IIA Stage II

Demonstration of Need

Oakley Union Elementary School District (OUESD) has a clear and pressing need for both Teacher and Administrator Induction Programs to serve educators in our local service area. As a growing TK–8 district serving approximately 5,000 students across nine schools, OUESD is committed to ensuring that all new educators—both in the classroom and in leadership positions—receive the high-quality, job-embedded support required to earn their clear credentials and thrive in their roles.

Currently, OUESD employs 70 out of a total of 251 teachers who are either in induction or pre-induction status, including those serving on intern credentials, Provisional Intern Permits (PIPs), and Short-Term Staff Permits (STSPs). These educators require a Commission-approved induction program to clear their preliminary teaching credentials within the statutory timelines. Providing a locally-operated induction program ensures that teacher support is contextualized to OUESD’s instructional priorities, curriculum, and community needs, increasing retention and instructional quality.

Our district’s certificated management team represents a diverse blend of site-based leaders, central-office directors, and specialized student-support staff whose development is critical to sustaining high-quality leadership across all schools. Currently, we employ 10 assistant principals—four serving at schools with 700 or fewer students and six at campuses with enrollments above 700. At the principal level, we have nine school leaders: six elementary principals at smaller sites (≤700 students), one elementary principal at a larger site, and two middle-school principals at campuses with more than 700 students.

At the district level, we have five director- or assistant-superintendent-level leaders—including leaders in Human Resources, Student Services, Curriculum & Instruction, Educator Development, and Special Education—along with three coordinators for Child Welfare/Attendance, Early Development Learning, and Expanded Learning Opportunities Program.

To meet the diverse needs of our students, we also rely on 10 psychologists, 3 program specialists, 1.4 certificated nurses, 2 behavior-support specialists, and 1 speech therapist, in addition to the Superintendent.

A significant factor driving the need for our own Administrator Induction Program is that six certificated managers are currently enrolled in external Administrator Induction programs, requiring travel, scheduling accommodations, and tuition payments outside of the district. Additionally, two certificated managers are currently serving under a credential waiver while they complete required coursework to become fully credentialed administrators.

By hosting our own program, we can streamline and personalize the induction experience to align with our district’s vision, mission, and priorities. An internal program would allow us to provide targeted coaching and mentoring grounded in our context, reduce the financial burden of external providers, and build a sustainable pipeline of leaders who are deeply familiar with our students, families, and organizational culture.

Investing in an in-house Administrator Induction Program is both a strategic and cost-effective approach. It strengthens retention, accelerates the development of new leaders, and supports those on waivers in becoming fully credentialed, ensuring that all school sites benefit from consistent, high-quality leadership aligned to district goals.

Establishing an OUESD-operated Administrator Induction Program will allow these leaders—and future hires—to engage in coaching and professional learning directly aligned to district goals, leadership frameworks, and site improvement plans. This localized approach will not only streamline credential completion but also strengthen leadership capacity and coherence across all OUESD schools.

Projected enrollment remains stable at 5,204 students for both 2025–26 and 2026–27, with a slight increase to 5,226 students in 2027–28 and a modest rise to 5,265 students in 2028–29. 

Over the next five years, the district anticipates the potential retirement of 55 certificated staff members. This includes 3 counselors, 1 speech-language pathologist (SLP), 3 Instruction Support Services Coordinators (ISSCs), 2 elementary special education (ISP) teachers, 1 middle school special education (ISP) teacher, 11 middle school general education teachers, and 34 elementary general education teachers. The largest anticipated impact will be at the elementary level, where over half (34 of 55) of the projected retirements are general education teachers. 

Current shortages in specific areas are as follows:

• Special Education: There are 15 educators working under substandard credentials.

• Middle School Classrooms: There are 9 educators working under substandard credentials.

• Multiple Subject Classrooms: There are 14 teachers currently serving on substandard credentials.

• Dual Language Immersion (DLI): Two out of the three DLI teachers hold substandard credentials.

Our needs analysis indicates that, due to continued enrollment growth, anticipated retirements, and ongoing statewide educator shortages, OUESD will maintain a consistent demand for both teacher and administrator induction services for the foreseeable future. District leadership affirms a commitment to hiring and retaining high-quality educators and supports the development of in-district induction programs as a strategic investment in educator effectiveness, alignment to district initiatives, and long-term retention.

Collaboration in Program Design and Implementation

The design and development of OUESD’s Teacher and Administrator Induction Programs are the result of a highly collaborative process involving key district leaders with expertise in educator development, human resources, instructional leadership, and program implementation. Dr. Erin Roberts, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources; Dr. Brandy Byers, Director of Educator Development; Susan Meis, Mentor Teacher, 5th grade Teacher, and OUTA President; Dr. Karin Compise, Director of Residency@TCSJ; and Tiani Hudgins, Coordinator of Residency@TCSJ; worked together to ensure the programs are fully aligned to Commission standards, responsive to district needs, and reflective of current research-based best practices, meeting several times in the Spring of 2025 to brainstorm and design.

 This collaborative design process included:

• Conducting a needs analysis of current OUESD educators requiring induction support

• Reviewing and aligning program elements with district instructional priorities and equity initiatives

• Establishing clear structures for mentor and coach recruitment, training, and support

• Designing processes for Individual Learning Plan (ILP) development, coaching cycles, and professional learning

• Creating systems for continuous improvement and stakeholder feedback

By drawing on the diverse expertise of each team member, OUESD is developing induction programs that provide high-quality, job-embedded, and contextually relevant support for both new teachers and new administrators—ensuring credential completion, professional growth, and long-term retention in the district.

As part of our ongoing effort to expand our “grow-our-own” leadership pipeline, we have taken deliberate steps to design Induction Programs that build on the success of our teacher residency and induction pathways.

Through the CAL-EPIC-ERA Design Academy for Apprenticeships, our district team—consisting of the Director of Educator Development, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and the OUTA Union President— partnered with UMass Global (L. Erika Saito, Director of Partherships and Lori Piowlski, Dean of the School of Education), The Residency Lab (Heather Michel, Director), and Teachers College of San Joaquin (Karin Compise, Coordinator) to explore two interconnected apprenticeship models: 

1. Teacher Apprenticeship — a Residency-to-Induction pathway supporting candidates from their residency year directly into induction.

2. Principal Apprenticeship — a model in which candidates earn a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential through UMass Global and continue into a district-based induction experience.

Our team participated in three intensive design sessions:

• February 25, 2025 – Session focused on exploring teacher and principal apprenticeship models and aligning them to the district pipeline. [Link to February 25 Agenda]

• March 11, 2025 – Session dedicated to drafting components of the teacher induction program and principal apprenticeship framework. [Link to March 11 Agenda]

• March 25, 2025 – Session centered on refining program structure, mentor supports, and pathways to master’s degree integration. [Link to March 25 Agenda]

In addition, on March 28, 2025, the Director of Educator Development spent a full day with the Residency@TCSJ leadership team (Karin Compise, Coordinator and Tiani Hudgins, Coordinator) to develop a teacher induction model that grows directly out of the residency program. This work focused on alignment between residency and induction and established a pathway for participating teachers to earn a master’s degree, with their induction work counting toward the master’s project requirement. [Link to March 28 Residency@TCSJ Agenda]

These collaborations provide a strong foundation for launching a district-hosted Administrator Induction Program that integrates seamlessly into our grow-our-own continuum—reducing duplication of effort, aligning coursework with district instructional priorities, and ensuring that new administrators and teachers receive contextualized, high-quality support as they transition from preparation to practice.

Budget Information