2022-2023 RUSD HEADLINE NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
FROM SUPERINTENDENT, DR. KIMBERLY MCGRATH 

May 17, 2023
During the past few weeks, I have attended numerous PTA and Reed Foundation events, including the foundation gala and staff appreciation activities. It seems to me that we are still reweaving our community connections. During the Gala, I was struck by how joyous people were to be back together, in person, enjoying each other's company while enriching the educational experience of their students, and every student. Today we recognized RUSD staff for their amazing work here in the district at the annual Celebration of Education. Please join me in congratulating them.

May 9, 2023
On behalf of the board, I am extremely pleased to announce that the district and the Reed District Teachers Association (RDTA) have reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract for the 2023-24 and 2024-2025 school years. If approved by the Marin County Office of Education, RDTA and the school board, this agreement will provide our dedicated staff significant salary improvements in the coming two years and allow the district to continue to be an extremely attractive place to work.

May 3, 2023
I'm happy to announce some of our amazing educators! Our Golden Bell Winners for the 2022-2023 school year have been selected.  Our outstanding teachers and classified staff will be honored at the Marin County 2023 Golden Bell Awards Ceremony on May 25, 2023 at Dominican University, Angelico Hall at 4:30 PM.  Congratulations to this years winners

April 19, 2023
I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing spring break. We have lots of great upcoming school activities, including open houses, music concerts, and The Foundation for Reed Schools events. Nominate an amazing teacher for the Phoebe Hearst Award by Friday, April 28. So proud of our academic growth and achievement! Incredible results are seen in state testing and our local measurements! Check out our new website button to report safety concerns. Welcome to our 8 new East Corte Madera families. Playground update - Coming this summer… 2 new playgrounds for Reed and 1 new playground for Bel Aire. Watch for dates for groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies. Remember: Every Child. Every Day. We need every child attending everyday. Amazing things happen for your child when they attend consistently!

April 7, 2023
It was such a joy to be back this week. I absolutely love seeing everyone. I get to be here for the month of April. Then, my fourth (and hopefully final) surgery is scheduled for May 4th. Fortunately, Dr. Kevin Skelly will be able to return to serve as the Interim Superintendent during my absence. My plan is to return on May 22nd. I truly appreciate the incredible support and kindness I have received during this medical journey. This is an amazing community of educators and families. We can do hard things together!

March 31, 2023
Please join me on Monday, April 3, via Zoom from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM.  I will give an update on district topics and also have time for questions and answers. Look for these to occur on an ongoing basis.

March 29, 2023
Being a superintendent is loads of fun, and that’s part of the reason why, when I had conversations with folks here in the Reed district, that I was interested in coming in to help for these few months. And while a superintendent’s job means spending time in the District Office, the joy is at schools where one sees the magic of learning and growth. So last Wednesday when Reed principal extraordinaire Dr. Niesyn had to be off campus and asked me if I would substitute for her, I jumped at the opportunity to be with students and teachers. Schools are where the action is!

March 1, 2023
On the Friday before mid-winter break, I relived my principaling days as the substitute leader of Bel Aire, while the real principal, John DiCosmo, was in Anaheim with a district and site contingent to receive their Distinguished School recognition. It was so enjoyable to be on the campus as a crossing guard, lunchtime supervisor, nutrition worker, and playground monitor. I also had a chance to be serenaded by the lunchtime percussion group under the remarkable Mr. Gist. All the most fun stuff happens at our schools!

February 28, 2023
Please join me tomorrow for the Superintendent Chat on Zoom Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

February 17, 2023
A few weeks ago, a parent asked how the district marked Presidents Day. Since schools are out of session, and there are so many other claims on learning time, it’s easy to have this day pass without fanfare.  But this learning moment doesn’t have to be bypassed this year. As families, we can pick up this responsibility! We will likely have much more time together this coming week than usual. It seems to me that we honor our presidents, and particularly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, because major parts of their lives embody traits in our country that we prize.

February 8, 2023
The Reed Board of Trustees met last night for their monthly meeting. Topics included the food services program, math education in the district, and student enrollment projections for the next school year.  As someone who has attended more than my share of Board meetings over the years, I so appreciated the professionalism and student-centered approach of the Board.  While board meetings can go late into the night, they are a powerful symbol of community ownership and responsibility for the educational experiences of its students.  My congratulations on the leadership culture you enjoy here in Reed.

January 31, 2023
On Monday, January 30th, the Marin County Committee on School District Organization held a meeting to consider the Chief Petitioners’ request to withdraw the East Corte Madera Territory Transfer Petition.  The County Committee unanimously voted in support of a Resolution for Withdrawal of the Petition.  There will be no further meetings held by the County Committee on this topic. As always, we support all students in the Reed Union School District and we welcome all new families into our community with open arms.  We will continue to reach out with opportunities for new families to experience all of the wonderful and ongoing events happening at our schools. 

January 25, 2023
I’ve only been in the district for one week, but I have fallen in love with all the wonderful things going on in Reed and seeing the magnificent culture that pervades the important, magical things that happen here. I’ve had the chance to spend time at all the schools and to meet parents, staff, teachers, and administrators as they engage in creating remarkable school settings that allow our students to grow and thrive. I look forward to the next couple of months to learn more about Reed schools and work to find ways to make it even better. 

January 11, 2023
Welcome back to school! We are excited to embrace 2023 with you. RUSD values the health and wellness of our community. We strive to provide continued support of mental and emotional wellness and physical health. We also recognize that healthy students attend school regularly and we need to work collectively to focus on consistent attendance. Happy New Year!

January 9, 2023
Congratulations are in order! Bel Aire Elementary is being recognized as a 2023 California Distinguished School. This is an exceptional achievement. The California Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools for their excellent work in closing the achievement gap and achieving exceptional student performance. The California Department of Education uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard. I am so proud to recognize the hard work of the students, staff, Board, and families of Bel Aire. 

December 15, 2022
The Marin County Committee on School District Organization (CCSDO) will be conducting the final Public Hearing today, Thursday, December 15th concerning the East Corte Madera territory transfer petition.

December 14, 2022
At last night's Board Meeting, the Honorable Geoffrey Howard presided over the swearing-in ceremony for our returning Board Members, Sherry Wangenheim and Afsaneh Zolfaghari, and our new Board Member, Shelby Pasarell Tsai.

December 9, 2022
Now that the School Board election results are official, we wanted to formally welcome back Sherry Wangenheim and Afsaneh Zolfaghari. We would also like to welcome our newly elected School Board member, Shelby Pasarell Tsai. Shelby is a parent in the RUSD district. 

November 30, 2022
At Monday evening's Board meeting, all five members of the RUSD Board unanimously voiced that they are all in strong opposition to the territory transfer petition. They mentioned a wide variety of reasons for this opposition. The comments included concerns around the flawed petition process, the majority of the students and families electing to attend RUSD, valuing all 3 of our communities, the opposition we are hearing from our community members, the fiscal impact, etc. RUSD stands in strong opposition to this territory transfer.

November 18, 2022
As we communicated on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the District was notified on November 11th, that the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE) received verification of a valid petition of territory transfer for a territory within the East Corte Madera neighborhood, to be transferred from the Reed School District to the Larkspur Corte Madera School District.