One School District’s Approach to System Improvement and Equity During the Pandemic: Don’t Just Navigate, Accelerate

COVID-19 and other crises have put extreme operational pressures on public school systems. And these pressures, as Dr. Rosanna Mucetti, Superintendent of Napa Valley USD says, can break or make organizations. In this episode, Rosanna and Rabinder "Rob" Mangewala, NVUSD’s Assistant Superintendent and Chief Business Official, describe how their district actually leveraged challenges during the crisis to accelerate their focus on resource equity and school improvement.

“All of a sudden, work that was probably going to take us three to five years to implement as articulated in our strategic plan was in overdrive and things got adopted in months because of the pressures of the pandemic,” Rosanna says.

In addition, Rosanna and Rob share practical guidance and insights from their leadership experiences, including how their district:

• Opened campuses early in the pandemic and maintained strong collaboration among the board, management team and labor partners.
• Approached resource allocation equity through standardization and sustainability to guarantee a “base floor” of access for all students.
• Revamped the district’s system of technology and adopted a new assessment in the midst of the pandemic.
• Responded to severe fiscal challenges like declining enrollment.

About our guests

Rob and Rosanna’s professional partnership began more than two decades ago, when they were both clearing their teaching credentials.

• Rosanna Mucetti, Ed. D., has served as a bilingual teacher, English Learner program specialist, assistant principal, principal, manager of Curriculum and English Learner Services, Assistant Superintendent, and Deputy Superintendent. Before her appointment as Superintendent at NVUSD in 2018, she served as the Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services in San Leandro USD for five years, where she led instructional transformations, including integrating socio-emotional learning into the curriculum. She also revamped the district’s technology platforms. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from CSU East Bay. She also completed the School Business Management program at USC and has a CASBO chief business official certificate.
• Rabinder “Rob” Mangewala joined NVUSD as the Assistant Superintendent, Business Services in 2019. He serves as the Chief Business Official for the organization, ensuring the district successfully addresses its financial challenges. He also oversees technology, data management and enrollment. Rob previously served with Rosanna in San Leandro USD, where he oversaw district-wide data management, enrollment, information technology and instructional materials. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hayward where he taught for 13 years while obtaining his administrative credential and masters degree at CSU East Bay. He also holds a certificate in School Business Management from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

Budgeting for Educational Equity is presented by the California Association of School Business Official (CASBO) and WestEd. Our series is written and produced by Paul Richman and Jason Willis, Director of Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation for WestEd. Music and editing is by Tommy Dunbar. John Diaz at WestEd develops our written briefs. Follow us at @Budget4EdEquity.