The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education looked forward to next year at one of its campus sites, while also taking a rearview glance at success indicators in the district at its June 25 meeting.
At the meeting, the board approved the appointment of Carina Diana as the new principal of Webster Elementary School, with Diana assuming the role as of July 1. Diana’s educational administration path has taken her throughout the Los Angeles area, serving in a multitude of roles including Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction at Calabasas High School and Interim Assistant Principal at Agoura High School. She also served in Las Virgenes USD as both an Instructional Coach and Summer School Principal.
"Webster Elementary is renowned for its dedication to academic excellence and student-centered learning, and we are confident that [she] will continue this tradition of success," SMMUSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mark Kelly said of the appointment. "[Diana] brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to educational leadership. Her journey in education includes significant roles that have shaped her into an exemplary instructional leader."
Kelly added that Diana’s leadership is characterized by "a creative, technology-forward curriculum approach" as well as "a commitment to inclusive practices," saying the appointment will "undoubtedly enrich" the Webster and SMMUSD communities.
In accepting the role, Diana noted that two of her nephews are current Webster students, making this latest stop in her career a "heartfelt journey."
"I am really honored to be here with you all tonight to celebrate the next chapter in my professional journey," Diana said. "I’m honored to partner with you all to serve the Webster community and to really guide the kiddos."
SMMUSD as a whole was also discussed via a presentation on the California School Dashboard Local Indicators, a group of reports that "display the performance of local educational agencies, schools and student groups" on a set of state and local measures. Five of the eight state priorities were talked about based on a self-reflection rating tool, gauging the implementation of topics like state academic standards and parent engagement.
In her presentation, Dr. Stacy Williamson noted that much of the parent engagement priority was at an "initial implementation" level, meaning there is still work to be done in getting families involved in educational practices. Williamson stated that this coming school year’s new Family Engagement Coordinator position in the district will create "full implementation" on engagement matters, alongside re-engaging parents with better surveys and more chances for parents to attend conferences and have conversations with district staff.
Despite the priority for more engagement, the district still has strengths in the area, including providing restorative justice training for parent groups at the district level and some school sites which "continue to serve as a foundation in order to continuously build trusting and respectful relationships with families."
"This work has helped engage parents in understanding the importance of restorative justice and the importance of rebuilding relationships and a sense of community within the classroom and school community," a staff report on the subject states. "We will continue to offer trainings in the upcoming year to include more parents in the process."
A specific area of parent engagement focus comes in district decisions themselves. A recent parent survey asked if SMMUSD "actively seeks the input of parents before making important decisions," with only 64% of parents responding "strongly agreed" or "agreed." Williamson stated that this will be "an area of focus" for the coming school year.
According to the dashboard, the district still met the parent and family engagement standard, as well as standards in "basics" (teachers, instructional materials and facilities), the implementation of academic standards, the local school climate survey and in "access to a broad course of study."
