IN MEMORIUM
Commissioner Terry Bailey
Commissioner Christopher Low
Last year, the Castro Valley Unified School District Personnel Commission suffered a great loss. In November 2023, two of its Commissioners, Terry Bailey and Christopher Low, passed away unexpectedly a day apart. We honor the memory of Commissioner Bailey and Commissioner Low, whose exceptional service to the Personnel Commission made a lasting impact on the Castro Valley Unified School District.
Terry Bailey
Terry served on the Personnel Commission from 2015 – 2023 In addition to his work on the commission, Mr. Bailey was a Financial Advisor and Senior Vice-President for Fremont Bank. Previously, he held a variety of leadership positions in international sales. Mr. Bailey is a retired Marine Corps Officer and Pilot. He was active in many local organizations, including the Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Castro Valley Arts Foundation, and the Castro Valley Rotary. Mr. Bailey’s children attended and graduated from Castro Valley schools.
Christopher Low
Christopher served on the Personnel Commission from 2011 – 2023. He was born and raised in Castro Valley and graduated from Moreau High School and California State University, Hayward. He and his wife Karen have a daughter who graduated from CV High School in 2018 and a son who graduated from CV High School in 2020. Chris retired as a public sector human resources professional for over 30 years and had served six cities that operate under a civil service or merit system. Mr. Low provided training to other Personnel Commissions on revising their Personnel Commission Rules & Regulations.
The Personnel Commission achieved several notable accomplishments during the tenure of Commissioners Bailey and Low. Together with Commissioner Wilkerson, they approved a comprehensive classification and compensation study, completely updated and revised the Personnel Commission Rules & Regulations, created the director of human resources position, and approved numerous new and updated job descriptions. We greatly appreciate and acknowledge Commissioner Bailey and Commissioner Low’s significant contributions to the district, the classified employees, and the merit system. They will be greatly missed.
IN MEMORIAM – CLASSIFIED STAFF
Lillian Ann Robinson – 4 years of service ~ 2019 – 2024 Miriam Vardy – 35 years of service ~ 1989 – 2024
THE PERSONNELCOMMISSION
The Personnel Commission is a body independent of the school board that oversees the selection and retention of classified employees based on principles of merit. In Castro Valley, the three commissioners are appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for three-year, staggered terms. Personnel Commissioners must be known adherents of the principles of merit in employment, registered voters, and residents of the Castro Valley Unified School District.
Toni Wilkerson, Chairperson
Toni has served on the CVUSD Personnel Commission since 1986.
She is the Past-President of the California School Personnel Commissioners Association/CSPCA, Past-President of the School Personnel Commissioners Association of Northern California, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for both organizations. Toni has been a resident of Castro Valley since 1969.
Monica Lee
Monica has lived in Castro Valley for 20+ years. She is married and has two adult children. While her children attended Castro Valley Schools, she was an active member of the parent communities by serving on PTA boards, school site councils, and other parent groups. She served as a member of the Castro Valley Unified School District Board of Education from 2016 through 2020.
Vanessa Peterson
Vanessa is a former Castro Valley Unified School District classified employee and is happy to continue working with CVUSD as a Personnel Commissioner. Vanessa and her husband, Aaron, are proud parents of two CVUSD students. Vanessa is pursuing a law degree with an interest in public law.
PERSONNEL COMMISSION STAFF
Raúl M. Zamora, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
Dustin R. Gacherieu, Ph.D. Director, Human Resources
Jennifer Tapia-Smith
Classified Personnel Specialist
Suzie Leonardo Department Specialist
Jasmine Hall Department Specialist
CVUSD -AMERIT SYSTEM DISTRICT
Merit System Law governs classified school personnel and is defined by the California Education Code (Division 4, Chapter 5, Article 6). Its fundamental purpose is to ensure that employees are selected, promoted, and retained based on merit and fitness without favoritism or prejudice. In merit-system school districts in California, the system is administered by the Personnel Commission, a separate agency authorized by the State to be responsible for certain personnel matters affecting classified school personnel. In Castro Valley, the three commissioners are appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for three-year, staggered terms.
The Commission shall have jurisdiction over and responsibility for the following activities:
* Establishment of the Rules and Regulations governing the administration of a comprehensive Merit System, which includes rules and regulations regarding recruitment, examinations, applications, employment lists, compensation, discipline, and the classification plan.
* Appointment of the Personnel Administrator and Commission Staff
* Development and adoption of an annual budget.
* Development of the procedures for the hearing of Classified Personnel appeals.
Through administration of the Classified Merit System, the Commission strives for:
* Equal treatment for all classified personnel and applicants for employment.
* Protection of individual rights as well as the rights of the Classified Service, pursuant to the Personnel Commission Rules and Regulations adopted for the Classified Service
* Maintenance of harmonious relationships with the Governing Board.
MERIT PRINCIPLES
* Hire and promote employees on the basis of ability, with open competition in initial appointment.
* Remove appointments to positions from the political arena or personal favoritism.
* Ensure that employees doing like work are classified alike and receive like pay.
* Provide for fair, impartial rules and consistency in the administration of the rules.
* Assure fair treatment of applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration without regard to political affiliation, gender, age, or religious creed, and with proper regard for their privacy and constitutional rights as citizens.
Congratulations to our 2023-2024
Classified Site Employees of the Year! School Sites
Castro Valley Elementary – Alisa Higashi-Gill
Chabot Elementary – Genna Shipley
Independent Elementary – Sally Potter
Jensen Ranch Elementary – Vickie Devi
Marshall Elementary – Nancy Lam
Palomares Elementary – Jeannette Collard
Proctor Elementary – Vicki Dugan
Stanton Elementary – Tiara Dennis
Vannoy Elementary – Lynda Nicholson
Canyon Middle – Mario Baker
Creekside Middle – Caroline Fong
Castro Valley High – Bryan Fitzsimmons
Redwood High – Serena Burns-Weed
CV Adult – Ivanka Kyuchukova*
* Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year Nominee
** Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year Winner
Congratulations to our 2023-2024
Classified Site Employees of the Year! Departments
Business Services – Francoise Chenais
Child Nutrition – Glenda Pirir Zet**
Educational Services – Kristine Coffelt*
Maintenance – Jason Bonini**
Operations – Larry Kleinschmidt*
Technology – Michael George*
Transportation – Graciela Avila**
* Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year Nominee
** Alameda County Classified Employee of the Year Winner Administrators of the Year
Lynn Novak – Classified Leader
Jennifer Tapia-Smith – Confidential Employee
Raúl M. Zamora – HR Administrator
2023 – 2024 ACTIVITIES
017-2018
INTERIM PERSONNEL COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT
The Personnel Commission is required to have a minimum of two commissioners present to conduct business. Following the unexpected loss of Commissioners Terry Bailey and Chris Low, the Personnel Commission did not have a quorum. Consequently, the Castro Valley USD Board of Education appointed Jo A.S. Loss as an interim personnel commissioner from January 22 to March 22, 2024. We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Loss for her service to the commission and the district.
PERSONNEL COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENT
The District and Commission staff engaged in a comprehensive and collaborative process to select two candidates to nominate to serve on the Personnel Commission to complete the terms of Commissioners Bailey and Low. The positions were advertised throughout the district in December, and applications were accepted. In January, a nomination committee was formed to select two candidates to recommend to the Board of Education for appointment to the Personnel Commission. The nomination committee was composed of two Castro Valley Unified board members, two California School Employees Association, Chapter 52 representatives, one Castro Valley Unified personnel commissioner, and the director of human resources. The committee determined selection criteria, reviewed all applications, conducted interviews, and determined two candidates to recommend to the Board of Education.
The Personnel Commissioner Nomination Committee recommended that the Castro Valley Board of Education nominate Mrs. Monica Lee and Mrs. Vanessa Peterson for appointment to the Personnel Commission. The nominations were ultimately accepted by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who officially appointed Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Peterson to the Commission in April 2024.
EVENTS & CELEBRATIONS
The Personnel Commission, in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, hosted orientations for all new classified employees during the school year. All new employees were invited to attend the orientation. The orientation allowed those new employees to meet one another and listen to valuable information from the Business Department, CSEA, and the Personnel Commission regarding the Merit System and Human Resources.
Three celebrations were held in May. The Personnel Commissioners recognized Classified Employees Week during the week of May 20th On May 15th , classified employees of the year were honored at the second annual CVUSD Employees of the Year ceremony held at the Castro Valley Adult & Career Education. Twenty-one (21) classified employees were honored for their outstanding service and contributions. On May 23rd , classified retirees were honored at an outdoor retirement celebration at the Adobe Art Center. It was an excellent opportunity to celebrate these valued employees for their years of service to CVUSD with their friends, family, and colleagues.
This past year, the Human Resources Department held two job fairs specific to classified recruitment. Staff took applicants through all steps of the merit system process in one day. One job fair was held on January 18th that targeted Special Education Paraprofessional positions. Another was held on June 13th, and recruited positions for Paraprofessional, Special Education Paraprofessional, and Van Driver.
JOB CLASSIFICATION REVIEW
Throughout the year, staff worked with CSEA on the annual job classification review. The job classifications in the Administrative Services - Financial job family were reviewed. As a result of this review, three (3) job descriptions were revised, and two (2) new job descriptions were created.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Commission staff worked with departments across the district to increase professional development opportunities for classified staff throughout the year. Classified staff participated in the August 7th and November 1st staff development days at CVHS. Additionally, numerous classified staff members received updated CPR and First Aid training and certification throughout the year.
RECRUITMENT
Human Resources recruited for the following classifications during the 2023-2024 school year:
• Accounting Assistant
• Accounting Technician
• Accounting Technician – Payroll
• Behavior Specialist
• Behavior Technician
• Budget Analyst
• Buildings & Grounds Worker
• Bus Driver
• Cafeteria Assistant
• Cafeteria Coordinator
• Campus Monitor
• Campus Supervisor
• Computer Operations Technician
• Department Specialist
• Director of Child Nutrition Services
• Heavy Duty Mechanic
• House Secretary
• Lead Cafeteria Worker
• Library Assistant
• Licensed Vocational Nurse - Paraprofessional
• Mechanic
• Office Assistant
• Office Technician
• Office Technician – Attendance
• Paraprofessional
• Paraprofessional, ELL
• Paraprofessional, Mild/Moderate
• Paraprofessional, Moderate/Severe
• School Secretary, Elementary
• School Supply Technician
• Transition Specialist
• Translator
• Van Driver
Recruitment Data
RECRUITMENT
Appointments/Promotions
Total Number of Eligibility ListsApproved by the Personnel Commission
2023 – 2024 NEW EMPLOYEES
➢ Rachel Alexandre, House Secretary
➢ Kelly Alga, Van Driver
➢ Cosmo Alsip, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Dianest Alvarez, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Stephany Arciniega, Paraprofessional
➢ Nidhi Arya, Office Assistant
➢ Riham Awadallah, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Belinda Bass, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Sarbani Basu, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Angela Bilardello, Licensed Vocational NurseParaprofessional
➢ Linda Brown, Campus Monitor
➢ Edward Calderon, Van Driver
➢ Tevin Caranto, School Supply Technician
➢ Mark Chang, Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Wuying Chen, Cafeteria Assistant
➢ Yuliia Chernova, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Damian Contreras, Van Driver
➢ Rayna Cross, Campus Monitor
➢ Caillou Dasalla, Library Assistant
➢ Matthew De Martini, Van Driver
➢ Thomas Deane, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Kevin Del Mundo, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ John Diaz, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Juanita Dixon, Van Driver
➢ Ting Dong, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Veronica Doughty-Keckley, Department Specialist
➢ Alyssa Escobar-Rojas, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Edwin Evans, Paraprofessional, ELL
➢ Annie Feng, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Alicia Fisher, Office Technician
➢ Nicole Garibaldi, Paraprofessional
➢ Andrew Garrison, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Franco Giron, Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Amy Glodde, Director of Child Nutrition
➢ Georgina Gonzalez, Paraprofessional
➢ Parshotam Gosai, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Shivani Gosai, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Alexandra Grajeda, Elementary School Secretary
➢ Yang Guo, Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Alan Haffner, Computer Operations Technician
➢ Anthony Hesson, Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Dejanee Howard, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Li-Shan Hsu, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Wendy Huang, Paraprofessional
➢ Kristy Hui, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Marshi Johnson, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Subhashini Karusala, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Glenda Keown, Van Driver
➢ Lena-Rose Kiesling, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Kayla King, Cafeteria Assistant
➢ Yuliya Kosivchuk, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Abigail Lee, Office Technician
➢ Junette Lee, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Euodia Leung, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Karyn Linder-Trussell, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Julie Lovel, Paraprofessional
➢ Jason Loy, Office Technician
➢ Chen Lu, Paraprofessional
➢ Rachel Main, Paraprofessional
➢ Sonja Mark, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Gail Mello, Campus Monitor
2023 – 2024 NEW EMPLOYEES
➢ Christian Mercado, Van Driver
➢ Hanan Moawad, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Jamie Molina, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Gloria Montano, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Hend Morgan, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Zemira Odobasic, Paraprofessional
➢ Romiel Paluga, Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Lucas Panconi, Mechanic
➢ Armon Paul, Campus Supervisor
➢ Ryan Pfeiffer, Campus Supervisor
➢ Adriana Pinto Munoz, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Katie Ponce, Department Specialist
➢ Dalilah Puebla-Medina, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Daniella Raza, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Alex Rodriguez, Van Driver
➢ Laura Rodriguez Murillo, Paraprofessional
➢ Raymond Ruiz, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Ana Salinas De Perez, Campus Monitor
➢ Ny Sam, Payroll Accountant
➢ Rosalynn Sanders, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Nancy Saweros, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Scott Schroeder, Campus Monitor
➢ Sandhya Scott, Paraprofessional
➢ Casey Silva, Campus Monitor
➢ Jessica Smith, Cafeteria Assistant
➢ Melinda Solomon, Paraprofessional
➢ Neeraja Sridharan, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Kimberly Van Horn, Accountant I
➢ Brandy Vargas, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Robert M. Verduzco, Van Driver
➢ Jessica Whitehead, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Jeffrey Zimmerman, Cafeteria Assistant
2023 – 2024 PROMOTIONS
➢ Yolanda Cartagena, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Dina Cisneros, Payroll Accountant
➢ Sara Conti, Behavior Specialist
➢ Elisabeth Dickerson, Accountant II
➢ Leticia Doyle, Van Driver
➢ Jeanne-Marie French, Paraprofessional, Mild/Mod
➢ Maria Gamata Tran, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Christine Gamino, Lead Cafeteria Worker
➢ Alisa Higashi-Gill, Elementary School Secretary
➢ Connie Hill, Department Specialist
➢ Kevin Kwan, Bus Driver
➢ Karen Lac, Library Assistant
➢ Kimberly Mosbaugh, Transition Specialist
➢ Bridget O'Day, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Cecilia Ortiz, Budget Analyst II
➢ Javier Perez, Behavior Technician
➢ Laura Rodriguez Murillo, Translator
➢ Kat Troyer, Accountant I
➢ Sara Varela, Van Driver
➢ Spencer Wicks, Paraprofessional, Mod/Severe
➢ Kathy Wu, Van Driver
THANK YOU!
The Personnel Commission would like to thank those who helped the District maintain its high employment standards by serving on interview panels for CVUSD and panels for other Merit districts during the 2023-2024 school year.
➢ Aaron Ackerman, Director of MOT
➢ Robert Aguilar, Lead Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Sneh Ali, Program Specialist
➢ Jeff Anderson, Transportation Lead
➢ Graciela Avila, Van Driver
➢ Mario Baker, Lead Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Bethany Baria, Van Driver
➢ Amber Berry, Behavior Technician
➢ Sam Brewer, Special Education Coordinator
➢ Rochon Brooks, Office Technician
➢ Stacy Bystedt, Budget Analyst
➢ Frank Castro, Director of Child Nutrition
➢ Francoise Chenais, Budget Analyst
➢ Olive Chin, Budget Analyst
➢ Allison Ching, Director of Purchasing
➢ Kristine Coffelt, Budget Analyst
➢ Sara Conti, Behavior Specialist
➢ Doris De La Torre, Director of Multilingual Services
➢ Meighen Eberly, Assistant Principal
➢ Susan Ermitano, House Secretary
➢ Mark Fassio, Van Driver
➢ Bryan Fitzsimmons, Lead Building & Grounds Worker
➢ Dustin Gacherieu, Director of Human Resources
➢ Connie Gaxiola, Van Driver
➢ Steve Giguiere, Senior Retirement Specialist
➢ Raquel Gonzalez, Cafeteria Coordinator
➢ Jasmine Hall, Department Specialist
➢ Patrick Hansen-Schmitt, Principal
➢ Alisa Higashi-Gill, Elementary School Secretary
➢ Natalie Hung, Department Specialist
➢ Karin Isenberg, Certificated Personnel Specialist
➢ Andre Jackson, Payroll Technician
➢ Monica Jimenez Hui, Office Assistant
➢ Kasey Kaufman, Behavior Specialist
➢ Kanwal Kaur, Adult School Teacher
➢ Glenda Keown, Van Driver
➢ Sarah Kimiecik, Director of Child Nutrition
➢ Greg Ko, Director of Technology
➢ Yann Le Roy, Computer Operations Technician
➢ John Lo, Accounting Technician
➢ Breena Luber, Behavior Technician
➢ David Luongo, Director of Secondary Education
➢ Alicia Mendoza, Department Specialist
➢ Araceli Munoz, Confidential Administrative Assistant
➢ Cecilia Ortiz, Accounting Technician
➢ Glenda Pirir Zet, Cafeteria Site Manager
➢ Judie Plaza, Cafeteria Site Manager
➢ Leonard Pleasant, Lead Campus Supervisor
➢ Krista Richey, Confidential Administrative Assistant
➢ Pam Santos, House Secretary
➢ Sushil Singh, Cafeteria Assistant
➢ Janet Sinhbandith, Behavior Specialist
➢ Affie Sklut, Director of Elementary Education
➢ Vince Sly, Lead Building & Grounds Worker
➢ LaLisha Smith, Cafeteria Site Manager
➢ Kim Souza, Paraprofessional, ELL
➢ Shannon Thomas, Adult School Teacher
➢ Kat Troyer, Accounting Technician
➢ Sandee Velasquez, Nurse
➢ Nalong Vongtharangsy, Computer Operations Technician
➢ Sydney Wun, Accounting Technician
➢ Shirley Yee, Cafeteria Assistant
OUR VISION
Our students are compassionate, critical thinkers who are empowered to selfadvocate, explore their passions, and are prepared to thrive as contributing members of our ever-changing and diverse world.
OUR PROMISE
All students will receive equitable access to high quality learning opportunities. All means all.
MISSION
We work together to provide safe, challenging, innovative, and culturally responsive learning environments to ensure that all our students feel respected and supported to achieve their unique academic potential and explore their individual talents.
Castro Valley Unified School District
4400 Alma Avenue
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Parvin Ahmadi, Superintendent Board of Education
Michael Kusiak, President
Dolly Adams, Vice President/Clerk
Gary C. Howard
Sara E. Raymond
Lavender Lee Whitaker
