Lewis launches new local initiative

PHOTO: Garth Lewis, Yolo County Superintendent of Schools.

By Niamh Thomas

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Garth Lewis, Yolo County Superintendent of Schools, uses his power to launch new procedures for youth opportunity. 

Together with other Yolo County Leaders, Lewis has been developing a new initiative: “The Road Map to the Future for Yolo County Children and Youth.” 

Started in Jan. 2020 in response to the hardships families faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, “The Road Map” aims to develop a long-term supportive system for youth. 

Lewis cites its purpose as “creating (collaborative) opportunities for service providers (of) any organization that provides services and support to children and youth (in) Yolo County.” 

The project currently has four phases. According to Anthony Volkar, Public Information Officer of the Yolo County Office of Education, Phase Zero developed objectives for youth support and gathered county funds to conduct a needs assessment. Phase One mapped community resources for families, children and youth, identifying gaps.

Currently, the project is in Phase Two. Its first step: evaluating deficiencies in Yolo County and determining how the Yolo County Board of Supervisors will direct its budget. 

Phases Three and Four are in progress, and will include developing an online platform for citizens to access resources and assistance information based on data collected in previous stages.

Lewis believes that its new “navigational tools and resources (will) lower (the) gap between what (Yolo County youth) need and (what current systems) are offering.”

These efforts reflect his belief that administrative “system(s have) the obligation to take into account (students’) needs and respond readily to support them.”

As superintendent, Lewis greatly influences these systems, representing Yolo County’s 30,000 students as a mediator between school districts and the state. 

His 27-year-long career in K-12 education prepared him for this important role. Earning multiple teaching credentials from CSU Sacramento, Lewis was compelled by “the opportunities that education provides all community members,” asserting that it “(…) is the bedrock of our democracy.”

Having raised both of his children in Yolo County and sending them to its public schools, Lewis believes his long-term residence greatly aided his awareness of “local contexts that require us to understand what opportunities and barriers exist ‘(for students).”

Lewis’ first administrative position was as principal of Lee Middle School in Woodland. He then climbed the ladder into other positions, including a stint as Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services and Equity at the Yolo County Office of Education.

“(These experiences) provided insight that kept me curious, humble and confident in my ability to benefit from a diversity of perspectives, (and) positioned me to advance the needs of students through relationships with leaders,” Lewis said. 

He attests that “true and authentic partnership (holds) the most promise” in accomplishing “The Road Map to the Future.”

“Superintendent Lewis has really been a visionary of how the ‘Roadmap’ could impact the county (and is) a connector (because) he’s bringing in folks that need to be at the table,” Volkar said.