OCTOBER 2024 | DR. CHRISTINA KISHIMOTO
Dr. Dani Portillo is in her second year leading Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, Arizona after having made history as the first Latina to lead in the district. In her conversation with Dr. Kishimoto, Dr. Portillo emphasizes her commitment to focusing on student outcomes, parental engagement, and community collaboration, which she notes has led to increased school enrollment and parental involvement.
Enjoy the conversation with Dr. Kishimoto and Dr. Portillo below.
The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Dr. Kishimoto
Hello everyone. It’s Christina Kishimoto from Voice4Equity, and I have with me a dear friend and colleague, a woman I just respect tremendously, Superintendent of Roosevelt School District Dr. Dani Portillo. Dani, I’m glad we have a chance to catch up today.
Dr. Portillo
Yes, likewise. It’s very nice to see you.
Dr. Kishimoto
I know it’s been a busy few weeks with the start of school planning for the school year. How is that going?
Dr. Portillo
It’s been going really well. So, this is my second year, so my second time around opening up the school year. So, of course, we learned a lot from last year’s first time around. And we kept notes. We kept notes right after each piece of last year so we could refer to those this year. And it helped us. It absolutely did. And our team is stronger now because it’s our second year together with the dynamics we have. And so it’s getting better, and I’m sure it’ll be better next year too.
Dr. Kishimoto
That’s fantastic. That’s great news. So as long as nothing changes from last year, you have notes.
Dr. Portillo
Of course, things are different, but, but at least we have that starter plan, right? Last year we were making it all up from scratch!
