2025-2026 Message

Dear VUSD Community,

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year. This past year, our Board of Education has focused on the development of Visalia Unified Forward 2030: A Community-Driven Blueprint for the Future. This plan encompasses our strategic plan and facilities plan. I am proud of our Board for being courageous, data-driven, and student-centered in their declarations of what our focus needs to be.  I encourage you to take the time to look at both of our plans, which you can find here.

As we look ahead to the 2025-26 school year, we remain focused on advancing Visalia Unified Forward 2030. Our commitment as a district team is to stay connected, listen to your insights, and craft strategies that address both challenges and opportunities.

Over the next five years, the strategic plan will guide our efforts to achieve our mission: every student learning every day. Built on a foundation of core beliefs and commitments, the strategic plan serves as our blueprint, outlining clear goals and actions that will help us reach every student across our district.

This year, we’ll start implementation on 17 strategic plan actions, and will report to our Board twice this year on the progress of our plan. These actions include the VUSD model of a highly effective classroom, balanced instructional models, a district assessment plan, creating a system that honor and recognize a broad range of student achievement, processes to support key transitions in students’ educational experience, a public financial dashboard, financial practices to ensure long-term fiscal health, among others. These priorities reflect the valuable feedback from our students, staff, and community and represent just the beginning of what’s to come. It’s an exciting time as we shape the future of Visalia Unified.

Additionally, as our community grows, we’re addressing the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Last year, we tackled short-term needs and this year our focus will be on our long-term needs. Rapid expansion in some areas has led to overutilization in certain schools. That’s why our facilities planning process is a critical focus, and your input is essential as we explore options for long-term needs. Please visit the facilities section on our website to see our progress.

Furthermore, each year we set our priority campaign based on feedback from students, staff, and the community. The campaign for this year is centered on Honoring Our Legacy, Building Our Future, in honor of our district’s 60th year as a unified school district. The campaign has four themes, "Own Your Journey, Lift Each Other Up, Keep Growing, and Shape What’s Next.” By living and modeling these values, students will achieve both socially and academically.

Join us in making sure our students are equipped for success!  Together, we can support our students so they learn at their highest level and become college and/or career ready.  I believe in, I belong in, I am VUSD!

Kirk Shrum
Superintendent
Visalia Unified School District