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San Ramon Valley students kicked off the new school year on Aug. 14, with a new superintendent at the helm of the district.
Since schools let out for the summer in May, CJ Cammack has taken the reins of the district from former superintendent John Malloy, with the passing of the torch effective June 30.
While this academic year marks Cammack’s first in the position, it is not his first time serving as an administrator at SRVUSD. He previously served as assistant superintendent of human resources through 2015 after being promoted from director of certificated human resources in 2014.
Since then, Cammack has gone on to serve as superintendent for the Martinez and Fremont unified school districts prior to his return to SRVUSD over the summer.
“It has been a pleasure and honor to return to SRVUSD and reconnect with so many amazing staff members and community members who I worked with previously,” Cammack told DanvilleSanRamon in a recent email interview. “I have also truly enjoyed building new relationships within our organization and the larger community.”
Cammack said that from his perspective, the three districts are facing similar goals and challenges in seeking to facilitate students to develop to their full potential and in contending with ongoing budget issues facing public education.
“All three districts, like most districts across California, are struggling with budget challenges due to the unstable nature of how the state funds our school systems,” Cammack said. “Addressing these challenges while working to protect student programs and personnel requires thoughtful and complex solutions.”
One of those solutions under Cammack’s lead is a new Budget Advisory Committee set to consist of staff, students, parents and community members in order “to engage in a collaborative process to better understand our current fiscal condition and come up with solutions to ensure SRVUSD’s fiscal solvency,” Cammack said.
“We project the need to reduce nearly $16.5 million from our budget for the 2025-2026 school year,” Cammack said. “During the fall, we will engage in a comprehensive conversation with this committee and our larger community to ensure we are considering all possible options and outcomes when addressing the need to reduce our expenditures. Those discussions will aid in crafting the best possible plan to reduce our budget and protect student programs.”
In addition to contending with the new and ongoing budget challenges facing the district, Cammack said he would be seeking to continue the previous administration’s initiatives including the district’s strategic directions and learner profile while facilitating connections with students and community members.
“A key factor in my leadership style, and a focus of our continued work in SRVUSD, will be ensuring that our path toward student success via our Learner Profile is grounded in personal and authentic relationships with our students, our staff, and our community,” Cammack said.
For this reason, Cammack noted that facilitating student engagement in the district as a whole would be at the forefront of his work during the current school year and throughout his tenure.
“I believe we create the best outcomes for our students and schools when each person feels truly connected to not only their school, but to the people working in their school,” Cammack said. “Ample evidence supports the fact that students can achieve higher results when they feel connected to and supported by their school.
“The business of education is fundamentally a business of serving people, and the best way I know to serve and lead people is through relationships built on trust and connection,” he continued. “I look forward to building these relationships throughout our schools, with our students, staff, and the community at large.”
One way of building those connections, Cammack said, will be establishing an on-the-ground presence at school sites and events, including this week’s first day of school activities.
“My philosophy is that leadership is about being of service to others and the organization as a whole,” Cammack said. “In order to serve the students, staff, and community well, it is imperative that I know what the needs are for these groups of people.”
He continued, “Engaging with our entire community is very important to me and I look forward to being out in the community, at school sites and at school events to learn from many different people and their various perspectives about how I can help serve all members of San Ramon Valley Unified School District.”
Opportunities for full engagement with the community began to arise with the first day of classes kicking off, but behind-the-scenes work for Cammack and other district officials has been ongoing throughout the summer amid the transition in leadership.
“The first month in SRVUSD has been very busy preparing everything needed for a successful start to the school year,” Cammack said. “I have been so impressed with the work of our staff to ensure all aspects of the district are ready for our new school year, from facility needs, to technology and curriculum.”
The fruits of those efforts have paid off over the first week of classes, with Cammack and other officials now able to engage with students as they return to the classroom.
“The energy is both invigorating and infectious,” Cammack said in a press release from the district following the first day of school. “Being with students and staff on any day, but especially the first day of school, is a powerful reminder of why I love what I do. There’s truly nothing better.”
