Highlights from the February 23 Regular Board Meeting

The regular meeting of the Board of Education on February 23 opened with celebration as the Board recognized the achievements of some outstanding students and staff. The Board honored Administrators of the Year, including Brooke Carreras (TMA) named Elementary Principal Honoree, Sahra Tanikawa (Hewes) named Middle School Administrator Honoree, Michele Bowden (Business Services Manager) named Classified Manager Honoree and Eva Hill (Education Intervention Specialist) named Special Education Classified Manager Honoree. We are grateful for their leadership, dedication, and the positive momentum they continue to build throughout Tustin Unified.

The Board also celebrated the following staff for their National Board certification: Debra Bessen(Heideman), Elizabeth Cometa (Guin Foss), ErinHart (Estock), Erika Kuskie (Heideman), Gigi Pan(Beswick) and Janelle Parker (Heideman). National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education, providing numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools.

Following this, the Board honored Counselor Taylor Tsang (LMA), named Middle School Counselor of the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. She will be one of only seven counselors from across the county to be celebrated at the upcoming 12th annual Orange County Counselor Symposium.

We were grateful to the Town and Country Committee of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County as they joined the Board to present a check in support of elementary music, and to the Tustin Public Schools Foundation for their generous check presented in support of all TUSD students.

The Board was also excited to hear from our Student Board Members as they highlighted recent events and programs from their campuses. Sharing their reports were Leah Green (FHS), Indaiah Lowe (THS), Anthony Ruiz (Hillview), Megan Quach (LMA) and Safiya Nawaz (BHS). In addition, Ms. Nawaz also shared an update of events with our elementary and middle schools.

The evening included several presentations from staff, including this month's Bright Spot, as Assistant Superintendent Chris Matos and Coordinator, Secondary Education, Ali Del Castillo, shared an overview of our Learning Lab classrooms and the support for Tier I instruction. In addition, Assistant Superintendent Maggie Villagas shared an update on the Local Control Accountability Plan.