Letter: LGUSD Supe Diana Abbati's End of Year Message

Dear Los Gatos Union School District families and friends:

Thank you for supporting and believing in the LGUSD students, teachers, and staff.

The LGUSD learning community is truly fortunate to have dedicated teachers and support personnel, as well as the gracious contributions of our many volunteers, who make every effort to help our students succeed and achieve in our never-ending process of continual improvement and ongoing education.

I feel blessed to have landed in a district that exemplifies doing "whatever it takes" for the students in our community, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the tradition of excellence.

Your commitment to provide a high-quality education to every student in caring schools is a source of pride to all in the community. I see it everyday when I visit schools, talk with staff, students, parents and community members. It has been my pleasure and my honor to serve as your superintendent.

At the same time, this year has been the most difficult year as we have strived to manage the ongoing budget reductions and facility issues in such unsettling times.

The state of public of education is particularly challenging with state and federal budget cuts that impact us at the local level. Fortunately, we have been able to soften the impact of staff reductions through attrition, restructuring, and funding from Los Gatos Education Foundation and Home and School clubs.

LGUSD is making remarkable progress during tough times in California and we continue to manage finances wisely to improve services to our students while helping to contain costs. Educating your child is our promise for ensuring the future of our students in a changing global society.

We are currently awaiting the Governor's budget as we continue to strategically plan for the future. Please stay tuned and know that I will be in contact with you via email during the summer months.

The result of the tax initiative in November will be a determining factor in next year's budget. I urge you to become informed and vocal about the initiative and the impact on public education.

Summer is a time of reflection and renewal. I ask that we all focus on our strategic vision and message: Our community, our students, our future in the LGUSD.

We must continue to create vibrant learning opportunities for all students across our five schools as we plan for our 150th anniversary in 2013. To do this, we must commit to a philosophy that demands excellence of everyone, including all the stakeholders in the community.

We need support from everyone as the journey to educational excellence is difficult, but well worth the investment. Together we can launch our students to achieve their dreams. Let us stand up for our students and LGUSD public schools.

On behalf of the teachers, staff, administrators, and the Board of Trustees, please enjoy a safe summer of learning, relaxation and fun. An exciting new school year for students awaits and begins on Monday, Aug. 20.

Diana G. Abbati is the superintendent of the LGUSD.