BHUSD Enters 90th Year With Academic Gains and New Priorities

Beverly Hills Unified School District is entering its 90th year with higher academic performance, new student programs and a series of policy changes that will shape the 2026-2027 school year.

Those priorities came into focus as BHUSD employees returned from summer break for the District's annual Staff Opening Day, which brought teachers, administrators and other employees together before students return to campus.

Rather than simply marking the start of another school year, this year's gathering looked back at nine decades of Beverly Hills public education while laying out what District leaders described as the next phase of academic and organizational work.

Board of Education President Judith Manouchehri, a Beverly Hills High School Class of 1998 graduate, opened the program by reflecting on her own progression from BHUSD student to Board President and the influence educators can have long after a student leaves the classroom.

"A child's future is never defined by where they begin, but by the people who believe in them, who challenge them, who encourage them, and who inspire them to become more than they ever imagined possible," Manouchehri said.

Her remarks also centered on recent academic results. BHUSD reported a 4% increase in English achievement, a 5% increase in mathematics and a 9% increase in science, while all California Dashboard performance measures are meeting standards. The District also reported a 37% increase in applications to four-year universities.

The gains provided the backdrop for a larger discussion about where BHUSD goes next.

Beverly Hills Mayor Craig Corman, a Beverly Hills High School Class of 1977 graduate who attended Beverly Hills schools from kindergarten through graduation, also addressed employees and reflected on the role the District has played across generations of local families.

Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss then reviewed programs and facilities expanded during the previous school year, including the Dual Language Academy, High-Impact Tutoring, athletics and arts opportunities, Unified Physical Education through Special Olympics and newly completed District facilities.

"We focus on the work. Winning takes care of itself," Cherniss said. "This is our goal each and every year. When more kids are at grade level, when more kids are learning, when more kids are challenged, this will happen."

The District is now preparing to add Beverly Hills Preschool, further expand the Dual Language Academy and High-Impact Tutoring and develop the Prime Ambassador Program, which is intended to create employment opportunities for Prime graduates.

BHUSD is also exploring an artificial intelligence graduation requirement that could include skills such as AI literacy and prompt engineering, placing the District among school systems considering how emerging technology should become part of a student's formal education.

At the same time, the 2026-2027 school year will bring implementation of two significant Board policies affecting daily student life: a new technology and screen-time policy and a closed-campus policy.

The combination reflects a broader direction emerging within BHUSD, with the District continuing to expand technology and academic programs while also imposing clearer limits on screen use and increasing controls over when students may leave campus.

Opening Day also gave students an unusually prominent role in setting the tone for the year.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dustin Seemann hosted "The Real Students of Beverly Hills," a reunion-style discussion modeled after a television talk-show format and featuring 11 BHUSD students.

The students were asked what teachers and staff could do differently or better to support them in the classroom and throughout their educational experience.

While the format was intentionally humorous, the discussion gave employees direct feedback about what students say helps them feel supported, challenged, understood and successful before teachers return to their classrooms.

The morning also highlighted the other end of the District's institutional history by recognizing employees whose careers at BHUSD span decades.

More than 65 employees were honored for service milestones ranging from 10 to 40 years.

2026 BHUSD Service Award Honorees

10 Years: Sandra Arredondo, Jose Celis Bautista, Sajun Bibbs, Michelle Bonavida, Clark Dikeman, Natalie Dyer, Eliza Essakhar, Elizabeth Federman, Marilyn Gallup, Kelly Gibbs, Elisa Gomez, Shayan Hemmati, Carlos Ibarra, Gregory Jackson, Marshall McCullough, Michelle Morales, Jessica Telles and Lisa Tonley.

15 Years: Candace Hemphill, Bruce Orr, Joanne Park, Stacy Varela, Adam Verdi and Shady Zahirpour.

20 Years: Kevin Bowers, Alexander Breitman, Timothy Briggs, Edna Broukhim, Rebecca Castrapel, Jung Hwan Chang, Jumi Conway, Fidel Coronel, Joshua Glass, Kentasha Holley, Joseph Isaac, Preston Joseph, Ryan Lisko, Sergio Lopez Alarcon, Cherryne Lue-Sang, Mark Mead, Iliana Medina, Alyssa Para, Catherine Pincu, Verlisa Walker, Suzan Yovetich and Mina Zargar.

25 Years: Christopher Anderson, Andrea Barron, Claudia Bushee, Judith Chan, Roel Hinojosa, Colleen Lynch, Kari Marlowe, Efua Paul and April Silva.

30 Years: Petrina Arth, Dana Findley, Christina Fuhrer, Karen Garland, Daniela Kamp-Taylor, Rachel Pearce, Ellen Poltorak, Joshua Schmidt and Reiona Smith-Ysaguirre.

35 Years: Rich Waters.

40 Years: Luis Mercado.

The service awards placed some of BHUSD's newest employees alongside staff members who have spent much of their professional lives in Beverly Hills schools, reinforcing the historical theme of the District's 90th year.

But much of the morning was focused less on history than on what comes next.

BHUSD enters the new school year with stronger reported academic results, expanded instructional programs, new technology rules, a closed-campus policy and proposals involving preschool, graduate employment opportunities and artificial intelligence education.

Students will return to campuses with the District attempting to build on those gains while putting the new initiatives and policies discussed at Opening Day into practice.