Teachers and counselors praise interim superintendent Tanya Magana and urge the board to consider her

Multiple staff speakers used public comment to publicly endorse Interim Superintendent Tanya Magana and to highlight recent changes they said restored trust.

Monica Rosales Ybarra, a counselor at Los Alizos Middle School, said Magana has ‘‘demonstrated more engagement than her predecessor’’ and credited her with expanding and supporting a district counseling program that reduced chronic absenteeism at one site from 19 percent to 11 percent in the most recent data. "She consistently celebrates and uplifts the work of her staff," Rosales Ybarra said (Monica Rosales Ybarra, public comment).

Paul Castanos, a John Glenn High School counselor, described Magana as a "practical problem solver and strategic thinker" who has attended site visits and thanked counselors personally for their work; he urged the board to consider her qualifications in the superintendent search. Teacher speakers including Renee Ortega and other classroom teachers described feeling renewed confidence after longtime district leaders returned and after Magana’s site visits and outreach.

Why it matters: Staff endorsements are influential in the board’s deliberations about leaders who must work with principals, teachers and classified staff across multiple sites. Supporters cited measurable work—attendance reductions and formal counseling program recognition—as evidence of effective district leadership.

What’s next: The board will continue the search process. Trustees heard both criticism of specific external candidates and this stream of supportive testimony for Magana, which they can weigh alongside other candidates and formal application materials.