Leanna Ortegaray, a special education para-educator at Denair High School, has been nominated by Principal Breanne Aguiar as 2026’s Employee Making a Difference.

“Leanna supports both high school and adult transition students, approaching every day with enthusiasm and genuine care for her students,” said Aguiar. “She demonstrates a deep commitment to their academic, social, and emotional growth. She is highly knowledgeable about instructional strategies that promote independence and real-world readiness.”

Ortegaray’s commitment extends beyond the classroom, however. She often volunteers her time to support extracurricular programs and transition-focused events that prepare students for life after graduation.

At the school’s coffee cart, Cup of Kindness, Ortegaray supports students with moderate to severe disabilities in developing essential life skills through meaningful work-based learning experiences and instruction.

“I am passionate about serving students and supporting my school community,” said the San Jose native, who joined Denair Unified School District in 2019. “I take great pride in being part of a district that truly feels like family.”

Family is important to Ortegaray.

“My late father, Rodrigo Ortegaray, was my best friend and taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and never giving up,” she said. “My mother, Maria Ortegaray, is also my best friend and a constant source of support.

“I am the proud mother of one son, Wilder Diaz, a Denair High School alumnus. I also have a younger sister and 12 nieces and nephews, all of whom I love deeply. Family and love are at the center of everything I do.”

This school year, Ortegaray organized a dinner outing for a group of students before the homecoming dance, ensuring they could enjoy the same experiences as their peers. She also frequently organizes small-group learning sessions and community-based instruction projects that promote student independence and social skills.

“Leanna always considers how students can be included in site, district, and community events, striving for the best for all students,” said Aguiar. “She represents the district’s values of inclusivity, compassion, and dedication. Her work has not only improved the lives of countless students but also strengthened the reputation of Denair Unified as a place where every learner, regardless of age or ability, is supported and valued.”

For Ortegaray, it’s all about being part of the DUSD family. 

“We truly care about one another,” said Ortegaray. “I have never worked anywhere else where I feel so supported, appreciated, and valued. I enjoy coming to work every day and am grateful for my students and coworkers.”

Underneath blue skies and brilliant sunshine, the official groundbreaking ceremony for Denair Elementary Charter Academy’s gymnasium renovation project was held Friday at the campus.

Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees members were on hand – along with Superintendent Terry Metzger, Ed.D., Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen, DECA Principal Crystal Sousa, Food Service Manager Kim Fuentez, and Director of Facilities, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Mark Hodges – for the ceremony. Additionally, seven members of the DECA student council, who displayed their school pride with their purple construction hard hats, took part in the festivities.

“We are so incredibly grateful to the voters of Denair for passing Measure Z,” said Metzger, referring to the $34.3 million school-improvement bond measure approved in November 2024. “And we’re excited to kick off our first project on the DECA campus. It will be beneficial not only for our students and staff, but for the entire community, as well.”

The DECA gymnasium facelift includes the addition of the school’s new kitchen and a new Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system.

In the coming months, other scheduled improvement projects include: 

• Construction of two new classroom wings

• Creation of drop-off/pick-up and bus zones on Madera Avenue

• Conversion of the old cafeteria into an administration building and library

• Making DECA a single-point entry campus

Denair Unified School District’s “small buy mighty” Mental Health Team – Lina Maria Mateus, Kara Binkley, Sally Baker, Rosaura Contreras, Brittany Heinsaar, and Perla Bravo – continues to provide students with innovate pathways to behavioral health services, according to a presentation Thursday before the Board of Trustees.

For the fourth consecutive year, DUSD was invited to attend the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) state conference in Sacramento Oct. 16-17, which boasted more than 200 attendees. This year, four of Denair’s 20 attending students gave a presentation on their NAMI club’s mission, successes and challenges. The mental health team’s strategies to overcome those challenges include individual and group sessions, social/emotional check-ins, and conflict mediation.

The team also highlighted district-sponsored projects and activities, explaining how these initiatives have supported both the schools and the overall community by helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health, while open and positive dialogue.

“At the high school, we’ve had more than 1,300 direct or indirect contacts in relation to mental health services for our students,” said Heinsaar. “Those are huge numbers. This year we’ve had more than 100 students participate in the NAMI club.”

Some of the new initiatives include the DECA Calming Corner, wellness bags, a student rock garden, and “Relax with Lina Maria” sessions for parents.

The team also shared that the DUSD is set to hire and onboard a new elementary school counselor later this month. After receiving more than two dozen applications, eight candidates were interviewed and three of those rose to the top of the list. 

The board also heard a presentation on the district’s cell phone policy, which was partially derived by consulting with parents, students, and faculty. The policy is a response to a new law that takes effect July 1, 2026, which mandates that districts across the state must limit or prohibit cell phone use during school hours.

DUSD has opted to limit the use of cell phones during school hours, rather than prohibit.

“We feel the policy presented for the first read is the right way to go,” said Metzger. “Of course, there remains work to be done on the implementation side.”

In other business Thursday, the board unanimously approved the 2025-26 Career Technical Education Incentive Grant, totaling more than $520,000. This grant supports student access to industry-aligned career pathways, instructional materials and equipment, professional development, and program improvements that prepare students for college and career success.

The board also accepted the Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant, totaling more than $21,000.

Classified Employee of the Month – Nilza Borba

“Nilza is a hardworking, honest and dependable employee,” said Director of Facilities, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Mark Hodges. “As our high school daytime custodian, she’s always ready to help when called upon. I truly appreciate all she does for our high school, our department, and the district.”

Certificated Employee of the Month – Alison Loftin

“Ali consistently goes above and beyond to support all students as they learn to read,” said DECA Principal Crystal Sousa. “She creates a fun and engaging environment where students who are convinced they ‘cannot’ read begin to feel confident in their abilities and are willing to try new strategies to become successful readers.”

Denair Unified School District’s finances are stronger than they have been in many years, the district’s Board of Trustees learned during its regular monthly meeting on Thursday.

Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen provided an in-depth look at the district’s first interim budget report, which provides a mid-year update to the current fiscal year and a look ahead to the next two fiscal years. The first interim report for 2025-26 shows the financial shape of the district as of Oct. 31, 2025, and will be filed with the county superintendent of schools in the coming days.

“The budget looks good,” said Swearingen. “In fact, it’s the best it has looked in a long time, to put it as plainly as possible.”

Swearingen reported an estimated ending cash balance (combined general fund and charter fund) of $5.3 million for 2025-26, and $5.4 million for 2026-27. She did caution, however, that the Legislative Analyst’s Office has reported statewide growth may be volatile, creating uncertainty in multi-year projections.

“For the first time in quite a while, I’m going to go home and go to sleep without worrying about our budget,” said board member Ray Prock Jr. “This is great news.”

In other business, trustees unanimously agreed to greenlight the purchase of two new IC Bus CE Series school buses to replace two aging models in its four-bus fleet.

The new 76-passenger diesel-fuel models will cost $216,647.44 each, for a total expenditure of just over $433,000. That will be funded through the district’s Home-to-School transportation allocation, with limited impact to the general fund.

The board also voted unanimously to declare the old buses – a 1992 Blue Bird and a 2009 Blue Bird – as surplus items so they can be sold or auctioned for fair market value. The two remaining buses in the current fleet have five or six years of life remaining, according to Mark Hodges, Director of Facilities, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation.

Currently, the state of California has no mandate for districts to convert to electric buses by a specified date. The district did explore electric buses, Hodges noted, but the cost per unit was more than double the diesel option. Additionally, the infrastructure required to install charging stations would cost well over $1 million. 

The new buses are expected to provide better fuel economy than the outgoing buses, which will bring additional savings to the district.

Also on Thursday, Superintendent Terry Metzger, Ed.D., presented data from the California School Dashboard, covering such categories as chronic absenteeism, suspension rate, graduation rate, college and career readiness, and English-learner progress. The DHS graduation rate was a robust 98.7 percent, up 2.5 percent from the previous report. DHS also saw its number for college and career readiness increase by nearly 17 percent.

Other highlights from Thursday’s meeting included:

• Board member Billy Myers was elected DUSD Board of Trustees president for 2026, while Andrea Bennett was elected clerk of the board. Metzger will continue to serve as the secretary of the board.

• Outgoing board president Ray Prock Jr. was honored for his most recent term and for his decade of overall service on the governing body. “This is the third time you served as president during my time here a superintendent,” said Metzger. “You’ve proven to be a good thought partner, and you care deeply about leading the board in its work.”

• The trustees discussed their membership on district committees, with Myers and Bennett agreeing to serve on the District Advisory Committee, Jason De Muro and Prock on the Facilities Committee, and De Muro on the District English Learner Advisory Committee, with an additional post on the DELAC to be filled on a rotating basis.

• Renee Hall, special-education teacher and a 2001 graduate of Denair High School, was named the Certificated Employee of the Month.

• Maing Panerio, Campus Supervisor, was named the Classified Employee of the Month.  Panerio was unable to attend Thursday’s meeting due the birth of his granddaughter earlier in the day.

• Special education teacher Bonnie Lundquist, who began working at DUSD in September 1997, was recognized during the meeting as she is set to retire mid-term. “I’ve enjoyed my time here at Denair Unified, and I thank each and every one of you,” she said.

Staff updates were provided by ELOP and Special Programs Manager Zenaida Moreno, Director of Elementary Education and DECA Principal Crystal Sousa, DCA Principal Jamie Pecot, DMS Principal Gabriela Sarmiento, and DHS Principal Breanne Aguilar:

• Moreno: ELOP attendance had reached 103 students in the mornings and 220 students in the afternoons. Additionally, Cruizin Critters recently paid a visit to the district, and the Denair Fire Department is slated for a visit to reinforce standard safety practices.

• Sousa: Perfect attendance figures rose for the third consecutive month. After 268 students had perfect attendance in October, that figure rose to 340 in November and stands at 410 for December.

• Pecot: DCA hosted its Cash for College workshop, with eight families attending and filling out the critical FAFSA form for federal student aid.

• Sarmiento: Denair Middle School’s seventh- and eighth-grade girls basketball teams were competing for the conference championship on Thursday. Later in the evening, Sarmiento reported that both squads fell just short and finished in second place.

• Aguiar: Twenty-six girls and 22 boys are playing varsity and JV basketball, while 22 males are competing in varsity and JV basketball; 22 girls and 20 boys are playing varsity soccer, and 10 girls and 24 boys are competing in wrestling. Also, DHS will be hosting a youth basketball camp on Jan. 10, 2026, for students in grades 1-4 (9 to 11 a.m.) and 5-8 (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). Cost is $35 per athlete, and a camp T-shirt is included. Registration closes Dec. 17.

Denair High’s run in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 playoffs may have come to an end Friday with a 41-0 loss to top-seeded Calaveras, but the setback doesn’t take away from the impressive season turned in by head coach Anthony Armas’ football team.

The No. 5 Coyotes (9-3) reached the semifinal round and finished with nine victories for the third time since 2018.

“I’m very proud of this team,” said Armas, who is 53-59 in 11 seasons as Denair’s head coach. “It was a heck of a season. 

Though the 2025 Coyotes fell short of the benchmarks established by the groundbreaking 2018 squad, they were able to accomplish something the state champions did not: winning a Southern League title. After a 24-23 overtime loss to Mariposa on Oct. 10, Denair persevered to gain a share of the conference banner with Mariposa and Stone Ridge Christian (Merced).

“That was very meaningful,” said Armas. “We’ve been chasing it for a while, and to be the first team to do it in 19 years means a lot. Last year, there was a two-way tie for the title, and this year there was a three-way tie, which goes to show how competitive the league is and how difficult it is to win that championship. It makes it that much more satisfying.”

The Coyotes’ explosive offense will lose 1,000-yard rusher Degan Butler to graduation, but quarterback Derek Potter, running backs Bryson Salazar (the team’s leading rusher) and Connor Hart, and top receiver Harlan Brown, will return to give the team a solid foundation in 2026. Additionally, two-way players John Wilmoth, Jude Moody, Victor Sarmiento, Noah Chavez, and Jose Mora will aid in the quest for back-to-back league crowns.

“We made it to the semifinals in a year when there were less playoff spots than in previous years, and the competition in our division may have been the toughest it’s been in some time,” Armas said of the D-7 bracket, which included 2024 state champ Summerville, as well as all three Southern League co-champs. “As a staff, we really enjoyed coaching these young men. This was a great group to be around.”