Cabrillo Unified School District Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Business Services to Resign at the End of the School Year

Dear CUSD Community:

First of all, please know we are very grateful to everyone who helped us keep schools open this week despite historic rainfall and power outages in California. Special thanks go to our teachers and support staff for this!

I am writing today to provide you with some important updates about recent developments in the school district. Last month Cabrillo Unified School District’s Governing Board approved a new CUSD 2024-29 Strategic Plan establishing goals ahead for our focus on continuous improvement. The Coastside community should be proud of this work done by CUSD educators, support staff, school leaders, families, community partners, and the Governing Board who have worked together to develop strategic goals and make progress these past five years on district priorities of academic improvement, equity, sustainability, and the whole child. I had an opportunity to share this work at the Chamber of Commerce “State of the Coastside” event, and linked here is the presentation with updates on what the CUSD community created as a vision and roadmap for the future of CUSD schools.

We also received news in January that the new solar panel array at Hatch Elementary School was finally made operational and is generating power to the grid. The Hatch Elementary School solar installation represents the most recent phase of energy upgrades CUSD conducted in recent years. We now have big solar photovoltaic systems at three different school locations. Three of CUSD’s solar photovoltaic systems are carport structures (one at Hatch Elementary School, one at Half Moon Bay High School, and one at Cunha Intermediate School). Meanwhile, construction on another system is underway on the rooftop at the CUSD Event Center that was built years ago with assistance the Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside. Each of these solar photovoltaic systems is designed to accommodate future electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and battery storage systems. Working with Syserco Energy Systems, CUSD secured Division of State Architect approvals for these new projects, and we also made needed upgrades to our legacy solar power systems. CUSD has installed over 1300 solar panels to offset power consumption and contribute to our goal of lower energy use. These solar arrays are estimated to reduce CUSD’s energy consumption by approximately $300,000 annually. In this manner CUSD aims to show our focus on sustainability along with other environmental literacy efforts that helped CUSD earn California Green Ribbon (Silver Level) award recognition last year. Please know modernization efforts underway currently at Farallone View Elementary School and in planning stages for El Granada Elementary School will also include new rooftop designs that will be solar ready so we can work toward our goal of solar power at every school site.

I am grateful for the time I have been able to serve in this position since 2019, but please know I make this announcement now so we can ensure the CUSD Governing Board and district staff have ample time to conduct a search for CUSD’s next superintendent.

Please know both Dr. Contreras and I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to work here for the past five years, and we both thank everyone who collaborated with us over the years to help CUSD in its goal of continuous improvement. The Coastside is a wonderful community, and CUSD should be proud of its work to serve every child every day. Hopefully the work done by staff, families, students, and our Governing Board on the new CUSD Strategic Plan will help to chart a course and provide direction for programs and services for generations of students to come.

Sincerely,

Sean McPhetridge, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Cabrillo Unified School District