In my career across several school districts in Southern California, I’ve experienced a wide range of workplace cultures. But what I’ve found at Val Verde Unified School District is truly exceptional. The culture here isn’t just strong, it’s sincere. It’s something you notice right away, something that deserves to be highlighted.

Walk into any school district office or boardroom, and you’ll hear the word culture. It appears in mission statements, strategic plans, and staff development goals. However, in many organizations, culture becomes just another checkbox, a concept to discuss, not an experience to live.

At Val Verde, culture isn’t a slogan or a slide in a presentation. It’s something you can feel.

A Culture You Can Feel

Several times a year, Val Verde Unified’s Cabinet team joins forces with union leadership to visit every school site across the district. These aren’t instructional rounds or leadership audits. They’re gratitude visits.

As they move through classrooms, cafeterias, and offices, district leaders hand-deliver thank-you cards with a simple candy bar attached. It’s a small gesture, but the reactions are anything but small. Staff members often pause, visibly moved, not because of the chocolate, but because of what it represents: time, attention, and authentic appreciation from leadership.

These visits aren’t about data. They’re about people.

We know true culture doesn’t live in slogans, murals, or hashtags. It lives in how people feel when they walk through the door. It’s how leadership treats staff when no one is watching. It’s the tone of an email, the willingness to listen, and the decision to take time out of a busy day to say thank you.

Gratitude at Val Verde isn’t just a scheduled activity. It’s embedded in every decision and interaction, from responding to staff concerns with empathy to celebrating milestones both big and small. As Superintendent Dr. Gordon Amerson explains,

“In education, we often talk about the power of modeling for students. This is modeling for adults. A living example of what respect, collaboration, and appreciation look like in action.”

A Unified Message of Respect

Perhaps the most powerful part of this practice is what it symbolizes. When union leaders join Cabinet members on these visits, it becomes a unified, district-wide expression of respect.

Val Verde Teachers Association President Micki Gates shared,

“It demonstrates a rare kind of unity, one that prioritizes relationships over roles.”

And CSEA President Miguel Hurtado added,

“We may represent different groups, but we share the same purpose: to serve students and support one another because we are a family.”

This approach reminds us that building a positive workplace culture doesn’t require a new budget line or an elaborate program. It requires presence. It requires intention. And it requires leaders who understand that gratitude is not an event but a mindset.

It’s also the kind of culture that CASBO works to elevate across California. Through its professional development programs, leadership training, and events like CASBO Con, the organization continually reinforces the idea that strong school business leadership starts with people. CASBO empowers professionals to lead with integrity, empathy, and collaboration—values clearly reflected in the day-to-day practices at Val Verde.