Salem-Keizer introduced new Superintendent Andrea Castaneda this summer, and she quickly made an impression on the community.
Within her first 100 days in office, her focus was on board relations, teaching and learning, student and community engagement and operations, safety, and finance.
Dr. Satya Chandragiri was the first person of color to be selected as the Salem-Keizer School Board Chair (July 2020-July 2021) and still serves on the board.
“I feel like it’s nothing new, but the new leadership is very good,” Chandragiri said. “I’m pleased with the changes I’m seeing. It’s very organized, transparent, and accountable. She’s completely focused and invited us to a board retreat. How do we perform as board delegates, and what is the board’s responsibility?”
Castaneda is focused on bringing change to the district, ensuring input from the board and communities is included.
“I was impressed by her humility, her leadership skills, and her ability to work with and respect everyone,” Chandragiri said. “She’s brilliant at that. This is a new experience for me, and despite being the first person of color to chair the school board, I’ve never truly felt heard or seen.”
One of the main changes Castaneda hopes to institute is the development of an early literacy plan.
“Some things needed to be changed because the state had modified some of the tests,” Chandragiri said. “We had a work session, and it was all about literacy and academies. A sense of belonging where all children feel part of the community. This is a new concept because we’ve never had these results before.”
The district will have some upcoming budgetary issues that will need to get resolved as a COVID grant will no longer be available.
“We will have some financial challenges and need to leave a good buffer, since we will no longer receive the COVID grant after this year, so the budget will be smaller,” Chandragiri said. “These are important things that will help us get back on track and collaborate with other agencies: state, city, county, child services, etc.”
The jury is still out on how these changes will affect the individual students, but at least with one board member, the change in leadership has been positive.
“This is the first time we’ve had a truly diverse school board,” Chandragiri said. “I really feel like this superintendent can bring the community together.”