Pleasanton's Superintendent Pick Gets High Marks in Fremont

This is Part I in a series about the incoming superintendent's communication and leadership style.

To parents at the Fremont Unified School District, Parvin Ahmadi was the kind of principal who sent notes home acknowledging a student's good behavior

To teachers she supervised, she was the one who organized weekly meetings for those new in the job. She was the district administrator who sought out their opinions when it came to new curriculum.

As  Ahmadi prepares for her new role as superintendent of the Pleasanton Unified School District, people who have worked with her, some for almost a decade, say her ability to stay in tune with parents, to build consensus between differing parties and to communicate with others will allow her to thrive in the position.

"I was very happy for her, because I know she's going to do well in Pleasanton, and she left big shoes to fill," said Brannin Dorsey, president of the teacher's union in Fremont.

Pleasanton's school board will finalize Ahmadi's hire on May 11. She will officially start her new position July 1, replacing Superintendent John Casey, who has been with the district since 2002 and is retiring.

Ahmadi, the current assistant superintendent of instruction in Fremont, was chosen through a six-month search process and from more than 30 applicants.

Many in Fremont say Ahmadi's departure leaves a big hole in their district.

"Most people experienced sadness, shock, desire to keep her. I'm happy for her, very proud of her," said Susan Nathan, president of Fremont's parent teacher association council.

For the Pleasanton superintendent position, Ahmadi underwent interviews with school board members and a 13-member community panel.

Those who interviewed her in Pleasanton say what stood out about Ahmadi was her knowledge of education.

"She demonstrated a real understanding of curriculum and programs that we're interested in doing," said Jim Ott, school board member.

Parents in Fremont say Ahmadi is focused on children's well-being.

"She was an administrator, but she really watched out for the kids," said Carolyn Vargas, president of the John F. Kennedy High School parent group.

She remembers when her son, Andrew, was 9 and in the fourth grade. Andrew, now a senior in high school, would walk younger children to and from school buses, comfort them when upset and help them find missing school supplies –  all without being asked.

Ahmadi, who was then his elementary school principal, commended his courteous actions by thanking his mother in a letter for raising such a gentleman.

Ahmadi started her career as a teacher at Mount Pleasant High School in San Jose and at elementary schools in Fremont. She served as vice principal and principal and later rose to district director of elementary education in 2005 and assistant superintendent of instruction three years later.

While Ahmadi has risen to the district level, her fellow educators say she has remained the same kind of leader, maintaining her support, guidance and encouragement to teachers.

"(Ahmadi) never made you feel like she was the assistant superintendent. She made you feel like she was a friend," said  Sherea Westra, a second-grade teacher at Niles Elementary School who has worked with Ahmadi on the Fremont Education Foundation.

It's that approachability that will come in handy for Ahmadi when she transitions to Pleasanton. She has indicated that in the coming weeks, her first step will be to learn more about Pleasanton's school culture, a district that has high-achieving schools and a highly engaged parent community.

"I want to find my way around and get to hear what Pleasanton is proud of and what are some of the things they're working on, what they want to continue working on," Ahmadi said.

Parent leaders in Fremont say Ahmadi has dealt with a broad range of district policies such as nutrition, health education and homework as well as issues at the site level.

In Fremont, parents like Anjana Desai said they have appreciated and will miss Ahmadi's open-door policy. They said she could often be spotted at community meetings and took the input of parent groups seriously.

"She listens to people," said Desai,  a parent of a student at Thornton Junior High and president of the junior high's parent group. Ahmadi does her best to provide answers to parents' questions, she said.

Parents and teachers said during times of disagreement between the district and the community or the district and teachers, Ahmadi never shied away from tough questions.

"She is tough when she needs to be tough. She is compassionate when she needs to be compassionate, and she's encouraging when she needs to be encouraging," said Dorsey.

Pleasanton Councilwoman Cheryl Cook-Kallio, who is a teacher in the Fremont Unified School District and has children who attend Pleasanton schools, said one of her initial interactions with Ahmadi was when she first became an administrator at Fremont.

"She sought out my opinion in a number of areas," said Cook-Kallio, who attended Fremont schools and has been a teacher there for more than 30 years.

Cook-Kallio described Ahmadi as accessible, a quality that has given her the reputation of being a listener.

Ahmadi comes from a school district twice the size of Pleasanton with more than 30,000 enrolled students, and a more diverse population.

About three-quarters of Fremont's students come from minority backgrounds, and about 17 percent of them qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Ahmadi's supporters say that experience in diversity and knowledge of finding ways to closing achievement gaps among student groups will work well in Pleasanton, a district that has been growing more diverse.

The number of minority students  and English language learners in Pleasanton has doubled from 1998 to 2008.

"Her view of a larger spectrum will be a positive thing in Pleasanton," Cook-Kallio said. "Because of her experience in a variety of places, I think she'll go in and look around and pay attention."

Cook-Kallio said that whenever a new person comes into a district, there are fears that person will mandate certain objectives without taking into account what's already in place.

"I don't think she's going to do that," said Cook-Kallio.

Fremont has a wider variety of schools, some are performing at the  highest level and some are not able to meet certain state and federal requirements from year to year.

Yet, Fremont schools have steadily improved on their academic progress reports since 2002-2003 in both Math and the Language Arts. 

Ahmadi said what has been effective in Fremont has been the ability of different groups to create common goals.

"You really have to have a common vision and really focus on some tangible goals that everyone agrees to and constantly remind everyone ... that students are number one," she said.

Ahmadi has also sat on the bargaining table, negotiating with Fremont school district unions. Those who have dealt with her in that capacity say she  seems committed to problem-solving issues in a way that best serves the needs of students.

"I think that I have learned, regardless of what challenges are ahead of you, that if you really work together as a team, the staff, the principals, the teachers, students, and parents together, that you can achieve just about anything," she said. "But you can't leave any of those pieces out."

Alex Sutton, who heads the Pleasanton union for administrative, custodial, food service, classroom aides, technology specialists and library assistants, was among a group that talked with Ahmadi's colleagues in Fremont, once she emerged as the top candidate.

He said he was impressed by the overwhelmingly positive feedback and how Ahmadi seemed to have garnered respect from all sides of the table.

"Her whole concept is that labor and management need to go together. It's not us and them, it's allies working for the common cause and that's to preserve education, do what's right for the kids." he said.