Season 3, Episode 20 | Meliton Sanchez, Superintendent, Vallecitos School District, Discusses Family Empowerment and Trust

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 20 of "Future Pathways: Superintendents Unplugged."  

Sponsored by a champion of schools, school leaders, teachers and employees - SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union - we have an excellent episode with Superintendent Meliton Sanchez of the Vallecitos School District.  discussed the district's success in reducing chronic absenteeism from 25%-26% to 5% through incentives like monthly attendance celebrations and independent study contracts. He highlighted the importance of family engagement and the district's tight-knit community. Sanchez also mentioned the challenges of being a small school district, including budget constraints and the need for creative resource management. He shared his vision for student entrepreneurship through a greenhouse and pottery projects, aiming to integrate business and agricultural learning. Despite these challenges, Sanchez remains optimistic about the district's future.

Introduction and Mission of Superintendents

• Drew Schlosberg introduces the mission of a school superintendent, emphasizing the need to lift lives and create citizens and character.
• The modern-day superintendent must be visible, accessible, knowledgeable, and always on for students, educators, parents, the public, and the media.
• The show, "Future Pathways: Superintendents Unplugged," provides a platform for Superintendents to share their visions, work, stories, and hopes.
• The collaboration includes Cloudcast Media, the Classroom of the Future Foundation, and the Center for Educational Innovation, with School's First Federal Credit Union as the presenting sponsor.

Introduction of Superintendent Melton Sanchez

• Drew Schlosberg introduces the show and its sponsors, highlighting the Classroom of the Future Foundation's 28-year history in promoting excellence in teaching and learning.
• Drew welcomes Superintendent Meliton Sanchez from the Vallecitos School District and expresses excitement about discussing the "Meliton Sanchez Family Complex" in Escondido.
• Meliton Sanchez shares his pride in the district, describing it as a close, tight-knit family with a personal touch, using an example of a student forgetting a field trip slip.
• Meliton mentions his two-and-a-half-year tenure at the District and the stability of the faculty, with only one retirement this year.

Collaboration Among Superintendents

• Meliton discusses the camaraderie among superintendents, noting the healthy competition and mutual support.
• He shares an example of visiting the Abraxi Garden to learn about their successful garden program, emphasizing the willingness of other districts to share their best practices.
• Drew applauds Meliton for attending Classroom of the Future Foundation events and announces Melton's participation in the upcoming Supe Tank event.
• Meliton highlights the district's success in reducing chronic absenteeism from 25%-26% to 5% through various incentives and strategies, including monthly attendance celebrations and independent study contracts.

Family Empowerment and Trust

• Meliton emphasizes the importance of family empowerment and the District's focus on building strong relationships with families.
• He discusses the District's efforts to increase the capacity of families to support their students at home, including workshops on the ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California).
• Meliton shares the District's success in turning around the EL dashboard from red to blue and the positive impact of engaging families in the process.
• He highlights the importance of trust between the school and families, maintaining open communication and visibility to ensure parents feel their children are in a safe and supportive environment.

Challenges of Being a Small School District

• Meliton discusses the challenges of being a small school district, including the need for him to wear multiple hats and the limited resources available.
• He mentions the impact of time management, as he often works long hours and blurs the line between work and personal life.
• Meliton explains the financial challenges, including the uncertainty of insurance bills related to a new law that extends the statute of limitations for suing school districts.
• Despite these challenges, Meliton sees opportunities for significant impact due to the district's manageable student population and ability to pivot quickly to address issues.

Student Intrapreneurship and Future Plans

• Meliton introduces the concept of student intrapreneurship, where students learn business aspects through projects like a greenhouse and pottery kiln.
• He envisions students growing plants, creating pottery, and selling their products at a marketplace, i