BUSD: Listening And Learning During My First 90 Days As Superintendent

Press release from the Berkeley Unified School District:

BERKELEY, CA —

Dear BUSD Community,

On August 15, the 2022-23 BUSD school year will begin. The amazing folks that make up BUSD are eager and ready to welcome our students and families to what we anticipate will be an awesome school year! I am particularly excited to start this year as your new Superintendent.

On August 15, the 2022-23 BUSD school year will begin. The amazing folks that make up BUSD are eager and ready to welcome our students and families to what we anticipate will be an awesome school year! I am particularly excited to start this year as your new Superintendent.

In addition to working with staff to ensure that our schools are welcoming, rigorous and joyful, I will spend my first 90 days in BUSD listening and learning. During this time, I will visit our schools and classrooms; meet with students, families, staff, and community partners to learn about our district; and otherwise enjoy getting to know many of you! I will be looking for examples of how we are meeting our commitment to “the 4 E’s,” providing every student access to Excellence, Equity, Engagement and Enrichment, and our mission to “enable and inspire our diverse student body to achieve academic excellence and make positive contributions to our world.”

In addition to working with staff to ensure that our schools are welcoming, rigorous and joyful, I will spend my first 90 days in BUSD listening and learning. During this time, I will visit our schools and classrooms; meet with students, families, staff, and community partners to learn about our district; and otherwise enjoy getting to know many of you! I will be looking for examples of how we are meeting our commitment

BUSD has a bold goal of ensuring that “all young people in Berkeley grow up with equitable opportunities to achieve high outcomes and realize their full potential,” and “ending the racial predictability of academic achievement” that exists in the district (2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children & Youth). I am inspired and humbled to champion this vision!

BUSD has a bold goal of ensuring that “all young people in Berkeley grow up with equitable opportunities to achieve high outcomes and realize their full potential,” and “ending the racial predictability of academic achievement” that exists in the district (2020 Vision for Berkeley’s Children & Youth).

I believe that Berkeley Unified is particularly poised to make good on these promises to students and families. There has been much progress towards this end. It is my goal to lead the district to the next phase of realizing this mission. Doing so requires humility, collaboration, an unwavering commitment and deep listening to those who have been doing and are impacted by the work. That’s why, during my first 90 days, I will focus on centering those experiences and perspectives and tapping into the collective wisdom of the community to better understand how BUSD can continuously improve to maximize the experiences and outcomes of the students we serve.

I believe that Berkeley Unified is particularly poised to make good on these

Doing so will provide me with information, input, and ultimately insight into how best to strengthen and build upon the current and historical successes of our schools and move the district closer to making the 4 E’s a reality for each and every student.

Doing so will provide me with information, input, and ultimately insight into how best to strengthen and build upon the current and historical successes of our schools and move the district closer to making the 4 E’s a reality

Thank you for welcoming me into the BUSD Community. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you already. I look forward to meeting many more in the months to come and ultimately partnering with you in service of our students. Our charge is bold and ambitious. It won’t happen overnight, and it will only happen with us working together! I’m Ready! BUSD…we are ready!

Thank you for welcoming me into the BUSD Community. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you already. I look forward to me

In Community,

Enikia Ford Morthel
Superintendent

This press release was produced by the Berkeley Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.