions," while noting exceptions such as sensitive personnel or legal matters. Trustees agreed senior cabinet members should generally be included in closed sessions, with confidentiality exceptions for expulsions and certain legal cases.

Superintendent Jesse Chavarria asked trustees to funnel requests through his office so staff can prioritize and coordinate responses. "If you want a quick answer, text message is the quickest thing," Chavarria said, describing a tiered approach: text for brief items, email for research requests and phone calls for true emergencies. He added that when trustees raise questions he will both supply answers and make sure the information reaches the whole board via the Friday memo when appropriate.

The group also adjusted routine communications: staff proposed sending family and staff letters to trustees earlier in the week — on Tuesdays — with a deadline for trustee edits by 10 a.m. Thursday so materials can be finalized before distribution. Chantal Moreno, the superintendent's executive assistant, confirmed that change as staff and trustees discussed realistic drafting timelines.

Trustees praised the weekly Friday memo as an effective briefing tool and raised minor operational ideas — including creating a shared photo folder for trustee use on social media and clarifying how future agenda requests are logged during meetings. The board also reiterated an existing policy preference that trustees not contact most staff directly and instead use the superintendent as the general point of contact to avoid creating extra work or inadvertent Brown Act exposure.

Procedural items: The meeting began with the adoption of the agenda (moved by Trustee Juan Alvarez, seconded by Trustee Mark Lopez) and the board approved it by a 5‑0 vote. President Ryan Relez adjourned the meeting at 7:28 p.m. and announced the next meeting will be Sept. 11.

Trustees, facilitators and the superintendent described the workshop as productive and oriented toward continued collaboration. "We want to see you successful," Trustee [name provided in transcript] said in closing as trustees expressed support for the new leadership team.

What’s next: Staff will implement the agreed communication steps, including the Tuesday letter schedule and the agreed norms for trustee contact with cabinet and the superintendent.