News

Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education Trustees play an active role in various local, regional, and statewide efforts, from sharing leadership best practices at a statewide conference to serving on education-related committees. Learn about a few recent efforts by reading below.

Trustee Gracia Supports Napa Valley in California State Board Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly

The Napa Valley Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously to nominate Trustee David T. Gracia for the CSBA's Delegate Assembly during their December 10 Special Session. If re-elected in May, this would be Trustee Gracia's second term as a delegate assembly member. He is currently serving his first term, which spans May 2021-May 2023. The CSBA Delegate Assembly consists of approximately 280 delegates and the Board of Directors representing 21 geographic regions. The group sets the general policy direction for the CSBA and ensures it promotes the interests of school districts and county offices of education throughout the state. As a member over the last year and a half, Trustee Gracia has represented Napa County, meeting regularly with districts in Napa to better understand their interests prior to attending the two yearly district assembly meetings. He also regularly attends CSBA lobbying efforts and has twice facilitated meetings with our state-elected leaders. During the December Special Session, Trustee Gracia was also appointed to the CSBA's Legislative Action Committee, a group committed to focusing on the upcoming legislative session. Meetings begin in January 2023.

Board of Education Special Session Held on Elementary Literacy

During the Board of Education Special Session on November 17, Assistant Superintendent Pat Andry-Jennings; Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and English Learner Services (Elementary) Matt Manning; District Academic Specialists Kirsten Gerhardt, Karly Miller, and Tracy Weis; and classroom teachers Tracee Sims, Rebecca Lacau, and Christina Lawrence facilitated an immersive learning experience on elementary literacy. The Board of Trustees requested this session so they could better understand the science behind how students learn to read as well as how NVUSD teachers use research-backed best practices to help students along their reading journey. Interested in learning more, watch the Special Session on YouTube! At the request of the Trustees, a second special session will take place after the winter break centered on secondary, or middle and high school, literacy.

NVUSD Selected Again to Present at 2022 CSBA AEC Conference

Trustee David Gracia, Superintendent Dr. Rosanna Mucetti, NVEF President Gayle Young, and Assistant Superintendents Dana Page and Rob Mangewala recently presented at the California School Boards Association Annual Education Conference (CSBA AEC) in San Diego on topics related to funding, finance, and leadership through governance. You can enjoy pictures of them in action on the NVUSD Facebook and Instagram pages and learn more about the content of the presentations in the NVUSD News.

Hybrid Interest Based Problem Solving Training

In late October, NVUSD administrators, NVUSD Board members, NVEA site representatives, and NVEA Executive board members attended an Interest Based Problem Solving (IBPS) application training. Assistant Superintendent Dana Page and NVEA President Gayle Young organized this first hybrid IBPS training which included taking a course online before attending an in-person practical application training component held at Napa High School. Trustee Chu, Trustee Jankiewicz, and Trustee Gracia attended along with nearly 60 attendees representing other CA districts and the California Teachers’ Association.