AUHSD expands Parent Ambassador program; Savannah and Oxford among early adopters

District staff and site leaders presented the Parent Ambassador program to the board, describing it as a family-engagement strategy that builds volunteer leadership on campuses and connects parents to students' educational pathways.

Carlos Hernandez, introduced as executive director of Culture and Engagement, opened the presentation and turned the podium over to site leads. "I am Maria Trujillo. I'm the family and community engagement specialist at Savannah High School," Maria Trujillo told trustees and outlined the program's origins and goals. Karen Ortega, introduced as a leader from Oxford Academy, described how site-level structures (hour logging, minimum commitments, pinning ceremonies and senior benefits) formalize participation.

Presenters said the program began at Savannah in 2014 and grew through partnerships (including Chapman University and GEAR UP). They described core elements: onboarding informational sessions, a two-year commitment for senior benefits, a Google Form hour-tracking system, and community-building activities ranging from event support to leadership training. Maria and Karen emphasized that programs vary by site to reflect local needs but follow the same core expectations.

The presentation included activity metrics: Savannah reported about 60 active parent ambassadors and 8 executive parent ambassadors; Oxford, which began more recently, reported about 57 ambassadors. Presenters said other schools (Catella, Anaheim, Dale, Gilbert, Polaris, Walker, Ball, Dale, Brookhurst and others) are implementing or planning programs; the goal is to have every school offer an ambassador program in the next school year.

Board members praised the program's emphasis on relationship-building and requested continued communication about events and opportunities for parents who cannot attend in person. Staff said they will share invitations and expand publicity as the program scales.

Next steps: Staff will continue to support site rollout and host pinning and recognition events; board members were invited to attend upcoming ceremonies.