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Superintendent John Thompson outlines five-goal plan, mental-health telehealth and November bond
Summary
Superintendent John Thompson welcomed staff, described a new five-goal Strategic Action Plan, said the district will expand math instruction with UC Davis, offer telehealth mental-health services for students, place a local facilities bond on the November ballot, and noted a new three-year teachers' agreement.
Superintendent John Thompson opened a districtwide welcome message and outlined the district's priorities for the coming school year, saying this is his sixth year in the role and the district is "better positioned this year than in any other year I can remember." "I'm John Thompson, your superintendent," he said at the start of the message.
Thompson said the district is launching the first year of a new Strategic Action Plan with five goals: student learning, student support, employee supports, family engagement, and facilities/budget. "This year, we have 5 goals," he said, and he offered examples tied to several of them.
On academics, Thompson said the district will continue a partnership with UC Davis to support math instruction through coding and robotics. He cited Hillview Crest as a pilot site where the approach succeeded and said the district will expand the model to other sites, naming CCMS (Cesar Chavez Middle School) and James Logan High School as schools slated for similar programs.
On student supports, Thompson announced the district will "offer free mental health services by mental health professionals for all of our students who need it" through a telehealth service intended to be available "pretty much on demand," with parents involved in accessing the service.
Thompson also highlighted employee-focused work, including continued employee recognition and professional-growth opportunities. He described a new three-year agreement with the teachers' union (HTA) already in place and said the district hopes to reach a similar agreement with CSEA "soon," calling the contracts a source of "security and stability" for staff and the district.
On facilities and capital needs, Thompson said the district will place a local bond measure on the November ballot to fund upgrades at campuses, specifically mentioning James Logan High School. He explained the district is also facing a state-level school facilities bond on the ballot and that "in order for us to access any state bond funds ... we have to provide our own funds to match"—meaning the local bond is intended to provide the required local match if the state measure passes. He did not specify the size of the local bond or the projects' estimated costs.
Thompson closed by inviting staff to the beginning-of-year all-staff meeting that will honor service milestones and review plans, and he reiterated optimism about the coming year. "Next week's school starts. I hope you all have a great start to the year," he said.
The message did not include specific bond dollar amounts, a vendor name for the telehealth service, or the formal district name in the recording; those details were not specified in the transcript.
