Newly appointed San Ysidro School District Superintendent Julio Fonseca has launched a 100-day transition plan outlining strategies to engage the entire District community, with a focus on promoting student success and fostering a system-wide culture of transparency and accountability.

Fonseca, who formerly served as Associate Superintendent of the Bassett Unified School District in Los Angeles County, has worked as a teacher, counselor, principal and administrator before assuming his post in San Ysidro on July 1.

“This is a time of great challenge, but also great opportunity for the San Ysidro School District. Our community stands ready to come together to focus on what matters most – our students,” Fonseca said. “As superintendent, I pledge to partner with all stakeholders to ensure the strongest possible education for our children.”

During his first 100 days as superintendent, Fonseca plans to conduct a listen and learn tour, meeting with teachers, staff, parents, students and members of the broader community to explore what the school district is doing well and areas in which it can improve moving forward.

The plan establishes four well-defined goals:

• Develop an effective working relationship with the Board of Education to build a framework of success.
• Learn about the people, programs and partnerships that represent the SYSD community through a listen and learn tour, to gain an understanding of the history, traditions, challenges and opportunities of SYSD.
• Examine existing academic, operational and support services to identify the critical issues impacting the performance of all students.
• Ensure effective communication and authentic community engagement by developing relationships and delivering timely, accurate information to build and maintain trust and confidence in SYSD schools. This includes creating student, parent, staff and principal advisory committees, utilizing social media tools and scheduling community engagement opportunities in conjunction with the Board of Education.

“A key element of the success of any school district is a willingness to listen to all parties and really understand the people and partners who support it,” Fonseca said. “We have amazing students who are capable of achieving tremendous success. It’s up to us to provide them with the rigorous, supportive and engaging academic environment they need to really reach their potential.”

At the conclusion of the 100 days, Fonseca plans to share what he has learned with the Board and move forward with goals crafted from discussions with community stakeholders.