Welcome Back Letter from the Superintendent
Dear Parents and Guardians,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you back to the Arcadia Unified School District for the 2024-2025 school year, one we have enthusiastically themed "Celebrating Healthy Partnerships." As we launch this exciting new year, we reinforce our unwavering commitment to creating an environment that encourages and sustains healthy relationships, open dialogue, and the shared responsibility of nurturing our students to meet their fullest potentials.
Education is a people business and when I think of the students, parents, staff and community members that make up our Arcadia family, I am filled with pride. Simply stated, you are why we are consistently rated as one of the top public school districts in the nation. We are fortunate to have strong parent teacher associations, parent booster groups, foundations and support from our city and chamber of commerce. Arcadia is a special place!
Although many aspects of our lives have increasingly become transactional, public education was built on a foundation of trusting relationships between home and school.
We have been very fortunate to have maintained strong relationships with our community. We have all witnessed public discourse from the national level to local, become increasingly negative and unhealthy, especially with our children watching. We are committed to remaining positive, collaborative, and respectful.
As we navigate through yet another year of learning, growing, and evolving as an educational community, it's important to acknowledge that concerns and misunderstandings are inevitable and natural in any organization. What truly distinguishes a healthy organization like ours is having a clear and established process for resolving concerns, ensuring your voice is heard and acted upon in a respectful and effective way. A healthy organization also recognizes that challenges create opportunities for conversations that lead to better communications and trusting relationships. I often have to remind myself in the middle of a busy day that email was meant for one-directional information and never meant to replace the value of a conversation by phone or face-to-face meetings. Our children depend on us as adults to set an example and demonstrate what it means to resolve issues in a healthy way.
Central to our approach is our Board Policy on communications, concerns and complaints, which provides a mechanism for you to express your concerns in a constructive manner. The policy emphasizes a process of resolution at the source. This means addressing your concern as close as possible to its origin, that is, the person or people directly involved should be the first you reach out to. This approach promotes clarity, allows for immediate response, and fosters direct communication which often results in immediate resolution.
For instance, if you have a concern related directly to your child's classroom experiences, the first point of contact we encourage is your child's teacher. Teachers want and need to hear directly from you to understand your concerns fully, it is also they who are best positioned to make adjustments or provide clarity. Starting the conversation at the direct level, we believe, will strengthen our partnerships and prove beneficial in enhancing our collaborative spirit.
As your Superintendent, I am personally committed to ensuring your concerns are taken seriously and properly addressed. We have a team of dedicated professionals who share this commitment including our Principals, Assistant Superintendents, and a host of other District Support Staff. But remember, the initial goal is resolution at the source.
As we venture into this academic year, let's celebrate the strength and vibrancy of our partnership. Let's rise above challenges with grace, learn from our shared experiences, and continue to work towards making a positive and profound impact on every student's world.
I am excited about the opportunities this new theme presents, and I look forward to celebrating the power of robust and healthy partnerships with you all.
Wishing you all a wonderful 2024-2025 school year!
Best Regards,

David Vannasdall, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Arcadia Unified School District
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