Board honors Hayes Elementary and hears Palo Verde equity report highlighting SEL and targeted supports

Trustees on June 4 recognized Hayes Elementary School for its Equity and Excellence Alliance work and heard a detailed equity update from Palo Verde Elementary principal Anora Lee.

Recognition: The board presented a plaque to Hayes Elementary and its multicultural-affairs liaisons, and named principal Mary Bussman and staff (Kendra Williams, Sean Harvey, Michael House) for leadership in equity-focused practices and family-facing JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) training.

Palo Verde equity update: Principal Anora Lee described the school's return to campus after construction, the use of Panorama SEL data (grades 3-5), and the identification of Hispanic/Latino and English-learner subgroups reporting lower school-safety ratings. In response, Palo Verde launched Project Palo Verde, where teachers adopted students identified as needing additional connection and followed a discreet, dignity-preserving support model. The school also ran "1 School, 1 Book," distributing Katherine Applegate's Otter to families with supports and culminating in a celebratory Zoom with the author.

Trustee response: Trustees thanked staff for the presentation and the targeted interventions. Trustee DeBrienza noted that school-safety and connectedness are often leading indicators that can drive improvements in other metrics such as suspensions and test scores.

Next steps: Staff said they will monitor Panorama, i-Ready and behavior data and continue implementing targeted practices, and the board thanked library staff and teachers leading the initiatives.