October 27, 2025 • 30 mins
Start with heart, stay with purpose, and make the system work for every learner—that’s the through-line of our conversation with Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Pérez. We open up about the values that steer her leadership—future generations, trust, and authenticity—and how “clarity is kindness” shapes a focused plan for student success across Santa Ana Unified.
We dig into the three academic priorities that anchor our work: early literacy by third grade, English learner progress with reclassification by fifth grade when possible, and college and career readiness that gives every graduate real options. You’ll hear how the graduate profile and our learner model serve as a North Star, aligning classrooms, counseling, partnerships, and internships so students build durable skills and confidence. Dr. Pérez shares why naming bold goals in public takes courage, how research and listening reduce doubt, and the practical ways leaders can make their “audio match their video” to build trust.
Family and community engagement is treated as an academic strategy, not an add-on. We talk about empowering caregivers to navigate financial aid, pathways, and literacy at home—reading in any language, using songs, cultural sayings, and everyday print to grow vocabulary and comprehension. Dr. Pérez’s stories—from Trader Joe’s flip-flops to first jobs and favorite books—reveal a leader who believes conditions shape outcomes: when leaders thrive, teachers thrive; when teachers thrive, students thrive.
If you care about equity, early literacy, multilingual learners, and authentic college and career readiness, this conversation is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to tell us which idea you’ll put into practice first.
Visit us at our Buzzsprout site for more ways to listen, links to our social media sites and any referenced materials, and complete transcripts of our full-length episodes: https://bit.ly/SAUSDAmplifyingLeadership
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bianca Barquin (00:07):
Greetings, Amplifiers, and welcome to
another episode of SAUSD'sAmplifying Leadership.
I'm your host, Bianca Barquin,and it's wonderful to be back
with you today to amplify thework of inspiring leaders who
are making a difference in thelives of our students, our
families, our local community,and yes, listeners far beyond
(00:28):
Santa Ana.
Today is special.
We're welcoming a leader youalready know and love, our new
superintendent, Dr.
Lorraine Prez.
She is a trusted mentor, asystems thinker, a futures
thinker, and a relentlessbeliever that clarity is
kindness.
Together we'll dig into hervision, core values, and our
(00:50):
framework for the future,including our graduate profile,
which is our North Star, ourlearner model, and the three
academic goals she's lifted upwith laser focus.
Number one, early literacy,reading by third grade.
Two, English learner progresswith a goal of reclassification
(01:11):
by fifth grade wheneverpossible, so doors stay open in
secondary, and three, collegeand career readiness, so every
graduate leaves SAUSD with realoptions, real skills, and real
purpose.
And here's what I appreciateabout Lorraine.
Even as we focus on those threeanchors from preschool through
(01:32):
beyond grade 12, we will notlose sight of the graduate
profile, our learner model, orour community-built mission and
vision.
Nothing's being replaced,everything's being amplified.
She's about equity andinclusivity for every subgroup,
about root cause systems work,not quick fixes, about strategic
(01:55):
foresight, and I have thebeautiful opportunity to train
in it side by side with her,about partnerships and
internships that createopportunity, and about being
present in classrooms, incafeterias, on blacktops, and at
board tables.
Lorraine, welcome.
Thank you for saying yes tothis conversation and to this
(02:18):
moment.
Thank you for having me.
I'm so excited to be heretoday.
Okay, Lorraine, we're gonnastart with segment one, which is
where the heart lives.
So this is really gonna beabout your story and your why.
So, first question (02:31):
What moment or person first lit the fire
for you to serve here in SantaAna and keep serving?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (02:41):
So, this is a very interesting question.
You know, I was a teacher andmy sister-in-law is also a
teacher.
She happened to teach in SantaAna Unified, and that was my
first exposure to Santa AnaUnified.
And I saw the love, thepassion, the excitement, and
just the heart that she gave tothe community.
(03:01):
And she worked at Pio Pico, andthere were lots of community
involvement and events that shewould do.
And on Saturday, she was goingto her school, and I'm like,
wow, that's wild.
Like she spends so much timethere.
And I was a teacher in anotherdistrict and loved my community
and really felt like I gave alot to the community as well.
(03:23):
But there was something verydifferent.
And I think it was becausethere was family and network for
her in Santa Ana.
The Biopico teachers andadministrators were like a
family.
Like I remember spending NewYear's Eve with teachers from
Pio Pico because of mysister-in-law Betsy.
(03:44):
And New Year's Eve, all thekids' birthday parties.
I'm like, wow, they have such agreat community.
And that really was special andintrigued me.
And when I got the opportunity,when it came about that there
was even a conversation aroundjoining Santa Ana Unified,
that's actually what came to mymind.
(04:05):
Like, wow, I could be part ofthat community and have all of
those folks that I knew throughher.
And obviously there are a lotmore schools in Pio Pico, but
just that was my experience.
That was what came to my mindwhen I thought about Santa Ana
Unified.
And I thought about andimagined if all schools are like
that and all of the schoolshave community like that, that's
(04:28):
the place to be.
And so that's initially whatdrew me to Santa Ana Unified.
And again, you know, Jerry asthe superintendent, he was here.
He had been a mentor to me whenI was in San Bernardino City
Unified.
And so that was also a piece oflike, okay, I get to work with
somebody that I know, somebodythat had been an important part
(04:49):
of my journey as a leader.
And so those things really werethe drivers.
And so it's about truly peopleand relationships.
And now that I'm here, again,the people in the relationships,
the way that we get to interactwith one another.
And just I was at the Taste ofSanta Ana over the weekend on a
tell a funny story.
You know, you take for grantedthat you're quote unquote off
(05:12):
the clock.
I had come from one event andwas going to another, kicked off
my shoes, had my flip-flops,took off, you know, the coat,
and was shopping at TraderJoe's.
Little did I know that I get toTaste of Santa Ana.
And a couple of people that Iran into were like, hey, we saw
you at Trader Joe's.
And so it's just the realnessof the community and how people
(05:34):
show up to support that keeps mehere.
And it really makes me want toshow up and do phenomenal work
for our community every singleday.
I do wake up thinking, how am Igoing to add value to our
community for our students andfor their families?
Bianca Barquin (05:51):
Thank you for sharing parts of yourself that I
don't think people really know.
I think you were part of thefamily by association, you know,
from the very beginning.
I think it's important.
But the thing that strikes meabout Santa Ana too, and I tell
you this all the time, we arefamily, right?
Santa Ana is all about heart.
(06:12):
You have to fall in love withSanta Anna and you have to love
Santa Ana very deeply.
And you do that.
And so it's super exciting to,again, I told you this
yesterday, to work with you andto work for you.
The next question I have foryou is related to a topic that
you and I talk about all thetime: core values.
(06:34):
So give us and tell ouraudience your non-negotiables.
What three values do you carryinto every room, every
classroom, every cabinetmeeting, or every community
forum?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (06:48):
Sure.
So very clearly I am driven byfuture generations.
And I'll share a little bitmore about that.
I didn't recognize it as a corevalue for a long time because I
thought it sounded kind ofsilly, but there is something
about this that I'll share andhow I came to realize that as
one of my core values.
And then trust is very, verybig for me.
(07:13):
And then authenticity.
I think those two are very tiedtogether.
But it's, I think, why Iconnect with people in a way.
And people do tell me that,like, oh, you build
relationships and I feel safeand I feel comfortable to say
things to you.
Folks have said that,principals have said that,
parents have said that, andwe'll even say, like, I don't
even know why, but I feel like Ican tell you this.
(07:33):
And I think it's because I doshow up as my true self and even
say things sometimes that I'mlike, oh gosh, I probably
shouldn't have said that.
And not a mean thing, but justlike because it's vulnerable.
And maybe that's what it is.
It's I said something that mademe vulnerable.
But that's what people connectto and the authenticity.
So that's huge for me.
(07:54):
I want to go back to the futuregenerations piece because it's
really important in the workthat I do every single day.
I'm always thinking about thefuture generation.
And one might think, well,yeah, of course, you're in
education.
You're thinking about, youknow, little ones, you know,
their future and the generationthat they represent.
But really, it's more thanthat.
I think about our principlesand the future generation of
(08:16):
principles and what systems andconditions are we creating so
that they may be successful.
So it's not just about ourlittle ones, it's about the
adults in the system too.
And how do we create greatconditions for people to
flourish?
So definitely I'm I'm alwaysthinking about our leaders
because the work is very heavyand it's tough.
(08:38):
And we want to createconditions where they are able
to thrive, because in turn,they're going to create those
same type of conditions on theirschool campuses where then
teachers in turn feel like theycan show up and do that
beautiful thing of teaching,which is the art and science of
and having those blend and kindof ebb and flow.
(09:00):
And when leaders have greatconditions and create great
conditions for their teachers,then that's going to also happen
for our students in theclassroom.
And that, you know, again, hasshowed up throughout my life.
How I came into education isdemonstrates that I actually
worked for the Walt DisneyCompany before I came into
education, but I was drawn backto my community to help students
(09:24):
and families with financialaid.
And that lit the fire for me.
I started working with studentsand families, and I'm like,
wow, I can really have adifferent kind of impact.
And so it was about the futuregeneration of students and
families that came after me tohelp them navigate, you know,
how do I apply for financialaid?
How do I go to college?
(09:45):
I didn't have that support orsomebody to help me or be
alongside me on that path.
And I wanted to contribute inthat way.
Little did I know that it wasgoing to be what, you know,
sparked the interest and lovefor education and learning.
So I can identify it all theway through my childhood as
well.
But definitely being focused onfuture generations and creating
(10:08):
conditions for people to besuccessful and folks who come
along the same path that I'vecome or even different paths to
have conditions that allow themto be successful.
Bianca Barquin (10:19):
That's amazing.
And I see it very clearly in alot of the work that we're
doing.
Can you identify for theaudience one or two things that
exemplifies that core value,future generations, and how
we're creating those conditionsfor our kiddos and our families?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (10:36):
Yeah, definitely.
So with family and communityengagement, I'm going to make
the connection back to the factI didn't have someone in my
family or a parent to comealongside and help with the
college journey.
We don't want that for ourstudents.
We want them to have theirfamilies with them and to
understand the system and how tonavigate it.
And so through family andcommunity engagement, the
(10:58):
investment there is really aboutthat, equipping our families
with the ability and theknowledge to help make those
decisions so a student isn't ontheir own doing that.
And so that a family may changethe trajectory for their family
by having this knowledge.
And so that is what I thinkabout, because a lot of times
(11:21):
folks are like, oh, so what doesfamily and community engagement
have to do with this?
That's what it has to do withthis.
It really is creating thatspace and that opportunity for a
child to not have to navigatethat on their own.
And it is a beautiful thing.
It changes families.
It changes families foreverwhen they learn and know how to
navigate and do that together.
Bianca Barquin (11:42):
That is an incredible example.
Thank you for sharing.
I want to expand on this topic,but I know we have a lot of
questions to get through, so I'mgoing to move on.
So, question three.
Tell us about a moment youdoubted yourself as a leader.
What did you do with thatdoubt?
And what changed because youstayed?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (12:05):
And so this is really vulnerable, but I
think, and maybe it's notnormal, quote unquote normal,
but I, I doubt myself often, youknow, when I think about doing
the things that we're doing withreally declaring even what our
goals are, there's a little bitof doubt in that.
But you have to just, well,first, you know, make sure that
(12:26):
you're doing solid researcharound things and not just run
with something.
It has to be research-based andyou have to have some evidence
for that.
But just not being afraid tojust jump in and do that thing
because there's moments to doubtyourself all the time.
Doubting whether should I makethe leap to change districts?
Should I make the leap to applyto be the superintendent?
(12:48):
Should I make the leap?
All of those things, I thinkit's human to have that
initially have that doubt, butyou have to move past the doubt
to say to yourself, this is theright thing to do.
And all of the reasons why it'sthe right thing to do.
So I'll go back to declaringthose three goals and what we've
(13:10):
done and done very publicly andcontinue to do very publicly.
You doubt, are people gonnaunderstand this?
Are they gonna know why we'redoing it?
Are they gonna believe thatit's doable?
Because for you to believe thatis one thing, but to get others
to believe that is quiteanother thing.
And so there is a little bit offear initially when I said, you
(13:33):
know, this is what we're gonnado.
What if nobody follows?
What if people go, those arenot the greatest three goals we
should be working on?
And some people will thinkthat, but you've got to put
something out there and you haveto get over the fear and have
people in your circle that youtalk to.
Like I didn't just wake up oneday and say, these are the
things.
I mean, I, you know, talkedwith folks and kind of vetted
(13:54):
things and hey, what about thisand listened?
And as I listened to people, Iwas getting reassurance, this is
the right direction.
This is what we should bedoing.
And you know what?
Yesterday I received it,actually it was Monday, received
a text message from someonejust saying thank you.
It took courage to really haveus as a district move to a place
(14:17):
where we're talking aboutacademics, because the truth is
we're not doing hot right now,right?
So it's hard to do you want tostep into that space because it
might be safer to not even talkabout those things.
So you doubt that.
Take that leap of faith, andthen just be willing to work
(14:38):
hard to bring it to fruition.
I speak that into being everysingle day.
We are going to be successful.
So all the doubts I have on theother end, I'm telling myself,
like, no, we are going to besuccessful.
And you match that with theintentional work every day.
Bianca Barquin (14:52):
I like it.
You're manifesting exactlywhere we need to be.
I do want to expand onsomething a little bit because
you talked about doubt a lot.
You also talked about fear andthe association between doubt
and fear.
Knowing that we all have thisinner critic, and I know you and
I have conversations like thisall the time, and that doubt
(15:15):
pops into our head all the time,and that criticism that we
hear.
How do you keep it at bay?
Because we make so manydecisions every single day.
If you were gonna give anybodyadvice out there, what would you
tell them to do?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (15:28):
Actually, I was at a school site earlier
today and was having thisconversation.
So, yes, we are gonna havedoubt, but at the core, and
that's why our core values areso important.
At my core value is futuregenerations.
So I have to go back to thatand say to myself, okay, this is
(15:51):
not about me.
This is about my core value,and I'm here to do things to
create conditions so that thenext generation has better
opportunity, encounters a bettersystem.
And so whatever it is that iscausing that doubt, go to your
core values.
And that is why they're calledcore values.
(16:14):
They're at your core of who youare and what drives you and how
you operate.
And Bianca, you know, I've donea lot of work around core
values, and it's evolved over mycareer and over my life.
But if you say that something'syour core value, but you find
yourself not living into that,you might have to ask yourself,
(16:36):
what really is your core value?
And that's okay.
That's part of being authentic.
You have to get grounded inwhat really is your core.
And when you accept andacknowledge that and really just
live into that, it can be abeautiful driver for you.
And that's why I share beforefuture generations sounded
(16:58):
really silly to me.
And to say it out loud, I feltkind of like people were gonna
look at me like that's silly.
But I had to come to terms withthat is really what is a driver
for me.
And so that's what I wassharing with that person.
If things feel odd or feel notright, it might be because
you're not actually grounded inwhat your core values are.
Bianca Barquin (17:20):
I think that's an important lesson for all of
us and just as humans, right?
We should really be living intoour core values.
I appreciate you talking aboutyour core value of future
generations.
I think one of the reasons thatwe may have this perception
that people will think it'ssilly, is it's one of the core
values, although you explainedit very comprehensively and
(17:44):
succinctly.
It's hard for people to wraptheir heads around because it's
very futuristic by nature,right?
So you are a futurist.
But the way you explained it,and it's really about creating
those conditions ultimately forevery single person within our
community to be successful is soimportant.
So thank you for sharing.
(18:05):
The last question that I havefor you finish this sentence for
me.
Leadership to me is, and whythat word?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (18:16):
Leadership to me is modeling.
As a leader, people arewatching you.
People saw me with myflip-flops on at Trader Joe's.
But really, people are watchingyou, and again, this isn't
about you.
This isn't about me.
This is about us showing up todo the work.
(18:39):
And so people are watching you,and so we have to model the
expectation, we have to modellistening, we have to model
being decisive.
We have to model these things,and we have to do it in a way
that's authentic to us, to eachof us individually, because
(19:00):
people will know.
And so when I say you have tomodel those things, and
sometimes people say, like, fakeit till you make it, and all of
these kind of jargony things,right?
And there may be some truth tothat, but but I think doing it
in a way that's authentic to youis critically important because
people are gonna see thatyou're uncomfortable doing this
thing, modeling this thing, ifyou're not doing it in a way
(19:24):
that is authentic to you.
And then I think it goes totrust.
Then they don't trust.
They're like, oh, this person'sbeing fake, that's not who they
really are.
They're playing the role.
And I don't know that peopleare gonna follow someone that's
playing the role versus somebodythat's carrying out that role
in the way that's authentic tothem.
Bianca Barquin (19:44):
All of these things are so important, but so
interconnected.
So you're talking aboutauthenticity and truly being
you.
You're talking about trust,which I've talked to you about
before.
I believe that it ebbs andflows, and we do something to
erode it, we do things to buildit up, and it's not static, it's
(20:06):
very dynamic.
A phrase came to mind, and Ijust want your thoughts on it
because to me, it's related toauthenticity, it's related to
trust, it's related to modeling,your audio matching your video.
Why is that important?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (20:21):
I think for a lot of the reasons that I
shared, if people hear yousaying something and they see
you doing something else ordoing something that isn't in
support of what you're saying,people are gonna call you on it,
even if they don't do it toyour face.
They're gonna call you on it.
And the way they do that isyour word no longer has value to
(20:43):
them.
They start to erode trust.
And you mentioned that.
Yeah, that you know, that'swhat that's what it comes down
to.
Bianca Barquin (20:50):
Good connections.
So, Lorraine, I am superexcited you are here, and I want
our audience to know that thisis going to be a series of
segments.
So we have five segments foryou, and what we're doing is
we're wrapping up segment one,but we want to put this out in
episodes so people get to knowyou very deeply as our
(21:12):
superintendent and our leaderhere in Santa Ana.
So, segment one was reallyabout your story and your why.
To give folks a preview,segment two is gonna be about
our vision and the framework forthe future, really talking
about our graduate profile andlearner model.
Segment three is when we'regonna drill down into your three
(21:36):
academic goal areas, ourpriority areas for this year.
Segment four is gonna besomething you love and you work
on all the time (21:44):
systems, equity, and strategic foresight.
Segment five is when we'regonna actually get into
partnerships, internships, andcommunity, all things that I
believe are super important toyou, and I'm hoping you're gonna
be excited to talk to us about.
But before we leave, just acouple rapid-fire questions for
(22:07):
you, just so people get to knowyou a little bit better.
The first one tell us about aleadership book that you gift
most often.
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (22:17):
So the book that I gift the most is The One
Thing by Gary Keller.
Bianca Barquin (22:22):
Ooh, tell us a little bit more about that book.
Why do you gift it?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (22:26):
Yeah, so the message there, and when you
think about the one thing, it'sreally about doing things well.
So keeping what is the onething at the focal point and
really right in front of youreyes every single day.
And it's why I talk about whatI think about when I get up in
the morning.
I do stay very centrallyfocused.
(22:47):
Part of it is because thelessons that I learned from that
book, and I do read it, I'veread it probably maybe eight to
ten times.
I do gift it because I thinkwhen folks realize the one thing
that they're here for, theirpurpose, they can find happiness
in that.
And really, you measure it,you're like, oh, how are we
(23:08):
doing with this?
Am I accomplishing things?
I do think about that.
And for me, the one thing isproviding access and
opportunities for students.
That's my one thing.
Bianca Barquin (23:20):
So beautiful and so kismet in a way, because
segment one is all your storyand your why.
And you gift a book that'sreally about purpose and helping
people really discover theirwhy.
And it's connected to your corevalue of future generations.
I love it.
Second question.
First job you ever had, andwhat did it teach you?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (23:44):
So, my first job, I worked at uh a
retirement home and we worked inthe dining room.
It was so much fun.
What I learned from that,actually, I worked with a lot of
folks that were on my softballteam.
So we already had this synergy,but I learned that at work you
need to show up differently.
(24:04):
People are relying on you.
Our guests, our the folks wholived at the retirement home,
they did not have kitchens intheir space in their room.
So they were relying on us fortheir food and companionship.
We would go and talk with themwhen we were serving their food
and built relationships withthem.
And so I think the thing that Ilearned was that while you're
(24:25):
doing something that haspurpose, at the root of all
things are the relationships.
So we were there, yes, to serveour guests, but I was there, I
think about a year and a half inhigh school.
We built relationships withfolks there.
And we did it and we had a lotof fun.
We were a team.
Like I said, a lot of the girlsthat I played softball with
(24:46):
grew up playing softball with.
We all work there.
Poor manager.
I mean, honestly, I think aboutit now.
I'm like, oh my gosh, we wereprobably a wreck.
But we had fun and we reallydid care about the people there
that lived there.
And sometimes some of them hadfamily members that would come
and visit, but a lot of themdidn't.
And so we really became kind oflike grandchildren to them.
(25:07):
I mean, they would ask us aboutour games, they would ask us
about how school was going.
So I think that humanconnection, I didn't, you're a
kid, you don't think about howimportant human connection is in
the workplace.
But that job taught me thatbecause I was there in service
of folks.
And in service doesn't meansometimes what people think it
is that there's people tellingyou what to do in service means
(25:29):
that you're doing that withheart.
And that when you care aboutpeople, you want to serve them
and you want to do that at ahigh level.
Bianca Barquin (25:36):
I want to unpack so much.
So I don't want to call theserapid fire questions anymore.
I kind of so we're gonna haveto change out a little bit.
What core values, because younamed three, do you connect that
to today?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (25:50):
Well, the authenticity always shows up.
I mean, that's why it is mycore value, or I can connect
most things back to that.
And the fact that I did show upthere in who I am, and people
were able to get to know me, theguests, the folks who live
there, and we call them guests,but really we were their guests
and they lived there.
Um, you know, got to know meand we were able to build
(26:13):
relationships that way.
I could still make connectionsto future generations.
I really can.
There were so many piecesaround them pouring into us as
the future generation, and we'rebuilding our skills in the
things that we were gonna need,not knowing it within ourselves.
And I'll say I still do havefriendships with many of the
girls that we all work together.
(26:35):
You grow up and therelationships change, but I know
that I can still call on themanytime.
Two of them happen to beprincipals in districts in LA
County.
And so, yeah, you build andgrow who you're gonna become as
an adult in those early firstjob moments, right?
Bianca Barquin (26:53):
Thank you.
Okay, last question.
One thing you wish every parentknew about how to help with
reading at home.
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (27:02):
So I want parents to know that regardless
of language, regardless of yourlevel of comfort with reading,
you are your child's firstteacher.
And so read with them, havethem read to you.
You can add value as a parent.
(27:22):
Please do not feel that you areat a disadvantage or that
you're not enough, you're notgood enough because of language,
because of your own educationalattainment, do not feel that
you can't benefit your student.
You are their first teacher.
And so I want parents to leaninto that and to not shy away
(27:44):
from it.
Read whatever, you know, read,read in your home language.
Those skills transfer.
And the bilingual, biliteratestudent, beautiful.
So yeah, I just want parents toknow that they add value.
Don't discount yourself.
Bianca Barquin (28:02):
Would you encourage them to sing, read
things that are not just books,signs, whatever?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (28:09):
Yes.
And of course, yes, you bringthat up as the creative for
sure.
Yeah.
You know, I think aboutliteracy gets built in so many
different ways.
It's not just from a book.
So, yeah, things that arecultural.
You know, there's so muchwealth in the culture that each
of us brings to the table.
You think about dichos anddifferent little things that we
(28:32):
have culturally, those are allthings that are valuable.
And so, yes, the songs, thechants, and just reading
everywhere.
I'm gonna tell you, I didn'tknow actually, that my dad
really didn't know how to readvery well.
I didn't know that.
My mom told me that much later.
I do remember sitting with himand reading things to him, but I
(28:56):
thought that's because he wasbuilding my reading skills and
wanted me to read for him.
I did not know that his readingability was not great.
And I don't know if it wasbecause of a learning
disability.
I don't know why.
Not until I was an adult did mymom share that with me.
(29:18):
And my dad actually passed awaywhen I was 16.
So in his life, I while he wasalive, I did not know that
reading was a challenge for him.
Bianca Barquin (29:25):
Thank you for being vulnerable and actually
sharing.
I think that so many people inour community are gonna benefit
from this conversation.
Listeners, I am super excited.
This is just segment one.
Next time, we're gonna betalking about vision and our
framework for the future, thegraduate profile, our learner
(29:46):
model, again, our vision and ourmission.
So it's something to lookforward to.
Thank you, Lori.
Thank you.
Greetings, Amplifiers, and welcome to
another episode of SAUSD'sAmplifying Leadership.
I'm your host, Bianca Barquin,and it's wonderful to be back
with you today to amplify thework of inspiring leaders who
are making a difference in thelives of our students, our
families, our local community,and yes, listeners far beyond
(00:28):
Santa Ana.
Today is special.
We're welcoming a leader youalready know and love, our new
superintendent, Dr.
Lorraine Prez.
She is a trusted mentor, asystems thinker, a futures
thinker, and a relentlessbeliever that clarity is
kindness.
Together we'll dig into hervision, core values, and our
(00:50):
framework for the future,including our graduate profile,
which is our North Star, ourlearner model, and the three
academic goals she's lifted upwith laser focus.
Number one, early literacy,reading by third grade.
Two, English learner progresswith a goal of reclassification
(01:11):
by fifth grade wheneverpossible, so doors stay open in
secondary, and three, collegeand career readiness, so every
graduate leaves SAUSD with realoptions, real skills, and real
purpose.
And here's what I appreciateabout Lorraine.
Even as we focus on those threeanchors from preschool through
(01:32):
beyond grade 12, we will notlose sight of the graduate
profile, our learner model, orour community-built mission and
vision.
Nothing's being replaced,everything's being amplified.
She's about equity andinclusivity for every subgroup,
about root cause systems work,not quick fixes, about strategic
(01:55):
foresight, and I have thebeautiful opportunity to train
in it side by side with her,about partnerships and
internships that createopportunity, and about being
present in classrooms, incafeterias, on blacktops, and at
board tables.
Lorraine, welcome.
Thank you for saying yes tothis conversation and to this
(02:18):
moment.
Thank you for having me.
I'm so excited to be heretoday.
Okay, Lorraine, we're gonnastart with segment one, which is
where the heart lives.
So this is really gonna beabout your story and your why.
So, first question (02:31):
What moment or person first lit the fire
for you to serve here in SantaAna and keep serving?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (02:41):
So, this is a very interesting question.
You know, I was a teacher andmy sister-in-law is also a
teacher.
She happened to teach in SantaAna Unified, and that was my
first exposure to Santa AnaUnified.
And I saw the love, thepassion, the excitement, and
just the heart that she gave tothe community.
(03:01):
And she worked at Pio Pico, andthere were lots of community
involvement and events that shewould do.
And on Saturday, she was goingto her school, and I'm like,
wow, that's wild.
Like she spends so much timethere.
And I was a teacher in anotherdistrict and loved my community
and really felt like I gave alot to the community as well.
(03:23):
But there was something verydifferent.
And I think it was becausethere was family and network for
her in Santa Ana.
The Biopico teachers andadministrators were like a
family.
Like I remember spending NewYear's Eve with teachers from
Pio Pico because of mysister-in-law Betsy.
(03:44):
And New Year's Eve, all thekids' birthday parties.
I'm like, wow, they have such agreat community.
And that really was special andintrigued me.
And when I got the opportunity,when it came about that there
was even a conversation aroundjoining Santa Ana Unified,
that's actually what came to mymind.
(04:05):
Like, wow, I could be part ofthat community and have all of
those folks that I knew throughher.
And obviously there are a lotmore schools in Pio Pico, but
just that was my experience.
That was what came to my mindwhen I thought about Santa Ana
Unified.
And I thought about andimagined if all schools are like
that and all of the schoolshave community like that, that's
(04:28):
the place to be.
And so that's initially whatdrew me to Santa Ana Unified.
And again, you know, Jerry asthe superintendent, he was here.
He had been a mentor to me whenI was in San Bernardino City
Unified.
And so that was also a piece oflike, okay, I get to work with
somebody that I know, somebodythat had been an important part
(04:49):
of my journey as a leader.
And so those things really werethe drivers.
And so it's about truly peopleand relationships.
And now that I'm here, again,the people in the relationships,
the way that we get to interactwith one another.
And just I was at the Taste ofSanta Ana over the weekend on a
tell a funny story.
You know, you take for grantedthat you're quote unquote off
(05:12):
the clock.
I had come from one event andwas going to another, kicked off
my shoes, had my flip-flops,took off, you know, the coat,
and was shopping at TraderJoe's.
Little did I know that I get toTaste of Santa Ana.
And a couple of people that Iran into were like, hey, we saw
you at Trader Joe's.
And so it's just the realnessof the community and how people
(05:34):
show up to support that keeps mehere.
And it really makes me want toshow up and do phenomenal work
for our community every singleday.
I do wake up thinking, how am Igoing to add value to our
community for our students andfor their families?
Bianca Barquin (05:51):
Thank you for sharing parts of yourself that I
don't think people really know.
I think you were part of thefamily by association, you know,
from the very beginning.
I think it's important.
But the thing that strikes meabout Santa Ana too, and I tell
you this all the time, we arefamily, right?
Santa Ana is all about heart.
(06:12):
You have to fall in love withSanta Anna and you have to love
Santa Ana very deeply.
And you do that.
And so it's super exciting to,again, I told you this
yesterday, to work with you andto work for you.
The next question I have foryou is related to a topic that
you and I talk about all thetime: core values.
(06:34):
So give us and tell ouraudience your non-negotiables.
What three values do you carryinto every room, every
classroom, every cabinetmeeting, or every community
forum?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (06:48):
Sure.
So very clearly I am driven byfuture generations.
And I'll share a little bitmore about that.
I didn't recognize it as a corevalue for a long time because I
thought it sounded kind ofsilly, but there is something
about this that I'll share andhow I came to realize that as
one of my core values.
And then trust is very, verybig for me.
(07:13):
And then authenticity.
I think those two are very tiedtogether.
But it's, I think, why Iconnect with people in a way.
And people do tell me that,like, oh, you build
relationships and I feel safeand I feel comfortable to say
things to you.
Folks have said that,principals have said that,
parents have said that, andwe'll even say, like, I don't
even know why, but I feel like Ican tell you this.
(07:33):
And I think it's because I doshow up as my true self and even
say things sometimes that I'mlike, oh gosh, I probably
shouldn't have said that.
And not a mean thing, but justlike because it's vulnerable.
And maybe that's what it is.
It's I said something that mademe vulnerable.
But that's what people connectto and the authenticity.
So that's huge for me.
(07:54):
I want to go back to the futuregenerations piece because it's
really important in the workthat I do every single day.
I'm always thinking about thefuture generation.
And one might think, well,yeah, of course, you're in
education.
You're thinking about, youknow, little ones, you know,
their future and the generationthat they represent.
But really, it's more thanthat.
I think about our principlesand the future generation of
(08:16):
principles and what systems andconditions are we creating so
that they may be successful.
So it's not just about ourlittle ones, it's about the
adults in the system too.
And how do we create greatconditions for people to
flourish?
So definitely I'm I'm alwaysthinking about our leaders
because the work is very heavyand it's tough.
(08:38):
And we want to createconditions where they are able
to thrive, because in turn,they're going to create those
same type of conditions on theirschool campuses where then
teachers in turn feel like theycan show up and do that
beautiful thing of teaching,which is the art and science of
and having those blend and kindof ebb and flow.
(09:00):
And when leaders have greatconditions and create great
conditions for their teachers,then that's going to also happen
for our students in theclassroom.
And that, you know, again, hasshowed up throughout my life.
How I came into education isdemonstrates that I actually
worked for the Walt DisneyCompany before I came into
education, but I was drawn backto my community to help students
(09:24):
and families with financialaid.
And that lit the fire for me.
I started working with studentsand families, and I'm like,
wow, I can really have adifferent kind of impact.
And so it was about the futuregeneration of students and
families that came after me tohelp them navigate, you know,
how do I apply for financialaid?
How do I go to college?
(09:45):
I didn't have that support orsomebody to help me or be
alongside me on that path.
And I wanted to contribute inthat way.
Little did I know that it wasgoing to be what, you know,
sparked the interest and lovefor education and learning.
So I can identify it all theway through my childhood as
well.
But definitely being focused onfuture generations and creating
(10:08):
conditions for people to besuccessful and folks who come
along the same path that I'vecome or even different paths to
have conditions that allow themto be successful.
Bianca Barquin (10:19):
That's amazing.
And I see it very clearly in alot of the work that we're
doing.
Can you identify for theaudience one or two things that
exemplifies that core value,future generations, and how
we're creating those conditionsfor our kiddos and our families?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (10:36):
Yeah, definitely.
So with family and communityengagement, I'm going to make
the connection back to the factI didn't have someone in my
family or a parent to comealongside and help with the
college journey.
We don't want that for ourstudents.
We want them to have theirfamilies with them and to
understand the system and how tonavigate it.
And so through family andcommunity engagement, the
(10:58):
investment there is really aboutthat, equipping our families
with the ability and theknowledge to help make those
decisions so a student isn't ontheir own doing that.
And so that a family may changethe trajectory for their family
by having this knowledge.
And so that is what I thinkabout, because a lot of times
(11:21):
folks are like, oh, so what doesfamily and community engagement
have to do with this?
That's what it has to do withthis.
It really is creating thatspace and that opportunity for a
child to not have to navigatethat on their own.
And it is a beautiful thing.
It changes families.
It changes families foreverwhen they learn and know how to
navigate and do that together.
Bianca Barquin (11:42):
That is an incredible example.
Thank you for sharing.
I want to expand on this topic,but I know we have a lot of
questions to get through, so I'mgoing to move on.
So, question three.
Tell us about a moment youdoubted yourself as a leader.
What did you do with thatdoubt?
And what changed because youstayed?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (12:05):
And so this is really vulnerable, but I
think, and maybe it's notnormal, quote unquote normal,
but I, I doubt myself often, youknow, when I think about doing
the things that we're doing withreally declaring even what our
goals are, there's a little bitof doubt in that.
But you have to just, well,first, you know, make sure that
(12:26):
you're doing solid researcharound things and not just run
with something.
It has to be research-based andyou have to have some evidence
for that.
But just not being afraid tojust jump in and do that thing
because there's moments to doubtyourself all the time.
Doubting whether should I makethe leap to change districts?
Should I make the leap to applyto be the superintendent?
(12:48):
Should I make the leap?
All of those things, I thinkit's human to have that
initially have that doubt, butyou have to move past the doubt
to say to yourself, this is theright thing to do.
And all of the reasons why it'sthe right thing to do.
So I'll go back to declaringthose three goals and what we've
(13:10):
done and done very publicly andcontinue to do very publicly.
You doubt, are people gonnaunderstand this?
Are they gonna know why we'redoing it?
Are they gonna believe thatit's doable?
Because for you to believe thatis one thing, but to get others
to believe that is quiteanother thing.
And so there is a little bit offear initially when I said, you
(13:33):
know, this is what we're gonnado.
What if nobody follows?
What if people go, those arenot the greatest three goals we
should be working on?
And some people will thinkthat, but you've got to put
something out there and you haveto get over the fear and have
people in your circle that youtalk to.
Like I didn't just wake up oneday and say, these are the
things.
I mean, I, you know, talkedwith folks and kind of vetted
(13:54):
things and hey, what about thisand listened?
And as I listened to people, Iwas getting reassurance, this is
the right direction.
This is what we should bedoing.
And you know what?
Yesterday I received it,actually it was Monday, received
a text message from someonejust saying thank you.
It took courage to really haveus as a district move to a place
(14:17):
where we're talking aboutacademics, because the truth is
we're not doing hot right now,right?
So it's hard to do you want tostep into that space because it
might be safer to not even talkabout those things.
So you doubt that.
Take that leap of faith, andthen just be willing to work
(14:38):
hard to bring it to fruition.
I speak that into being everysingle day.
We are going to be successful.
So all the doubts I have on theother end, I'm telling myself,
like, no, we are going to besuccessful.
And you match that with theintentional work every day.
Bianca Barquin (14:52):
I like it.
You're manifesting exactlywhere we need to be.
I do want to expand onsomething a little bit because
you talked about doubt a lot.
You also talked about fear andthe association between doubt
and fear.
Knowing that we all have thisinner critic, and I know you and
I have conversations like thisall the time, and that doubt
(15:15):
pops into our head all the time,and that criticism that we
hear.
How do you keep it at bay?
Because we make so manydecisions every single day.
If you were gonna give anybodyadvice out there, what would you
tell them to do?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (15:28):
Actually, I was at a school site earlier
today and was having thisconversation.
So, yes, we are gonna havedoubt, but at the core, and
that's why our core values areso important.
At my core value is futuregenerations.
So I have to go back to thatand say to myself, okay, this is
(15:51):
not about me.
This is about my core value,and I'm here to do things to
create conditions so that thenext generation has better
opportunity, encounters a bettersystem.
And so whatever it is that iscausing that doubt, go to your
core values.
And that is why they're calledcore values.
(16:14):
They're at your core of who youare and what drives you and how
you operate.
And Bianca, you know, I've donea lot of work around core
values, and it's evolved over mycareer and over my life.
But if you say that something'syour core value, but you find
yourself not living into that,you might have to ask yourself,
(16:36):
what really is your core value?
And that's okay.
That's part of being authentic.
You have to get grounded inwhat really is your core.
And when you accept andacknowledge that and really just
live into that, it can be abeautiful driver for you.
And that's why I share beforefuture generations sounded
(16:58):
really silly to me.
And to say it out loud, I feltkind of like people were gonna
look at me like that's silly.
But I had to come to terms withthat is really what is a driver
for me.
And so that's what I wassharing with that person.
If things feel odd or feel notright, it might be because
you're not actually grounded inwhat your core values are.
Bianca Barquin (17:20):
I think that's an important lesson for all of
us and just as humans, right?
We should really be living intoour core values.
I appreciate you talking aboutyour core value of future
generations.
I think one of the reasons thatwe may have this perception
that people will think it'ssilly, is it's one of the core
values, although you explainedit very comprehensively and
(17:44):
succinctly.
It's hard for people to wraptheir heads around because it's
very futuristic by nature,right?
So you are a futurist.
But the way you explained it,and it's really about creating
those conditions ultimately forevery single person within our
community to be successful is soimportant.
So thank you for sharing.
(18:05):
The last question that I havefor you finish this sentence for
me.
Leadership to me is, and whythat word?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (18:16):
Leadership to me is modeling.
As a leader, people arewatching you.
People saw me with myflip-flops on at Trader Joe's.
But really, people are watchingyou, and again, this isn't
about you.
This isn't about me.
This is about us showing up todo the work.
(18:39):
And so people are watching you,and so we have to model the
expectation, we have to modellistening, we have to model
being decisive.
We have to model these things,and we have to do it in a way
that's authentic to us, to eachof us individually, because
(19:00):
people will know.
And so when I say you have tomodel those things, and
sometimes people say, like, fakeit till you make it, and all of
these kind of jargony things,right?
And there may be some truth tothat, but but I think doing it
in a way that's authentic to youis critically important because
people are gonna see thatyou're uncomfortable doing this
thing, modeling this thing, ifyou're not doing it in a way
(19:24):
that is authentic to you.
And then I think it goes totrust.
Then they don't trust.
They're like, oh, this person'sbeing fake, that's not who they
really are.
They're playing the role.
And I don't know that peopleare gonna follow someone that's
playing the role versus somebodythat's carrying out that role
in the way that's authentic tothem.
Bianca Barquin (19:44):
All of these things are so important, but so
interconnected.
So you're talking aboutauthenticity and truly being
you.
You're talking about trust,which I've talked to you about
before.
I believe that it ebbs andflows, and we do something to
erode it, we do things to buildit up, and it's not static, it's
(20:06):
very dynamic.
A phrase came to mind, and Ijust want your thoughts on it
because to me, it's related toauthenticity, it's related to
trust, it's related to modeling,your audio matching your video.
Why is that important?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (20:21):
I think for a lot of the reasons that I
shared, if people hear yousaying something and they see
you doing something else ordoing something that isn't in
support of what you're saying,people are gonna call you on it,
even if they don't do it toyour face.
They're gonna call you on it.
And the way they do that isyour word no longer has value to
(20:43):
them.
They start to erode trust.
And you mentioned that.
Yeah, that you know, that'swhat that's what it comes down
to.
Bianca Barquin (20:50):
Good connections.
So, Lorraine, I am superexcited you are here, and I want
our audience to know that thisis going to be a series of
segments.
So we have five segments foryou, and what we're doing is
we're wrapping up segment one,but we want to put this out in
episodes so people get to knowyou very deeply as our
(21:12):
superintendent and our leaderhere in Santa Ana.
So, segment one was reallyabout your story and your why.
To give folks a preview,segment two is gonna be about
our vision and the framework forthe future, really talking
about our graduate profile andlearner model.
Segment three is when we'regonna drill down into your three
(21:36):
academic goal areas, ourpriority areas for this year.
Segment four is gonna besomething you love and you work
on all the time (21:44):
systems, equity, and strategic foresight.
Segment five is when we'regonna actually get into
partnerships, internships, andcommunity, all things that I
believe are super important toyou, and I'm hoping you're gonna
be excited to talk to us about.
But before we leave, just acouple rapid-fire questions for
(22:07):
you, just so people get to knowyou a little bit better.
The first one tell us about aleadership book that you gift
most often.
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (22:17):
So the book that I gift the most is The One
Thing by Gary Keller.
Bianca Barquin (22:22):
Ooh, tell us a little bit more about that book.
Why do you gift it?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (22:26):
Yeah, so the message there, and when you
think about the one thing, it'sreally about doing things well.
So keeping what is the onething at the focal point and
really right in front of youreyes every single day.
And it's why I talk about whatI think about when I get up in
the morning.
I do stay very centrallyfocused.
(22:47):
Part of it is because thelessons that I learned from that
book, and I do read it, I'veread it probably maybe eight to
ten times.
I do gift it because I thinkwhen folks realize the one thing
that they're here for, theirpurpose, they can find happiness
in that.
And really, you measure it,you're like, oh, how are we
(23:08):
doing with this?
Am I accomplishing things?
I do think about that.
And for me, the one thing isproviding access and
opportunities for students.
That's my one thing.
Bianca Barquin (23:20):
So beautiful and so kismet in a way, because
segment one is all your storyand your why.
And you gift a book that'sreally about purpose and helping
people really discover theirwhy.
And it's connected to your corevalue of future generations.
I love it.
Second question.
First job you ever had, andwhat did it teach you?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (23:44):
So, my first job, I worked at uh a
retirement home and we worked inthe dining room.
It was so much fun.
What I learned from that,actually, I worked with a lot of
folks that were on my softballteam.
So we already had this synergy,but I learned that at work you
need to show up differently.
(24:04):
People are relying on you.
Our guests, our the folks wholived at the retirement home,
they did not have kitchens intheir space in their room.
So they were relying on us fortheir food and companionship.
We would go and talk with themwhen we were serving their food
and built relationships withthem.
And so I think the thing that Ilearned was that while you're
(24:25):
doing something that haspurpose, at the root of all
things are the relationships.
So we were there, yes, to serveour guests, but I was there, I
think about a year and a half inhigh school.
We built relationships withfolks there.
And we did it and we had a lotof fun.
We were a team.
Like I said, a lot of the girlsthat I played softball with
(24:46):
grew up playing softball with.
We all work there.
Poor manager.
I mean, honestly, I think aboutit now.
I'm like, oh my gosh, we wereprobably a wreck.
But we had fun and we reallydid care about the people there
that lived there.
And sometimes some of them hadfamily members that would come
and visit, but a lot of themdidn't.
And so we really became kind oflike grandchildren to them.
(25:07):
I mean, they would ask us aboutour games, they would ask us
about how school was going.
So I think that humanconnection, I didn't, you're a
kid, you don't think about howimportant human connection is in
the workplace.
But that job taught me thatbecause I was there in service
of folks.
And in service doesn't meansometimes what people think it
is that there's people tellingyou what to do in service means
(25:29):
that you're doing that withheart.
And that when you care aboutpeople, you want to serve them
and you want to do that at ahigh level.
Bianca Barquin (25:36):
I want to unpack so much.
So I don't want to call theserapid fire questions anymore.
I kind of so we're gonna haveto change out a little bit.
What core values, because younamed three, do you connect that
to today?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (25:50):
Well, the authenticity always shows up.
I mean, that's why it is mycore value, or I can connect
most things back to that.
And the fact that I did show upthere in who I am, and people
were able to get to know me, theguests, the folks who live
there, and we call them guests,but really we were their guests
and they lived there.
Um, you know, got to know meand we were able to build
(26:13):
relationships that way.
I could still make connectionsto future generations.
I really can.
There were so many piecesaround them pouring into us as
the future generation, and we'rebuilding our skills in the
things that we were gonna need,not knowing it within ourselves.
And I'll say I still do havefriendships with many of the
girls that we all work together.
(26:35):
You grow up and therelationships change, but I know
that I can still call on themanytime.
Two of them happen to beprincipals in districts in LA
County.
And so, yeah, you build andgrow who you're gonna become as
an adult in those early firstjob moments, right?
Bianca Barquin (26:53):
Thank you.
Okay, last question.
One thing you wish every parentknew about how to help with
reading at home.
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (27:02):
So I want parents to know that regardless
of language, regardless of yourlevel of comfort with reading,
you are your child's firstteacher.
And so read with them, havethem read to you.
You can add value as a parent.
(27:22):
Please do not feel that you areat a disadvantage or that
you're not enough, you're notgood enough because of language,
because of your own educationalattainment, do not feel that
you can't benefit your student.
You are their first teacher.
And so I want parents to leaninto that and to not shy away
(27:44):
from it.
Read whatever, you know, read,read in your home language.
Those skills transfer.
And the bilingual, biliteratestudent, beautiful.
So yeah, I just want parents toknow that they add value.
Don't discount yourself.
Bianca Barquin (28:02):
Would you encourage them to sing, read
things that are not just books,signs, whatever?
Dr. Lorraine Pérez (28:09):
Yes.
And of course, yes, you bringthat up as the creative for
sure.
Yeah.
You know, I think aboutliteracy gets built in so many
different ways.
It's not just from a book.
So, yeah, things that arecultural.
You know, there's so muchwealth in the culture that each
of us brings to the table.
You think about dichos anddifferent little things that we
(28:32):
have culturally, those are allthings that are valuable.
And so, yes, the songs, thechants, and just reading
everywhere.
I'm gonna tell you, I didn'tknow actually, that my dad
really didn't know how to readvery well.
I didn't know that.
My mom told me that much later.
I do remember sitting with himand reading things to him, but I
(28:56):
thought that's because he wasbuilding my reading skills and
wanted me to read for him.
I did not know that his readingability was not great.
And I don't know if it wasbecause of a learning
disability.
I don't know why.
Not until I was an adult did mymom share that with me.
(29:18):
And my dad actually passed awaywhen I was 16.
So in his life, I while he wasalive, I did not know that
reading was a challenge for him.
Bianca Barquin (29:25):
Thank you for being vulnerable and actually
sharing.
I think that so many people inour community are gonna benefit
from this conversation.
Listeners, I am super excited.
This is just segment one.
Next time, we're gonna betalking about vision and our
framework for the future, thegraduate profile, our learner
(29:46):
model, again, our vision and ourmission.
So it's something to lookforward to.
Thank you, Lori.
Thank you.
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