Home

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter spotlights:

• Building Trades Parent-Student Night at Concord High School,
• The Concord High School “Scare Away Hunger” campaign,
• Northgate High art students enter design competition that blends visual art and music,
• Foothill MS student Marcus Lee won the Juvenile Boys Free Skate in the 2026 Pacific Coast Sectional Singles and will move onto the "Development Team;"
• Ygnacio Valley High’s varsity football team is the first MDUSD athletic program to complete Career Pathways Work Readiness Workshops;
• Olympic High School’s festive Halloween activities in partnership with Crossroads HS;
• Mountain View Elementary students take a “selfie from space” thanks to their teacher’s creative outreach,
• Pleasant Hill Middle School 8th-grade STEM trip to Levi’s Stadium,
• Walnut Acres Elementary’s Halloween Parade on their newly paved track;
• Mt. Diablo Adult Education hosts the Contra Costa Central Career Expo;
• MDUSD mourns the passing of EJ Barna, a valued afterschool program staff member at Riverview MS;
• School and Staff Social Media Highlights;
• And more!

You can read it here.

MDUSD invites District staff, students, parents/guardians and community members to nominate a teacher for the 2026-27 MDUSD and Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year.

• Nominations are due by 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.
• Candidates must have a minimum of 8 years of teaching experience to move forward to the County Office of Education competition.

Click here for the nomination form in English.
Click here for the nomination form in Spanish.

The District hopes to receive at least one nomination from each school recognizing classroom teachers who have demonstrated a passion for teaching, an ability to differentiate instruction to meet students' needs, and teachers who connect with and support their school community.

Selection process: After a nomination is submitted on behalf of a teacher, candidates are asked to respond to a brief questionnaire that speaks to their passion for teaching, their ability to differentiate instruction to meet students' needs, ways in which they provide equitable learning experiences for all students in their class, specific strategies they utilize that directly affect student achievement, and how they connect with and support their school community.

These responses are screened by the Teacher of the Year Committee. Selected candidates are then asked to submit a video of them teaching and to participate in an interview with the selection committee.  Two teachers are then chosen to represent the District in the County Teacher of the Year selection process. 

In recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month in October, MDUSD is holding two "Experience Dyslexia" events to give participants the opportunity to better understand the challenges that people with dyslexia face every day. In addition, the events describe the District's reading curriculum and screener for reading difficulties in grades K-2, as well as ongoing monitoring and support through grade 12 for those who need accommodations such as audio books to help them work at grade level while learning to read.

During the first event on Oct. 28, MDUSD's Chief of Pupil Services and Special Education Wendi Aghily explained dyslexia during a presentation called "Identifying Dyslexia & Effective Reading Interventions." She noted that the state is now requiring districts to screen students for reading difficulties, which can identify issues with hearing and processing what they hear. Students with auditory dyslexia have trouble sounding out words, she said. Of the roughly 15% of students in MDUSD who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) through special education, about 6-7% are identified with a print reading disability, Aghily said. "Our goal is to get kids reading to the maximum ability we can, understanding that not everybody loves reading - and that's OK," she said. One of the reasons dyslexic students may not enjoy reading is because it is exhausting for them to try to decode letters, sound out words, read fluently and comprehend the meaning at the same time, she explained.

In MDUSD, students are assessed three times per year in reading so teachers can monitor their progress. Results of the screening tests, which are administered in January, will be available in February. If students are identified as being at risk for reading difficulties, staff will meet to discuss interventions and may refer the student for a special education assessment, Aghily said. However, the district does not diagnose dyslexia, since that is a medical diagnosis.

After the presentation, parents and others who attended participated in simulations intended to help them understand the immense effort and focus that students with dyslexia need to complete tasks that may be easy for those without dyslexia, as well as the frustration and helplessness they may feel when they cannot complete classwork or homework as quickly as their peers. In the simulations, special education staff members played the roles of teachers giving assignments to students with time limitations. Participants played the roles of students, trying to accomplish tasks while attempting to overcome barriers that made it difficult to process the information they were given.

The simulations included:

• trying to read unfamiliar symbols and decode their meanings based on context and repetition in texts,  
• trying to write down information dictated by the teacher while significant background noise makes it difficult to hear instructions,
• trying to draw a star shape while looking in a mirror to watch their hands moving their pencils under a cardboard tent,
• trying to write letters and unfamiliar symbols with non-dominant hands,
• taking a spelling test three times, once with the audio simulating hearing loss, once with low level sound, and finally with some amplification simulating a hearing aid. 

After each simulation, participants talked about how they felt when they were unable to easily complete the assignments. Many said they felt frustrated and anxious. "I just spaced out," said one parent. "I felt lost," said another. One participant felt so overwhelmed in the simulations with many people talking at the same time and loud background noises that he didn't ever pick up his pencil, said Special Education Administrator Bryan Cassin, who led that activity. He noted that students in these situations often cope by looking at other students' papers to copy their work, becoming disengaged, or acting out. With early intervention, he said, students can transition to assistive technology that can help them process information.

At the end of the event, participants came together to debrief. "Hopefully, you've gotten some empathy and some understanding," Aghily said to the parents whose children have reading difficulties. "When your kids say they're tired, they're not kidding."

After the event, Holbrook Language Academy Resource Teacher Rosie Medina, who participated in the simulations, said she was glad she came and got useful information that she will share with parents at her school. "Parents want more information," she said. El Monte Elementary parent Giusy Dileo said more teachers should experience these simulations. And Valley View MS parent Shanna Santana she the event helped her empathize with her son. "It helps me understand what he's going through," she said. "I'm going to go home and give him a hug." 

The second “Experience Dyslexia” event will be held from 4-6 p.m. Nov. 13 at the District Office, 1936 Carlotta Drive in Concord. It will include updates on the Universal Screener for students at risk of reading difficulties for all students in grades K-2. MDUSD parents, staff and community members are invited to attend. Registration is required here. (This will be the same program that was presented on Oct. 28th.)

The Mt. Diablo High School football team will play its next home game on a fully restored home field that has been returned to its previous state-of-the-art condition less than two months after a destructive fire that was started by illegal fireworks melted the artificial turf, forcing the Red Devils to play their first three home games off site.

The team and Mt. Diablo Unified School District are deeply grateful to the Las Vegas Raiders, who pledged a donation of $250,000 to assist with the cost of restoring the field, after learning of the fire and needed repairs.

“As a lifelong Raiders fan and past season ticket holder, I couldn’t be more pleased with their generous contribution,” said MDUSD Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark. “The Mt. Diablo High School student body, alumni and community deserve a learning environment that they can be proud of. With the help of Mark Davis, owner of the Raiders, we have restored the field to its original state!”

Although the turf was repaired last month, the Mt. Diablo High School logo was installed more recently this month, because it had to be special-ordered. Since that installation, the team has played several “away” games.

The team is excited to play on its completely restored home field for its “Homecoming” game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, as it hosts cross-town MDUSD competitors, the Ygnacio Valley High School Wolves.

The Raiders’ donation will cover the cost of the insurance deductible, which the District would have had to pay out of its own funds toward the total repair costs of nearly $350,000.

Restored field with new logo (above).

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter spotlights:

• Our "Experience Dyslexia" event,
• National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and National Native American Heritage Month in November,
• Mt. Diablo High receives donation from Las Vegas Raiders to help restore football field,
• Ygnacio Valley High newcomer students supported Red Ribbon Week while learning more about it,
• Oak Grove MS Accelerated Math students represent MDUSD at the Stanford Middle School Math Tournament,
• College Park HS Suicide Prevention Awareness activity organized by the ASB Leadership,
• School and Staff Social Media Highlights,
• And more!

You can read it here.

The following message was sent to all district families and staff on Oct. 24, 2025:

Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Mt. Diablo Education Association Reach Tentative Agreement

Dear MDUSD Students, Staff, and Community, 

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) is pleased to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached with the Mt. Diablo Education Association (MDEA) on a new three-year contract covering the 2025-26 through the 2027-28 school years.

This agreement reflects the shared commitment of both MDUSD and MDEA to support our educators, strengthen our schools, and continue our focus on student success.

We want to take a moment to thank both bargaining teams from MDUSD and MDEA for the hard work put into these negotiations. 

The tentative agreement updates several key areas of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including class size, salaries, and benefits.

Some highlights include:

• A 2.3% salary increase effective July 1, 2025.
• Additional salary increases for 2026–2027 and 2027–2028.
• Full District-paid Kaiser CalPERS medical coverage beginning January 1, 2026 through December, 2028.
• Updated class size guidelines.
• Expanded personal necessity leave options for employees.
• No cap on prior years of qualifying experience for initial placement on the salary schedule.

The tentative agreement will now go before MDEA members for ratification and then to the MDUSD Governing Board for approval. Both sides have agreed to recommend ratification and adoption of the full agreement.

This agreement continues our commitment to student learning and achievement, fiscal responsibility, positive labor relations, and long-term stability, while striving to offer competitive compensation and a positive working environment for all employees. 

We look forward to continuing our work together with MDEA to provide the best possible educational experience for every student in Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

MDUSD and MDEA bargaining teams reach a Tentative three-year agreement (Oct. 24, 2025).

This week's MDUSD Friday Letter spotlights:

• “Lights On Afterschool” event at Meadow Homes Elementary;
• No school on Monday, October 27 for Teacher In-Service Day;
• The Foundry career pathway newsletter at Olympic HS;
• The Mt. Diablo High School football team made headlines when all four Bay Area News Group sports reporters predicted they would win their game this Saturday at noon against Berean Christian;
• A beautiful garden mural at El Monte Elementary;
• Gregory Gardens Elementary GatorFest featured a Sensory-Friendly hour,
• School and Staff Social Media highlights; and more!

You can read it here.

More than 1,000 students from all District high schools had the opportunity to meet with representatives from 50 organizations offering training and career opportunities during the 8th annual Career Education Fair at Concord High School on Oct. 15th. The event was organized by CHS College and Career Advisor Sheila Bergum, in partnership with MDUSD's College & Career Readiness Department, to highlight the many options that students can pursue after graduation, which don't necessarily require 4-year college degrees, but offer training, high salaries, and excellent benefits. These included unions for carpenters, electricians, plumbers, iron workers and other trades that offer apprenticeship programs; Mt. Diablo Adult Education and community colleges; the U.S. military; local law enforcement; and public services agencies.

"The purpose is to educate students on other alternative options to a four-year college education," Bergum said. "There are so many careers out there that don't necessarily require a 4-year degree as entry level possibilities." She said on-the-job training allows trades workers to earn a paycheck while they are learning new skills. The District's high school Career Pathways programs also help to expose students to a variety of career fields including healthcare, digital arts, engineering, culinary arts, and auto tech.

Students from other schools were bused to the fair and given time to browse the career booths, ask questions, and sign up for more information, along with Concord HS students. Concord HS senior Langton Akin said he enjoyed trying out welding for fun, but he was most interested in career opportunities at the Contra Costa Water District. "They have engineer jobs," he said, explaining that he plans to major in engineering at Diablo Valley College (DVC), then transfer to a UC or CSU. Senior Natalie Ahrendt, who tried walking on a beam while wearing a virtual reality mask that simulated walking across a steel beam in a high-rise building under construction, said she also appreciated the opportunity to check out all the booths. She said the hair dressing booth was cool, as well as makeup and cosmetology, but she is planning to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher. Ken Miller from Iron Workers Local 378, said he likes to introduce students to the jobs available, which start at $34 per hour plus benefits for entry-level jobs and pay $62 per hour or about $110,000-$120,00 for a journeyman. A foreman can make about $140,000 per year, he said.

Concord HS senior Lorena Cardenas and her friends got to look inside a Concord Police SUV, which included reinforced windows to prevent people from breaking out. She also liked the Tesla booth and said she is considering the Tesla program or business administration at DVC after she graduates, but the Fire Department's Paramedic program also appealed to her. "I like to help people," she said. 

The MDUSD School Board heard a presentation about the District's College & Career Readiness programs, including the fair, during its Oct. 15 meeting. The District will offer a similar career fair to 8th-graders in January.