by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education voted unanimously May 1 to approve the hiring of Charles Boulden as the next principal of Vista Del Valle Elementary School. His first day on the job will be July 1.

The board also voted to move up the first day of school to mid-August for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years.

New principal

Vista Del Valle’s new principal Boulden will earn $157,465 in yearly salary. His previous job was at Rancho Cucamonga’s Coyote Canyon Elementary School for five years.

“I’ve spent the last two weeks saying goodbye, so it’s really nice to say hello and it’s really nice to be welcomed and feel this,” Boulden said. “I’m excited. I’m excited to do the work. I’m excited to get in there. The energy here has been fantastic.”

New academic start date

The board unanimously approved new mid-August start dates for 2026-27 and 2027-28, a change from recent years in which it began the last Wednesday in August. The new academic start date for the 2026-27 school year is Wednesday, August 19, 2026, ending Thursday, June 3, 2027. For 2027-28, school will begin Wednesday, August 18, 2027, and conclude Thursday, June 1, 2028.

Claremont High junior Zev Harper, a wellness ambassador for CUSD’s student wellness advisory group, and Mental Health and Wellness Department Coordinator Erica Robledo at the May 1 Board of Education meeting. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

CUSD Assistant Superintendent, Student Services Kevin Ward acknowledged some days in August may include 100-plus degree temperatures. Still, CUSD’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning vendor said the district would not see a significant cost impact.

“This coupled with the other data already presented and discussed indicates we should not anticipate any significant changes to our indoor or outdoor operations with moving the school year up two weeks,” Ward said. “The proposed changes to the student calendar, as you know are reflected issues passionately brought forward by our students for the last several years. These changes address real and significant impacts to our students and promote fairness and alignment with student opportunities and surrounding districts.”

Other items

• The board unanimously approved Resolution #11-2025, which provided detail on hos the district spent $12,307,313 in state allocated education protection account funding for fiscal year 2024-25 on certificated teacher salaries and benefits; and Resolution #12-2025, which allows up to $3 million to be used as needed for temporary interfund cash transfers during fiscal year 2025-26. “Any temporary borrowings must be paid back by the end of the fiscal year in which the borrowing occurred if transacted in the first eight months of the fiscal year, or by the end of the following fiscal year if transacted in the final four months of the fiscal year,” according to the agenda. “These transfers are strictly a transfer of cash and do not impact budgeted accounts in any way.”
• The board heard a presentation from its Mental Health and Wellness Department Coordinator Erica Robledo and CHS junior Zev Harper, a wellness ambassador for the department’s student wellness advisory group. They broke down CUSD’s three-tiered support model meant to service students with broad mental health issues and more niche challenges that impact their daily living. “Currently, school-based mental health referrals continue to grow and stay steady at each level,” the presentation read. “In the past two years, the mental health team has provided support to over 1,120 TK-12 grade students. Additionally, external mental health referrals are made to our community providers including Care Solace and Tri-City Mental Health.” The presentation also showcased the newly opened Wolfpack Zen Den at CHS, a space meant to help students ease their minds.

The next Board of Education meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center, 170 W. San Jose Ave., Claremont, CA 91711.