Letter from Superintendent Bill Huyett
Letter from Superintendent Bill Huyett
February 11, 2008
Dear Berkeley Public School Community Members,
It is my great pleasure to introduce myself as the new Superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District. I have always heard wonderful things about the quality of the teachers and staff in the Berkeley schools, as well as of the tremendous support given to the schools from Berkeley’s parents and community. These are some of the reasons that I wanted to come to Berkeley, and I look forward to sharing more of my reasons as we get to know each other in the months to come.
I will be coming around to schools and PTAs, visiting with parents, teachers and staff, listening to their visions and dreams for public education. In my first week I have already enjoyed an elementary school assembly honoring Black History Month, attended another elementary school’s PTA meeting, and I received a beautiful gift basket from the PTA Council, full of treasures from many of the schools. I will thank each PTA individually, but I wanted to share how welcome your thoughtfulness made me feel.
Collectively we are called upon to raise student achievement for all students. I am going to be asking how we can effectively hold the high standards that we have, and close the achievement gap that exists between groups of our students. This is one of my highest priorities, and I know that it is a top priority of this community as well.
I have reviewed the comments and suggestions collected in community meetings by the consultants who conducted the superintendent search. Those comments send a clear message of what you were looking for in your new superintendent, as well as what you hope to see in the District as we move ahead. I look forward to getting out into the community, working with you to find the answers to your questions, while we continue to improve the quality of education we are providing for all of our students.
Sincerely,
William (Bill) Huyett
Superintendent