Welcome

Howell Mountain Elementary School District (HMESD) is a small, rural, single-school district located in Angwin, California. For more than 125 years, Howell Mountain School has provided students with an exceptional public education from the early years in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. We are a small school with a personal touch. Serving just over 90 students, our small size affords us the opportunity to understand and accommodate the individual needs of every single student in our care.

A Message from Our Superintendent and Principal

Dear Howell Mountain Elementary School Families,

My name is Joshua Munoz, and I am your new superintendent/principal. I am so excited for the opportunity to serve your community. This is my eleventh year in education, and it has always been my goal to serve a small community as a superintendent/principal. Before applying to HMESD, I did some research on the mission and vision of HMESD. I’m excited to lead a school and serve a community that provides an environment where all students, staff, and parents are given the opportunity to reach their potential. HMESD provides an excellent learning environment for all students, and I plan on continuing that momentum through my leadership.

Before coming to HMESD, I served as an assistant principal at two large comprehensive high schools, an assistant principal at a K–8 school, and an assistant principal at a K–3 school. I have a BA in Biology, MA in Educational Best Practices, and a MS in Educational Leadership.

This year, I have a leadership quote that speaks to my mission. As John C Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” I am a leader that believes that I should lead by example. This is a promise I make to you and all my staff. In order to fulfill this promise, I have three leadership tenets that will be the foundation for how I will lead this year. I plan to Listen, Serve, and Unite our school and community, so that we can together increase student achievement.

You may be thinking to yourself that this all sounds great, but how will I be executing my plan to Listen, Serve, and Unite. Since I believe in data and the power of stakeholder input, I have created a 100-day plan centered around collecting stakeholder input. I want all parents, students, and community members to have a voice. For the next 100 days, I will be working with district staff to create opportunities for this to happen. Since I speak Spanish, I also invite Spanish-speaking families to feel free to come and speak with me in their primary language. At our meet and greets, my goal will be to get to know you and understand what I need to do to improve your child’s educational experience at HMESD. In the next few days, I will be uploading my 100-day plan to our district’s website. This 100-day plan will give a comprehensive look at my leadership philosophy and goals.

Since I value my relationship with all of you, I want to share a little bit about myself. I truly believe that our conversations and interactions form the foundations to our relationships. For this reason, I want everyone in our community to know that I value transparency and honesty. If you ever feel uncomfortable with a decision I’ve made, please feel free to reach out to me directly. Your honesty and feedback is always welcome, and I promise to be open to criticism. By having honest conversations, we will always have interactions that strengthen our relationships, which ultimately creates an environment that supports student achievement. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Respectfully,

Joshua A. Munoz

Joshua A. Munoz
Superintendent/Principal
Howell Mountain Elementary School District