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New Antioch Unified superintendent outlines entry plan and praises 'Magic School Bus' start-of-year visits
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Darnese Williams presented an entry plan and celebrated a districtwide "Magic School Bus" tour of campuses, highlighted several grants and student-engagement efforts, and announced a student advisory committee to guide her work.
Dr. Darnese Williams, Antioch Unified School District superintendent, opened her first formal board report on Aug. 13, 2025, outlining a five-goal entry plan and summarizing a district "Magic School Bus" tour that visited multiple campuses to welcome students and staff.
"We are one, one voice, one dream, one purpose," Dr. Williams said, characterizing the start-of-year convenings and the district's approach to family and staff outreach. She recounted convocation events, a meet-and-greet hosted by the NAACP and visits to at least eight campuses during an initial tour, with plans to reach all 24 sites by the end of August.
Williams listed grants and programs the district recently secured, including funding through Golden State Pathways, the Strong Workforce Grant, the Restorative Practice Grant and a California Academic Partnership Program tied to Antioch Unified High School. She said staff responsible for grant applications and ed-services teams helped bring those dollars into the district to "fill funding gaps" and expand services.
The superintendent described an "entry plan" that sets five goals, each paired with metrics and a simple progress indicator (one to three apples) to track status through midyear and June reporting. The goals emphasize academic continuity, amplifying student voice, improved family and community engagement, operational reviews and targeted attention to students with special needs.
Dr. Williams also announced a superintendent student advisory committee and invited students to apply; she framed the group as a mechanism for students to provide direct feedback and to "grade" district efforts from a student perspective.
School leaders who joined the report described positive first days: Turner Elementary Principal Jessica Stone cited schoolwide expectations and welcoming events; John Muir and Black Diamond staff highlighted large first-day turnout and purposeful site supports; and transportation director Nathaniel Hill reported successfully routing roughly 540 students on buses during the first day routines.
Board members and the superintendent said the early visits were intended both to celebrate staff and to gather feedback that will inform her listening tour and the deliverables she will report to the board later in the year.
The board did not take formal action on the entry plan at the meeting; Dr. Williams said she will provide a midyear data report and recommendations tied to the goals.
