Superintendent's Weekly Update
September 26, 2025
Happy Friday PUSD!
Our Board of Education scheduled two special meetings to focus on long-range priorities. On Monday, September 22, the Board held a workshop on goal setting. Next Monday, September 29, the Board will meet to review and discuss facilities needs.
At the goal setting workshop, staff presented a draft framework for district goals in three priority areas:
Student Success
Community Engagement
Fiscal Responsibility
The Board provided feedback, and staff will return with revisions at the October 9 Board meeting. Once finalized and approved, we will share the goals and framework in a future weekly update. You can read the Board Brief for more details about the September 22 workshop.
Last week, we also launched our new series, Made Me Smile. I hope it brightened your day! Click here to watch this week’s video and see more fun moments from our schools. If you know of an upcoming moment worth sharing, please send it our way so the rest of Team PUSD can enjoy it too.
Sincerely,
Ben
Del Norte Student Founds 'STEMpathy' to Empower Students Locally and in India
Del Norte High senior Tanay Shah founded STEMpathy, a nonprofit club that merges STEM education with empathy, inspired by a childhood encounter with an underprivileged child in India. The club now provides free, hands-on STEM workshops—covering topics like robotics and architecture—to students locally and internationally. STEMpathy has reached over 1,750 children in the U.S. and India, with members teaching long-term classes and sending robotics kits to schools in Mumbai to prepare students for competitions. Shah, along with co-founders Srijan Atti and Kiana Withee, is driven by the mission to eliminate disparities in STEM education and prove that science and technology are accessible to all. The club’s success earned it the Silver Award at the USA Youth Leadership Summit.
Read the full story here.
D39C Showcases Future of Education at San Diego Design Week
Design39Campus learners captivated audiences last week at San Diego Design Week (SDDW) 2025, at UCSD Park & Market. As a contributing member of the festival, Design39Campus participated in Education Day, joining four other schools to share their innovative perspectives on the future of learning. Students tackled questions like "What if students designed school?" and "How can we prepare for an AI-driven world?" through their presentations and interactive displays. Check out their video recap of the student panels here!
New Volunteer Registration Process Goes Live On Monday
Bus Driver Applicants Wanted
Did you miss out on this year’s Bus Bonanza hiring event? Not to worry! Poway Unified is looking for new bus drivers to join its ranks. The district offers training sessions its transportation program is recognized as one of the best in the state. You can learn more about becoming a district bus driver at this link.
Support the Dream to STEAM Campaign
The PUSD Foundation recently announced the launch of its annual Dream to STEAM giving campaign, which helps fund Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) opportunities for students across our district. Because Poway Unified receives the lowest per-pupil funding of any unified school district in San Diego County, the Foundation plays a vital role in bridging the gap to provide the experiences our students need to thrive.
Click here to learn more and donate today!