Central Unified honors retirees and ratifies principal appointments

The Central Unified Board of Trustees spent part of its June 23 meeting recognizing district employees and confirming new administrative hires.

Board members presented plaques to retirees from across the district, noting a combined 181 years of service. Director Shalon Shepard read multiple names and years of service for teachers, principals and classified staff; trustees and administrators thanked the retirees and invited them to take photos with the board.

The board also acknowledged newly appointed site administrators. Among those introduced and greeting the board were Barbie Woodard (named principal at Hton Kernney Elementary), Dr. Liliana Gomez (McKinley Elementary) and Michael Hamilton (Harvest Elementary). Each delivered brief remarks outlining their priorities for student success and community engagement. Board members congratulated the new principals and thanked outgoing student trustees for their semester of service; two student trustees addressed the board and described their experience representing peers on campus issues such as phone policy and computer science access.

Why it matters: Principal appointments and staff retirements are immediate operational matters that affect leadership, school culture and instructional continuity at specific campuses. The recognition acknowledged long service by district employees and signaled administrative transitions before the fall semester.

What’s next: New principals will assume site leadership; the board and district will follow regular onboarding and assignment processes. The board continued to other business after the recognitions portion of the meeting.