Neri Named Continuation/Educational Options Administrator of the Year

KERMAN (Feb. 1) - One of the most important issues for school leaders is to make sure that no students slip through the cracks without being given every opportunity for a good education. That’s why continuation and educational options plays such a key role in each school district.

 Nellie Neri, director of alternative education for Kerman Unified School District, is a school leader who takes this belief to heart. That’s why the Association of California School Administrators has named her the Continuation/Educational Options Administrator of the Year.

In a district of about 3,600 students, Neri wears more than one hat to work. She’s in charge of all continuation education, the district opportunity programs and the adult school. She also supervises the child welfare attendance officer, runs the community day school in another location, and is public information officer for the district.

But that’s not all. "Also through my office we develop the School Accountability Report Cards for all the school sites, and twice a year we produce a small newspaper that gives people in the community an idea of some of our major programs that the district is offering as well as certain timelines and dates that are important," Neri said. In addition, Neri facilitates monthly discussions on each student who falls under her purview. She said she feels this is important so she can know what each person is dealing with.

She also goes the extra mile to ensure students feel welcome in continuation school. "I have people who work with me on our new student orientation, which we offer twice a week," Neri said. "This lets students know a little bit about our school culture and what our rules and regulations are, and tries to make them feel welcome, letting them know that even though some issues may have put them at our site that we want everybody to feel good about being on our campus. Sometimes some kids are not sent to alternative education purely for disciplinary reasons. There are students who may request to come here because they are parenting. There are some students who find that coming to an alternative setting allows them to come to school in the morning and work in the afternoon or vice versa."

Neri also works hard to involve families in the educational process. For instance, with the adult school, young students up to the age of 4 can come to the campus with their parents in the daytime or evening and learn together. She also is a big believer in community involvement. She and her husband annually donate money to groups such as the Girl Scouts and the Association of Mexican American Educators, a group Neri served as president of in 1990. She’s also active in the local Rotary Club, the Fresno County and City Chamber of Commerce and has served with the Madera County Youth Mental Health Committee.

Neri said she was surprised to hear about the ACSA recognition. "I was so surprised. I think it’s great and a wonderful opportunity for me," she said. "I have received a number of requests locally for me to come speak at events on family and children issues. That’s always been something that I enjoy because I’ve always been involved in a lot of community service organizations, pretty much all my life. "It sounds cliché, but I feel that if you’re here you should make a mark, a mark that is positive toward the students."

She credits Superintendent Roger Halberg with giving her the support to enable her to be successful. It’s all part of the team attitude that educators in Kerman Unified have toward their work. "I tell the group here that we’re sort of like a hospital," Neri said. "When somebody comes in we need to find out exactly what they need right away, what the best placement for them is, and if the first one doesn’t work then we need to keep on trying until we find something that fits."

Dr. Nellie Neri was formally honored at ACSA’s Annual Conference in Sacramento.

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