The Walnut Creek School District Governing Board and new Superintendent Jon Campopiano sat down Friday, Aug. 7, for a governance workshop to define how they'll work together in 2026-27. It was Campopiano's first such session since taking the job July 1.

The California School Boards Association facilitated the workshop, with CSBA consultant Dr. Sepideh Yeoh leading the session, according to the board president's published summary. The board and superintendent reviewed their respective roles and responsibilities and set expectations for the coming school year.

Among the key points: district bylaws require board members to place student education above any personal interest or group agenda. The board acts with "unity of purpose," and no individual member has authority to resolve complaints on their own. Campopiano's defined role is to develop administrative regulations, organizational structures and decision-making processes that move the district toward its goals.

The workshop signals a reset for the five-member board as it begins working with Campopiano, who was unanimously appointed June 8 after a search that drew 40 applicants and included 19 community input sessions and 300 survey responses from the WCSD community.

Campopiano previously served as executive director of secondary education at San Ramon Valley Unified School District, overseeing 13 schools. A longtime Walnut Creek resident, he holds degrees from UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara and brings nearly 30 years of experience in public education, including time as a middle school principal and classroom teacher.

In his back-to-school letter to families, Campopiano wrote that construction projects at Buena Vista, Walnut Heights and Murwood schools are nearing completion as the new year begins.

When the district announced his hiring in late May, Campopiano said he believes "a Superintendent must be a steady hand who leads with courage and character, listens more than they speak, and remains relentlessly focused on student achievement."

The board's next regular meetings are scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 21 at the District Office, 960 Ygnacio Valley Road, at 6 p.m. Three of the five board seats, held by Wenlei Johnson, Aimee Moss and Heidi Hernandez Gatty, are on the November ballot.