‘I know their stories’: Modesto native selected as Sylvan schools superintendent
When Didi Peterson was hired as a middle school teacher in 1996, the Sylvan Union School District leadership team led her and fellow rookies on a school bus tour.
The group was welcomed to the district and reminded that it was selected to serve the north Modesto community, Peterson recalled.
“That memory has never left me,” she said.
Twenty-five years later, after working in positions including an elementary school teacher, principal and human resources administrator, Peterson was selected March 15 as Sylvan Union’s new superintendent. She starts in July.
“It’s an honor and privilege for me to continue to support this community,” she said in an interview Wednesday.
Peterson will replace Superintendent Eric Fredrickson, who will retire in June after leading the district of close to 8,000 transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade students for two years marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a press release announcing Peterson’s selection pending board approval, school board President Christine Harvey said the board was looking for a collaborative leader who is committed to the district’s mission, vision, values and community.
“After a rigorous screening and interview process, the Board is confident the best fit for SUSD has been selected,” Harvey said in the release.
Peterson will face ongoing academic and social challenges heightened by the pandemic. But she took on this role because she believes in public school and the power of education, she said.
People who care about public education step in as leaders, she said. “We have responsibility and influence for creating opportunities for our students.”
Overcoming pandemic challenges
Despite the difficult circumstances, the decision to apply for superintendent wasn’t hard, Peterson said. She knew she’d be surrounded by people who are devoted to serving students.
“No matter how hard the last couple years have been, we never gave up,” Peterson said. “We responded and we pivoted and we adjusted so that we could continue to offer learning and educational opportunities for all of our students.”
Recovery from the pandemic is top of mind for Peterson, as it is for school leaders across the country. Sylvan Union officials are gathering data to inform plans for the next school year in addition to strategies three to five years out, Peterson said.
“We’re going to work collaboratively to really find solutions and continue to adjust and meet the needs of both the students and the staff,” Peterson said.
School leaders are looking to expand existing support for mental health and social-emotional learning, she said. They’re conducting informal and formal surveys to form a realistic picture of what student and staff needs are and how the district can meet them over the next five years.
Peterson also is looking at how to support mental health needs of district employees, such as training and wellness programs specific to their roles.
Her primary goal as superintendent will be to facilitate a high level of learning for all students and ensure school staff and students have what they need to succeed. She’s also focused on creating a safe, welcoming and supportive school culture, she said.
Personally, Peterson said she’s most looking forward to visiting school sites and departments to observe and engage with staff and students, giving her a picture of what’s happening on the ground at the 13 schools she’ll oversee.
She has lived in Modesto her entire life, except for while obtaining her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis. Her own daughter went through Sylvan schools. She feels connected to this community, she said.
“I know the people, and I know the places, and I know their stories,” Peterson said.
