Westminster School District Hosts Its First Superintendent's Business Breakfast

June 9, 2026

On May 22, Westminster School District (WSD) hosted its inaugural Superintendent's Business Breakfast, bringing together civic and business leaders for an unscripted, open conversation about public education and the community it serves.

Johnson Middle School set the tone for an inspiring morning as the Cheer Team, led by Patti Arnold, welcomed guests with enthusiasm and school spirit. More than 30 business partners, including realtors, nonprofit directors, business executives, elected officials, and community partners, gathered on Friday morning to learn more about what is happening inside Westminster schools and what it means for the community around them.

"We have spent a lot of years doing good work quietly," said Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D. "At some point, you realize that is not enough because families deserve to know what this district is actually about before they make a decision. That is what this morning was for."

For families already inside the district, the results are visible. "Our experience within the Westminster School District has been very positive overall," said Justin Perlman, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) parent at Willmore. "We have a ninth grader who moved through the system and she is already in AP (Advanced Placement) Spanish as a freshman. We're seeing the fruit of the labor of the staff and the faculty. Our son is in fifth grade and he's also excelling. It's a wonderful experience."

 

Students from Willmore Language Academy kicked off the morning programming with a performance that brought the room to life, setting the stage for a program built around district highlights, enrollment data, and the partnerships that support Westminster students every day. 

Westminster School District has been serving students since 1872. Over 154 years, the district has grown into one of the most complete early learning continuums in the county, from infant care beginning at four months old, through Spanish and Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion (DLI), GATE (Gifted and Talented Education), to rigorous academic preparation through 8th grade, and the safest elementary district in Orange County. Today, WSD serves approximately 7,800 students across 17 schools. Most districts start at kindergarten but WSD starts at the beginning.

"The research on early language acquisition is unambiguous: the earlier a child is immersed in a second language, the more naturally it develops alongside their first," said Michelle Watkins, Chief Academic Officer. "What we see in our DLI classrooms is students who are not just bilingual, but stronger academic thinkers overall. That is not a coincidence."

In 2015, WSD became the first district in California to launch a Vietnamese-English Dual Language Immersion program. Today, it operates the nation's only birth-to-12th-grade Vietnamese DLI pathway. The Spanish DLI program, launched in 2016, is expanding toward a full high school pathway. 

Results back it up, DLI students at DeMille Mỹ-Việt Language Academy consistently outperform district averages in both ELA (English Language Arts) and Math, with gains tracked annually across grade levels.

Westminster's commitment to equity has deep roots. The district's role in the landmark 1945 Mendez v. Westminster civil rights case, a precursor to Brown v. Board of Education, reflects a community that has long understood what is at stake when schools choose to include rather than exclude. The DLI program, now offered across seven school sites, carries that legacy forward.

Dr. Hansen spoke directly to what the program means for working families in the community.

"I would tell them that this district was built for families who work hard and do not always have a lot of margin," she said. "We have infant care, extended programs, and schools across four cities because we know that convenience is not a luxury for most of our families; it is a necessity, and we planned around that."

Momentum is showing up in the numbers. Director of Whole Child and Family Engagement, Dr. Elsie Briseño Simonovski, presented attendance and enrollment data that reflects the district's outreach paying off.

As of May 15, 2026, WSD reported a 96.65% Average Daily Attendance rate, a 0.6% increase from the prior month, with 7,662 students currently enrolled. Daily absences dropped by 16.45%, 144 more students achieved perfect attendance compared to the prior year, and 393 fewer students were chronically absent, reclaiming more than 2.2 million additional instructional minutes and recovering an estimated $500,000 in funding over the previous year.

Outreach efforts are expanding the district's reach beyond its traditional boundaries. The "Ring the Bell" Enrollment Campaign connected with families at 15 community events, including libraries, parks, colleges, and high schools, generating 35 new family contacts and enrolling approximately six to eight students over eight weeks on a $3,000 budget, with an estimated revenue return of $72,000 to $112,000. Saturday Academy served 2,160 students across all 16 schools, and the Helping Hands Pantry, as well as the Hope and Home Boutique, continues supporting approximately 90 families per month.

During the event, guests also received an update from WSD's community partner Tracey Miller-Zarneke, Senior Project Advisor at CliffordMoss, and Scott Harvey, Executive Director of Facilities Planning and MOT (Maintenance, Operations and Transportation) on the District’s Facilities Improvement Initiative and Facilities Master Planning process, a collaborative effort to identify priorities, address facility needs, and create learning environments that reflect the quality of instruction occurring in our classrooms.

The centerpiece of the morning was the "Ask Me Anything" panel talk with the Superintendent. Deputy Superintendent Rich Montgomery moderated a candid conversation with Dr. Hansen, guiding questions on WSD's identity, business and community partnership, and the district's future. 

Dr. Hansen spoke openly about what makes WSD distinct, from early learning that begins at four months old, to a community so diverse it shows up as a genuine strength inside every classroom. She described the district's personality as extroverted and dynamic, one that looks outward and believes the community is a true partner. The panel opened to community partners for open Q&A, closing with a simple answer to what keeps her going on hard days: the students. 

"I want families to leave knowing that this is a district that has thought carefully about their children, not just academically, but practically," Dr. Hansen said. "We have built something here that is worth choosing, and I think once families see it up close, that becomes obvious."

The guests who filled the room on Friday morning seemed to agree. "Thank you very much for including us in this incredible breakfast," Gloria Gonzalez, Home Visiting Case Manager at Abrazar Inc., Orange County shared after the event. "Everything was very charming and full of information and I absolutely loved the performance by the girls from El Ballet Folklórico."

Westminster School District serves students from infancy through 8th grade across 17 campuses in Westminster, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, and Midway City. Families interested in enrollment are encouraged to visit the enrollment page.