The Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees heard the Second Interim Budget Report for the 2025-26 school year, which detailed the overall strength and financial health of the district as of Jan. 31.

“There are big and unique things that are happening at each of our district sites that are contributing to these positive numbers,” said DUSD’s Chief Business Official Daisy Swearingen, who delivered the report.

During Thursday’s meeting, the district projected that it will end the current school year with a positive cash balance of nearly $4.2 million. The report comes on the heels of the board’s recent action to approve a 4.3 percent pay hike and a $1,000 increase to the health benefit cap for school employees. Meanwhile, campus renovation projects are underway thanks to funds secured through local bond measures.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for a district that was on the cusp of insolvency just over a decade ago.

“We’ve gone from nothing but worry to nothing but pride,” said trustee Ray Prock Jr. 

Swearingen cautioned that enrollment trends, inflationary pressures, and the state’s projected $22 billion overall budget deficit for the 2027-28 fiscal year could affect future funding levels and local financial projections.

“We’re in a good financial position, and we’ve strategically spent one-time dollars on one-time expenses,” said Swearingen. “It’s typical for districts to use one-time dollars for ongoing expenses, which is fine. But after those dollars are gone, you still have an ongoing expense for which you need money. We only use one-time dollars for one-time expenses.”

School boards are required twice a year to certify their districts’ ability to meet financial obligations for the current fiscal year and two subsequent fiscal years. These certifications – Interim Reports – are based on criteria and standards adopted by the State Board of Education.

Earlier in Thursday’s meeting, Swearingen informed the board that the Measure K and Measure Z joint oversight committee is currently operating with just three members – enough for a quorum but far short the allotted seven. Committee members are limited to three two-year terms.

The district is looking for four potential members: one must be the parent-guardian of a DUSD student; one must be both a parent/guardian of a DUSD student and active in a parent-teacher organization (PTA, school-site council); one must be active in a business organization representing the business community located in the district; and one must be an active member in a bona fide taxpayer’s association.

Anyone interested in serving on the committee can call 209-632-7514 for further details.

Also Thursday:

• Robyn Hilton, a math teacher and leadership advisor at Denair High School, was formally, and unanimously, recognized by the board as DUSD’s Teacher of the Year nominee for Stanislaus County. 

“Mrs. Hilton meets every rigorous standard of the county program,” board President Billy said of the fourth-generation DHS graduate. “She has over eight years of classroom excellence; she maintains high expectations for student behavior; and, most importantly, she views her students’ success as her greatest reward. We wish her the best.”

• Sally Baker, a counselor at Denair Charter Academy, was tabbed DUSD’s Certificated Employee of the Month.

“Sally is a true professional,” said DCA Principal Jamie Pecot, who noted that Baker plans to retire in May. “She builds a strong rapport with students across campus, she is often one of the first people students meet when they enroll at DCA, and she leads orientation for new students to help them feel welcome from the very start.”

• Annette DeHart, a paraeducator at Denair Elementary Charter Academy, was named the Classified Employee of the Month.

“Annette goes out of her way to help students overcome challenges so they can succeed and feel confident in class,” said DECA Principal Crystal Sousa. “She makes everyone feel welcome and included no matter their needs or abilities. With kindness, patience, and support, she helps students feel like they truly belong at school.”

• Evelyn Ponce, part of DUSD’s adult transition program, was recognized as the district nominee for the Stanislaus County Office of Education’s “Every Student Succeeding” program.

Evelyn, 21, works at the Cup of Kindness coffee cart, where she plays an important part in helping Coyotes young and old wake up each morning.

“I knew (this honor) was coming, but I was surprised at the same time,” said Evelyn, who was joined at Thursday’s meeting by mother Maria Acevedo and teacher Renee Hall. “I like doing deliveries and making drinks, even when, sometimes, the morning rush is stressful for me.” 

“Every Student Succeeding” honors students who have modeled resilience in the face of challenges, exceeded expectations, or have simply won the hearts of their teachers. Evelyn was one of 27 students honored countywide.

“Evelyn is very friendly and takes pride in working at the coffee cart,” said Hall. “She does a really good job, the customers love her, and she loves to socialize with the customers. She’s just amazing.”

Evelyn wants everybody to know that Cup of Kindness is open Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Friday mornings from 7-10.

Robyn Hilton knew she wanted to become a teacher by the time she was in the fourth grade.

“My teacher at the time, Mrs. Morrissey, stood out as being engaging and caring,” said Hilton, a leadership and math teacher at Denair High School. “I knew I wanted to be just like her.”

What Hilton did not know, however, was that she’d one day be singled out as the Denair High School nominee to be Stanislaus County’s Teacher of the Year.

“It was always really important to me to give back to the school that had such an influence on my life,” said Hilton, a fourth-generation DHS graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Fresno State in 2012. “I am so thankful to work in a setting in which I directly relate to my students and their experiences on campus.

“Throughout my educational journey, I have always been blessed with some truly outstanding mathematics teachers. They helped me to be successful and to find joy in problem-solving. I knew that was the career path I wanted to pursue. I wanted to inspire my students to learn new concepts and work together with their peers to understand the beautiful world of mathematics.”

In her capacity as a leadership teacher, Hilton provides students with real-world experiences through on-campus activities, rallies, and service-oriented projects. By taking students to leadership conferences, she has exposed them to broader perspectives, while inspiring them to recognize their own voices and abilities. Students learn communication, teamwork, responsibility, and problem-solving — skills that will serve them beyond the hallways of Denair High School.

“As a proud alumna of Denair High, Robyn’s connection to the community is deeply rooted in everything she does,” said DHS Principal Breanne Aguiar. “Robyn returned to Denair to give back to the school that played a significant role in her own development, making her nomination for Teacher of the Year particularly significant.”

Hilton and husband Tyler have two children: 7-year-old Sawyer and 5-year-old Alayna. The Hiltons enjoy traveling — with Disneyland and Hawaii among their favorite destinations — and camping whenever they have a free weekend. In her spare time, Hilton enjoys sewing, golfing, and reading.

Hilton is one of two dozen Stanislaus County teachers who will be observed by the selection committee — comprised of educators, past Teacher of the Year honorees, and members of the Modesto Rotary Club — starting this week and continuing through March 13. Committee members will make site visits to select three finalists in four categories: TK-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Those 12 teachers will be videotaped in their classrooms between March 20-31, with a special video created to honor the winners on May 5 at the Modesto Rotary Club luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel.

In June, the four category winners will represent Stanislaus County at the California Teacher of the Year program. Winners will be announced in September.

“I never imagined I would be nominated for Teacher of the Year,” said Hilton. “I am very proud of my career and the connections I have been able to build. My greatest accomplishments are my former students. To see them excelling in life is the biggest reward. I truly love my job.”

Just about every time Brianna Thomas steps onto a wrestling mat these days, she makes history.

She’ll do it again this week when she becomes the first Denair High School wrestler to compete at the CIF State Wrestling Championships in 30 years.

The 155-pound junior, who finished fourth in last week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet, will open state competition Thursday against eighth-seeded Emmyjane Bragg of Poway (San Diego).

Not bad for somebody who got into wrestling just three years ago solely to learn self-defense techniques.

“I really enjoy the physical aspect of the sport,” said Thomas, who helped deliver the girls’ first Southern League wrestling title in school history, and the first league title in the sport — boys or girls — in more than 40 years. “I think I realized when I made Masters last year as a sophomore that maybe I could go all the way and make it to state.”

In addition to dominating on the mat with an impressive 30-9 record, Thomas has helped outside of the wrestling room, too. She recruited friends to join the squad and has helped mentor young wrestlers in the Denair Den youth program. It’s all helping to revive a program that just a few years ago was at an all-time low.

“Brianna and Makenzie (Miguel) were the only girl wrestlers last year,” said coach Bryan Herrington. “This year, we had 10 girls on the team and won the league title. I’m not sure any of this would’ve been possible without Brianna and Makenzie.”

Miguel also qualified for the Masters meet but did not advance to state competition.

“My realistic goal this year is to place in the top 20 and, hopefully, make my ranking go up,” said Thomas. “But everything is pointing toward my senior season and getting on the podium.”

No matter how things turn out at the state tourney this week, Thomas is happy to have played a role in getting the girls program off the ground.

“Winning the league title was a grand achievement for sure,” Thomas said. “It was a dream to get a whole bunch of girls together and hang out and do overnight tournaments and stuff that bigger schools get to do.”

After a public hearing, as required by Assembly Bill 1200, the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 4.3 percent pay hike and a $1,000 increase to the health benefit cap for all employees represented by the California School Employees Association (CSEA) and the Denair Unified Teachers Association (DUTA).

The district and the employee associations last month reached a two-year collective bargaining agreement regarding the increases, which are retroactive to July 1, 2025..

In further board action, the salary increase was extended to include unrepresented employees, such as management and confidential workers.

DUSD Superintendent Terry Metzger, Ed.D., called it a positive outcome for all involved.

“The governing board continues to prioritize increasing salaries across the district,” said Metzger. “We have budgeted and spent conservatively, allowing us to improve salaries by more than 15 percent in five years. Our employees are the ones who make it all happen for the kids, and we were excited to be able to propose an ongoing increase this year.”

In addition, DUTA previously negotiated ongoing increases to salary schedule stipends in 2024-25 that become effective July 1, 2025. These compensation adjustments are being implemented using salary savings generated through certificated staff attrition, with no additional ongoing funding sources required beyond those already incorporated into the district’s adopted budget and multiyear projections.

The board also heard a presentation from the district principals Crystal Sousa (Denair Elementary Charter Academy), Gabriela Sarmiento (Denair Middle School), Breanne Aguiar (Denair High School), and Jamie Pecot (Denair Charter Academy) on the iReady 2025-26 winter assessment. 

iReady is DUSD’s internal student-achievement monitoring platform for reading and mathematics that focuses on typical growth (a standard for expected progress during the school year) and stretch growth (a more ambitious yet attainable goal that is designed to help students below grade level reach proficiency within one to two years).

Results indicate that nearly 40 percent of DECA, DMS, and DCA students are on pace to reach, or have already reached, expected year-end benchmarks. Meanwhile, DHS data shows that students have made marked improvements since the fall iReady window – with a 30 percent increase in the number of students reading at early-on grade level or higher, and a 67 percent surge in students performing at early-on grade level or higher on the math side.

During the monthly staff reports, Director of Facilities, Construction, Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Mark Hodges presented an update on the DECA gymnasium renovation project; Sousa provided information on the school’s social-emotional services, with counselor Erica Arroyo and Kara Binkley teaming to provide services; Pecot informed the board about DCA’s recent field trip to Merced College. Finally, both Sarmiento and Aguilar expressed gratitude to the Denair Lions Club, which approved a $3,500 donation to help sponsor the DMS Outdoor Education program and $20,000 for sprinkler system improvements to the baseball and softball fields.

Classified Employee of the Month: Kevin Hughes, Maintenance & Operations
“Kevin can always be counted on to get the job done,” said Hodges.

Certificated Employee of the Month: Christy North, DHS English teacher
“Christy truly cares about the well-being of students and works hard to help them whenever possible,” said Robyn Hilton, who nominated North for the honor.

Upcoming events

• The Denair FFA Pancake Breakfast will be held Feb. 22 in the DMS gymnasium from 7 to 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $10, which includes a raffle and all-you-can-eat pancakes.

• The DMS Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser – featuring a meal of spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, bread, and cookie – will be held March 11 from 6:30 to 7 p.m. at the DMS Coyote Center. All proceeds go toward sixth-grade outdoor education. Tickets are $12. Call 209-632-2510 for tickets/information, or purchase from a sixth-grade student before Feb. 27.

Denair High School’s annual freshman orientation meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the DHS band room.

More than just an informational meeting, dinner will be provided for parents and incoming DHS students, and door prizes will be awarded.

“Our freshman orientation not only provides incoming DHS families with a chance to meet our staff and learn about the opportunities available to students, but it’s a great way for those families to connect with one another,” said DHS Principal Breane Aguiar, who pointed out that Spanish translation will be available.

Families of incoming freshman will learn about Career Technical Education pathways, A-G requirements for CSU and UC colleges, dual-language options (AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature), freshman balloting, campus clubs, athletic programs, and more.

“We’re excited to meet our incoming students and families,” Aguiar added. “We have a great evening planned.”

For more information about the event, call 209-632-9911.