Ahmadi to retire after ten years as superintendent
After ten years of leading Castro Valley Unified School District, Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi plans to retire by the end of this school year. On May 20, Ahmadi brushed on numerous topics in an interview with The Olympian.
Q: “How was your experience the past few years at Castro Valley from moving from Pleasanton?”
A: “Absolutely amazing. That’s why I’ve been working here for ten years. It’s been a wonderful journey and I have loved every minute of it.”
Q: “What do you think you’ve learned from your time here?”
A: “That there’s a lot we can do to support kids. That we always have to think about what else we have to do to support the students. I’ve also learned that in order to do that, we need to have a team of people that you work with that believe in the same core values for the students, children, or families.”
Q: “What is something that you’re most proud of achieving during your time as a superintendent?”
A: “I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve been able to, despite all the financial difficulties because of the state, support our students the best we can, even with COVID. And I’d also say another thing that I’m proud of is how our kids behave. I see your compassion in the work that you do, and that just gives me such hope. I absolutely love it because kids are not afraid to speak.
Q: “What is a challenge you faced as a superintendent and how did you overcome it?”
A: “COVID. It was really difficult. And it was really difficult because we didn’t know. When I first got the call that we needed to close schools, we all thought ‘okay, maybe it’s just for a few days.’ And then the next week came, and then the next week after. And it was hard because it was unpredictable day by day. We all had new things to learn.”
Q: “Why would you think proportional grading is beneficial?”
A: “I actually think it’s really important for us, for students, to be able to show us what they know and are able to do it in the best way possible. It’s important for me that you have an opportunity to reassess because if we were to assess people the way we assess children, it wouldn’t work. But really in the end it’s about do you know these standards, and are you actually able to apply them.”