Byron Union School District

On June 23, 2022, The Byron Governing Board voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Mrs. Crystal Castaneda as the new Superintendent of the Byron Union School District.  Mrs. Castaneda has a rich and varied background that makes her an ideal person for this position.  Her strength as an instructional leader has its roots in her early years as a teacher.  She is a national board certified teacher which reflects excellence in the teaching profession.  At this time there are only 112,000 people nationwide who have received that recognition.  It is this perspective that guides her work because she knows what excellence in instruction looks like and is deeply committed to ensuring the conditions that best support learning for All students. 

Crystal served as a Principal of Las Juntas Elementary School, a small Title1 school in Martinez, for over 7 years.  She rose from the staff to become their leader, which is not an easy task.  This was a good school that she led to higher levels of excellence; ultimately receiving recognition as a Gold Ribbon School. The school was also recognized for their work with G.L.A.D. (Guided Language Acquisition Design) – a strategy based program that supports English Learners and struggling students. 

Mrs. Castaneda left Martinez to become the Director of Educational Services in Oakley.  During her tenure in Oakley she partnered with CCCOE to obtain a $5 million literacy grant.  She provided district wide MTSS training and provided support for Social and Emotional Learning and the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support System.  In her role in Oakley she was responsible for state and federal compliance mandates, audits, categorical programs and ensuring the alignment of the district programs in the LCAP to the district budget.  She wore many hats in Oakley which will serve her well in her new position in Byron.

Most recently Crystal served as the Superintendent/Principal in a small rural school district in Contra Costa County called Canyon.  It was there that she learned the many facets of running a district with very limited resources and personnel.  She is a dedicated, visionary leader who values building positive relationships.  She strives for excellence in her work and has been recognized as the Educator of the Year well as the G.L.A.D. Administrator of the Year.  Her can do spirit and positive outlook will serve her well as she embarks on her new journey in Byron. 

Crystal’s family is an integral part of her life.  She and her husband of 23 years, Javier, make their home in Clayton with their three children, Isabella (19) a sophomore at San Diego State University, Diego (15) a sophomore at Clayton Valley Charter and Giovanni (11) a 6^th grade student at Diablo View Middle School.