San Diego Unified Reinstated Award-Winning Teacher
The district reversed a position cut for an educator who will now lead a new school transitional services program.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Secondary Education
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San Diego Unified rehired 2025 County Teacher of the Year Stacy Williams after initially eliminating her role at TRACE. The veteran educator, who served at the school for nearly two decades, has accepted a one-year position focused on redesigning transitional services.
Why it matters
The district aims to improve student outcomes by leveraging the expertise of an award-winning teacher to address the low visibility of current transitional services. This shift hopes to make these resources more accessible to local families by embedding them directly at individual high school sites.
Stacy Williams, the 2025 San Diego County Teacher of the Year, will serve a one-year term to help redesign how the district delivers transitional services. This follows her nearly twenty-year career at TRACE before her position was briefly eliminated and then reinstated in September 2026.
The players
Stacy Williams
The 2025 San Diego County Teacher of the Year who spent nearly two decades as an educator at TRACE.
San Diego Unified
The local school district managing the transition of services for students across high school sites.
The details
The district is moving toward embedding transitional services at individual high school sites to improve program utilization. Stacy Williams joined a dedicated work group to reimagine these delivery methods and support the creation of a new communication plan. This strategy addresses the declining number of students currently utilizing these services due to low awareness among local parents and staff.
Timeline
2025: Stacy Williams received the San Diego County Teacher of the Year award.
September 2026: The district eliminated then reinstated the teacher's position.
The Home Front
The district's move to embed transitional services at local high schools follows a broader trend of integrating support programs directly into the campus experience to boost student participation. This shift seeks to address stagnant utilization rates by bringing resources closer to the student body.
If you have a student currently navigating transitional services, keep an eye out for upcoming communication from your high school regarding the new integrated pilot program. Parents should also watch for opportunities to provide feedback as the district develops its new outreach plan.
The takeaway
The district is changing its approach to transitional services by prioritizing teacher-led redesigns at the high school level. Families should monitor district updates throughout this one-year pilot to ensure they stay informed about new program availability.
Further reading
For more on local school programs, visit Secondary Education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Voice of San Diego.
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