Superintendent

July 26, 2023

OJUSD Families,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the incoming Superintendent of Oakdale Joint Unified School District. I have been a part of the Oakdale community for over 50 years and have had the honor of serving OJUSD for the last 18 of my 33 years in public education. Like so many who are from Oakdale, or have their own children in our schools, we have a vested interest to continue OJUSD as the preeminent district in our county. Our annual achievements supports this fact. We annually publicize the previous school year’s achievements, which can be found on our OJUSD website (https://www.ojusd.org/district/achievements).  We will continue to strive for excellence, getting better every day, and embracing competition to help our students’ continued success after graduation.

We have recently had to navigate events that have brought significant challenges and fiercely tested the fortitude of those that work so hard in our schools. Obviously, COVID took its toll on our students and staff, but it also frayed the fabric of trust we long established as a District. In 2022-23, we made significant strides towards “getting back to normal,” and it is our intent to have a full “reset” in 2023-24 and resume normal operating conditions from day one.

In an ever-increasingly polarized society, I remain absolutely certain that our staff and parents want what is best for our kids.  However, new legislation, contending with various opinions on social media, managing liability and litigation risk, and a number of other factors have challenged every community’s ability to remain united more than ever before. Even with these challenges, we have dedicated staff who work extremely hard, and the Oakdale community remains incredibly supportive of our schools. Our students’ achievements are the result of these combined efforts.

I sincerely ask for your help as we continue to work together to educate our children. If there are concerns or issues that need to be addressed, please follow the District’s established procedures (https://www.ojusd.org/district/complaint-policy-and-procedures). When issues are aired only in a public forum, “due process” can be compromised and may promote further conjecture. The District is not always legally able to announce corrective actions that have been taken. However, please be assured, it serves us no purpose or benefit to avoid addressing and resolving issues. In an effort to improve communications, the District will be exploring the expansion of various social media platforms to provide information in addition to what is posted on our websites. Together, we can continue our pursuit of a positive, enriching, and successful experience for our students in 2023-24. We look forward to welcoming students back on August 3, 2023.

Respectfully,

Larry Mendonca

Superintendent, OJUSD

(SPANISH VERSION)