Hanford Insider: Pioneer School District Superintendent John Raven

Hanford is changing quickly, and our schools feel it first. Today I’m joined by John Raven, the new superintendent of the Pioneer Union Elementary School District, for a grounded conversation about what it takes to lead a district that’s proud of its past and planning hard for what’s next. John shares his “full circle” path from teaching fourth grade in Hanford to helping open Frontier Elementary, building leadership experience across the county, and returning to Pioneer to guide the next chapter.

We dig into the real work behind growth: enrollment trends, facility planning, and what it means to coordinate with housing development so students aren’t arriving before the district is ready. From there, we talk about what makes Pioneer stand out, including early literacy, strong academics, and the student supports families count on, like counselors and nurses at each site. John also explains how the district uses technology in classrooms and in communication with parents, plus safety upgrades that extend from campus systems to tools that help families stay informed during bus rides.

Then we get honest about student behavior. John lays out a perspective I think every parent and educator should hear: “behavior is communication.” We discuss proactive strategies, staff coaching, parent nights, and the importance of connecting kids with trusted adults all over campus so students feel seen before problems escalate.

You’ll also hear community news, upcoming local events, and our Hanford Insider sports report. If you value local stories and practical conversations about Hanford’s future, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

You can find the Hanford Insider at www.hanfordinsider.com and on social media at @hanfordinsider
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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

On this episode of The Hanford Insider, we'll get a chance to visit with the new superintendent of the Pioneer School District, John Raven. Rob will give you a look at some of this week's community events, and I'll be back with your sports report. This is the Hanford Insider for Monday, March 23rd.

Community Headlines And Local Shoutouts

City Council Updates And Airport Fuel

This Week’s Hanford Events Calendar

Meet Pioneer Superintendent John Raven

From Teacher To District Leader

SPEAKER_02 0:49

I'm your host, Rob Bentley. From downtown happenings to local history and community voices, we're bringing you the best of Hanford straight from the insiders. So let's get started. In community news this week, congratulations to Hanford Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston, who is recently featured on KC24's Remarkable Women's Series. You can watch the feature on their website at yourcentralvalley.com. Her first interview on the Hanford Insider Podcast back on February 4th, 2024, remains one of the top episodes I've ever posted. Check it out on my website at HanfordInsider.com. Congratulations to Jillian Rogers for being selected as Miss Kings County 2026. Selected as Miss Kings County Outstanding Team was Kaylee King. Congratulations to both of these young women who will go on to represent us in the Miss California pageant. The Hanford City Council met last Tuesday. In the afternoon study session, they heard the Winter Wonderland final report. The event netted$48,000 that will be reinvested into park improvements. We'll hear more about that from Brad Albert next week. They also reviewed plans for having on-site fuel at the Hanford Airport once again. In the evening study session, they decided to move forward with an additional property purchase agreement of property along 6th Street to add to the land available for the new public safety building at the corner of 7th and Harris Streets. Finally, they had a chance to hear about a mid-year amendment to add an additional building inspector to the city staff. We hope to hear a complete report soon in the City Council update from council members, which they post on social media and I repost here on my channels. Let's take a look at this week's community calendar. The newly established Kings County Arts Council will hold their next meeting Tuesday, March 24th at 6 30 p.m. in the Patty Dance Studio, located at 123 West 7th Street in downtown Hanford. The next Hanford Council Connect will be held on Tuesday, March 25th at 5.30 p.m. in the Hanford Mall Food Court. Mayor Mark Carterson and City Manager Chris DeVars will be there to answer your questions. The Hanford Mall Spring Carnival runs through March 29th. The Carnegie Museum of Kings County's 2026 exhibition, building Kings County, is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is located at 109 East 8th Street in downtown Hanford. Learn more at Carnegie Museum of Kingscounty.org. The Kings Players production of the Vultures is now playing. For more information, visit KingsPlayers.org. And they're already holding auditions for their next production, I shot Jennifer Lopez. Those will be held on March 23rd and 24th. The play was written by Cricket Daniel, who grew up here in Hanford and is a Hanford High School graduate. Visit their website for more information about auditions. Sierra Pacific High School will be hosting the championships of the South Valley Winter Arts Association competition on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th. If you have an event coming up, large or small, and you'd like some help getting the word out, let's work together. Send your information to HanfordInsider at gmail.com. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a complete calendar of events. It's the most comprehensive community calendar available. Today on the Hanford Insider Podcast, we're talking about the future of education right here in our community. And joining us now is Superintendent John Raven from the Pioneer Union Elementary School District. How are you doing, John? I'm doing great. I'm happy to be here. It's great. Hey, uh Pioneer Schools have long been known for strong academics, dedicated teachers, and especially a deep connection to the families that they serve. And we'll talk about what's happening in the district today and the opportunities for students uh in the future and why education plays such an important role in the future of Hanford. So, John, if I remember right, uh you started as a teacher in Hanford Elementary, yeah?

SPEAKER_00 5:19

Yes, that's correct. I started my teaching career teaching fourth grade at Jefferson Elementary in Hanford, which then led me to um Pioneer in 2000 to become a teacher at there in fourth grade. And that was at Pioneer Elementary. Frontier Elementary wasn't even built yet. That is correct. It was at Pioneer Elementary School. And at that point, the middle school, Pioneer Middle School didn't exist either. It was all one campus.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Then you had the opportunity to open up a brand new school uh near 13th in Grangeville. Then it was called Frontier Elementary. So tell us about the experience of opening that school.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

So it was kind of a unique experience uh becoming a teacher in Pioneer. Uh I moved up to be the assistant principal at Pioneer Elementary School. And then when they opened the middle school, I had two years, a year and a half, roughly, uh, to be the assistant principal there at middle school. So when the opening came up for Frontier Elementary to become a principal, I thought that was a good opportunity to put in. I was able to start that in 2008, being the founding principal of Frontier, and spent the next 10 years in that position. So tell us about your path to the superintendent position. Well, after 10 years as principal, we're a smaller district. So I was looking to expand my wings and further my leadership opportunities. So I ended up taking a position in Central Union in L'Amour and was there a few years, transitioned to be the assistant superintendent at L'Amour Elementary School District. And I got to the opportunity to apply and ultimately got the position as superintendent back here at Pioneer. So it's kind of a full circle for me. Yeah. In that being here as a teacher, as well as having my own children go through Pioneer and attend through eighth grade. And now having the opportunity to come back and serve in this role is something that I think is pretty unique and special.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Does uh education run in your family? How did you first become involved in education? What inspired you to become a teacher?

SPEAKER_00 7:29

That's a good question. Uh when I started my career growing up as a student myself, it was not a very positive experience. I had a very challenging, I was a very challenging student. I had a lot of energy and didn't know how to channel that energy. So I can relate to a lot of our students growing up. And actually, when I went to college, the one thing I thought I did not want to be was a teacher. I ended up fighting it and had to spend an extra year in college because I knew I didn't want to be a teacher. And then finally took an intro to teaching class and knew that's what I was meant to do. There was no fighting it. And so moved forward from there. I do have teachers, cousins, lots of relatives that are in the field of education, some locally as well, some educational leaders within the county. So that's always nice too. But it was one of those things that it was a very deep personal choice that I made and knew that education, working with students and families is what I was meant to do.

Planning New Schools For Growth

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Well, I know you're going to do a great job here at Pioneer Union Elementary School District. I've already heard lots of great things uh about your leadership and the way things are going. But I know that it comes with a lot of challenges, not only just a new position uh for you, but also the challenges that um being the superintendent in this strict district is because of the growth of Hanford. And I know that that's a huge issue. So let's let's start with that. I know there's a lot of neighborhoods going in around town, and and they're definitely affecting the enrollment trends in the district. So, uh how what are your plans for that? What what does the board see as the future of Pioneer as far as uh facilities?

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Well, absolutely. Being a new superintendent, this is my first year in a superintendency. There's quite a learning curve. Um, once again, though, knowing that I had been in the district before and it was kind of coming home, a lot of the people that I work with, um teachers, even here in the district office, I had worked with in the past. So that made it a little more comfortable. Working with a board is a new experience. And I can say I have a wonderful supportive board that I could not ask for better to allow me to grow during this first year to really implement their vision for the district. So meeting with each of them individually in the beginning of the year, find out what their priorities are and go from there. With the growth in Hanford, there absolutely is growth and it's experiencing growth over time. But I think in the next few years, we're going to see a real influx. So we are planning in our district boundaries. I'm currently working with a developer to purchase land for a new school. By the time they have their uh development done, we're talking about 900 units. So we know it will be there. So navigating all of that is new, but wanting to ensure that we're in line with that development as students come, we're prepared to accept them and fulfill our duty of educating them. So, really, right now, there's a lot of planning going on behind the scenes, a lot of meetings, um, finances, figuring out what's going to work and what the needs of our district are going to be in the near future.

Programs That Make Pioneer Stand Out

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Yeah, that's great to hear. Uh, definitely it is an exciting time for Hanford and um the Pioneer District. What are some programs that you're especially proud of that are going on, or maybe programs that you have lined up for the future?

SPEAKER_00 10:58

It's a great question. I always love to brag about the districts. You know, all three of our pioneer schools have received the California Distinguished School Award at some time or another and more than once. Our schools have been recognized for character and civic education programs. We have a strong focus on early literacy and laying a foundation for our students, um, both academically and socially and emotionally. And we try to provide opportunities and leadership, athletics, um, music, and extracurricular activities as well, and expanding our student services and supports to meet the ever-changing needs of our students. So I think we do a good job with that. We have counselors at each of our sites, nurses at each of our sites, and really the core of what makes our district special is really the people. Um, and when I see people, I'm talking about our staff, our teachers, our custodians, our district office staff, everybody, our bus drivers, as well as our students and our families. And really building and working to strengthen that is a priority for me. The culture, the connection with families. There are certain things that make Pioneer special, and that's one of them. Um, it had always been a strong relationship with families, having students and families that feel supported and feel good coming onto our campus. So everything that we're doing in the leadership at each of our sites, know my expectation and what I want for our district. And really, that is to provide that strong educational foundation for our students. We have tremendously dedicated teachers, provide a safe environment, and really help our students and families reach their potential. So having the supports in place to do that is really important. And I think that that's been a focus for some years and will continue to be a focus as we move forward in the future.

SPEAKER_02 12:53

Having worked in the district, I know that technology is uh a very important piece um of education these days. And I know that there's been uh a lot of investment in the uh infrastructure of the internet um uh within the schools and the county system. And uh can you tell us a little bit about maybe the ways that you use technology in the classroom and also to communicate with your families?

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Absolutely. You know, we're in an age that technology is a powerful tool, but the most important part of education will always be that relationship between the teachers and the students. But in doing so, we want to prepare our students for a future that we don't know what it's going to look like at this point. With the evolution of technology moving so quickly, we try to keep up and prepare them for a world that may look very different than what it looks like today. So for us, it is a priority. Um, we are continually looking for things from just continued facility improvements as far as installing cameras to ensure the safety of all of our students, which is being done this year. We're expanding technology and safety systems across the district, even to our buses, um, with a new bus boss program that goes out to let our parents know where students are on the bus. Definitely using our student information systems to get information to parents, our websites, each school, as far as social media as well. Each school district, excuse me, each school has that as well as the district. So, really trying to keep our parents connected to the school so that they know where to go to find the information that they need is really important. We also utilize a lot of technology in classrooms. These students are technology natives. They've grown up in a world that is very different from the world that I grew up in. They were used to using technology at a level at which it's just natural for them. So for us in education to keep up with that and incorporate it in ever-changing ways to keep our students engaged in what's happening and use it as a tool to improve our instruction uh is always something that we strive to do.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

John, we're gonna get real here for just a few moments. Uh, we read in the newspapers and online about student behaviors in the classroom, on the school bus, on the way home from school. And uh Pioneer is no stranger to those headlines. And uh we know that uh the district has put some things in place to kind of improve student behaviors, and uh I'd like to hear a little bit about the strategies that you have for that.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Absolutely. Um, you know, behavior is always a concern uh in any school. And our prior our priority is always being to provide a safe and supportive school for all of our students. Having shared a little bit about myself for a moment, I was a student that struggled with behavior. I had on a report card, you know, Johnny has ants in his pants, or Johnny is, I can see that he'd be a lot of fun at the beach. He's not so much fun in the classroom. Uh and when I reflect upon that and I look at some of the students that I can really relate to, it's really working with the tools that we have to ensure that our teachers were seeing beyond the behavior of our students. So often, students can be seen as that behavior, and the student gets lost in that, that they're overshadowed by their behavior, which is usually going to be tied to a reason. Behavior is communication. We just don't always know what is being communicated. And it's our responsibility to do so, to find out what's wrong, to ensure that the student has their needs met, to build a program that they're successful in. Now, in doing so to address that, it really is a part of professional development, to ensure not only that we're providing our students with what they need, but we're also providing our teachers and our staff with what they need to be successful with those sometimes um challenging students. Now, that being said, this year we have partnered from the beginning with a couple of different agencies to support that and come in and provide us with parent nights, provide us and our staff with ongoing in-the-moment coaching so that they can see and get feedback on what's working and what's not working, both for the class as a whole, but also to address the needs of particular students that uh we need maybe some assistance to be able to support. But it's something that we address and we take very seriously. Every student has a right to an education, and we balance that by ensuring that students are heard and valued and those that maybe struggle or have some behavioral concerns that arise, that we're there to support them, that we don't give up on those students, that they are kids, that we're not going to let that behavior determine who they are or what they are. In Pioneer, we're really laying the foundation for much more than just academic success. We lay the foundation for social, emotional success as well as how students view themselves, whether they are good or whether something's wrong. If they are struggling to behave, uh, we want to help them see that they can reach their potential and that we're here because we care about them and we believe in them. So I think really taking a proactive approach to behavior is what's most important in ensuring that our teachers have that support and they feel the support as they move forward to meet the needs of our students. And it goes beyond the classroom as well. We want to connect those kids with adults on campus that could be a custodian, it could be a librarian, someone so that kids have someone safe at all times that they can connect with at a deeper level, which can really help to impact their behavior in a positive way. I'm hopeful as we move forward that we continue to see growth in our students and we're providing them the lessons and the examples and the models to have appropriate behavior in all different settings of their life, whether that be at school, at home, or in public.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

Well, that's great. I know you've been working very hard on that. And uh the perception is one thing, and reality is another thing uh quite often as we uh as we hear. So uh let's close with just maybe some shout-outs to your staff and uh people that have helped you adjust to this position and are helping keep the vision alive.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Well, I started this year um at our kickoff breakfast with a theme for our year. Um, when I applied for the position and I spoke to people, my history in the district really had people excited that Pioneer can go back to what it once was, this great district. And I really focused on while we can't go back in time, we can definitely carry what made Pioneer special with us as we move forward into the future. And one of those things, my theme for the year was the heart of Pioneer. And the heart of Pioneer is what truly makes this district special, and that is the people that make up our district. And when I say that, I'm talking about all of our district staff, including teachers, classified staff, but our parents and our students as well. So that heart of Pioneer is something that connection, being connected with our students, being connected with families, being connected with our community. We always have a high turnout with community nights or carnivals, that sort of a thing. And I think that's really, really important to know about Pioneer because it has a, we have a, we have a long tradition, uh, very strong academics and strong relationships with families. And what makes me most proud is the people who make up this district, the true heart of Pioneer. And it's what continues to make our schools such a special place for students to learn and grow. And it's really all about the relationships that we build and the people that are within our district. So it's just an honor to be back in Pioneer. It feels like I'm coming home. I'm excited to be here and do the work that needs to be done to continue the foundation that's already been laid, to continue the great traditions within our district.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

That's wonderful, John. I uh I've said it several times already on today's broadcast, but uh I'm so happy for you and so happy for the district that things are going well and you're definitely on the right path.

Local Sports Report And Highlights

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Thank you. I appreciate that. Well, now it's time for Hanford Insider Sports with Eric Bentley.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

We'll start on the diamond at baseball, where a pair of teams are off to an undefeated start in league play. The Sierra Pacific baseball team, after losing their first five games of the year, have rattled off five wins in a row and are off to a three-o start in league play after taking down Kingsburg and Kerman last week. Both games saw crooked numbers being the difference as the Golden Bears put up six runs in the fourth inning of their ten to three victory over Kingsburg and five runs in the sixth inning of Thursday's six-to-one win at Kerman. Three games on the schedule this week for Sierra Pacific, starting Monday with a non-league showdown at Hanford High. So let's talk about the Bullpup baseball team off to a two and oh start in league play and four and four overall after taking down Dainuba twice last week. Six to two in Tuesday's game in Hanford and five to one in Thursday's tilt at Dainuba. After Monday's clash with Sierra Pacific, the Bullpups will play Telera Union for a pair of midweek games. Thursday's game at CVC saw a comeback fall just short as the Huskies lost to the Cavaliers six to five and now sit at four and five overall on the year. Two league matchups with Emmanuel and Selma await the Huskies this week. Out to softball where it was a tough week for all three softball teams. The only squad to pick up a win was the Sierra Pacific softball team going one and two on the week. The win came in shootout fashion, twelve to eleven, as the Golden Bears were able to stave off a late Taler Western surge to seal the victory. The losses came to Taler Union and Kerman as Sierra Pacific now sits at two and six on the year, with two non-league matchups with Lamore and Kalinga this week. The Hanford West softball team was only in action once, but fell to Golden West 11-6 to find themselves 7-3 overall on the year. The Huskies will start next week's action at Hanford High, where the Bullpups are four and seven overall, coming off of a five-to-four loss to the same Golden West team that the Huskies also lost to last week. We'll see who can bounce back in that crosstown matchup at Hanford High on Tuesday. As always, if you have a score report or a team update for any team in any sport at any level, you can let us know by emailing HanfordInsider at gmail.com. I'm Eric Bentley, and this has been your Hanford Insider Sports Report.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

And that wraps things up for this week's show. If you enjoyed this podcast and you'd like to show your support, you can go to buymeacoffee.com forward slash Hanford Insider to make a donation. If you'd like to join the Hanford Insider email list, stop on my website at HanfordInsider.com to sign up for updates. You'll also get an exclusive copy of my newsletter in your inbox each week. I also need your help getting the word out about the show by liking and sharing on social media, or like most people, just telling a friend. For more information about the show, you can find this podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube at Hanford Insider. And don't forget, if you have a show idea, be sure to email me at HanfordInsider Gmail.com and I'll look into it. Thanks for listening. Have a wonderful week.