Adolfo Melara is new superintendent of Delhi schools

Alfonso Melara, Delhi Unified School District’s new superintendent, is grateful for the opportunity to lead students and teachers to new heights.

Melara, 42, started Sept. 15 as superintendent of the school district, which has 2,700 students, three elementary schools, a middle school, high school and alternative school. He will make $150,000 a year.

“I want to continue the great work done up to now,” Melara said. “Delhi is a beautiful community. I want to learn from people and contribute. I want to support teachers as they reach for higher levels of achievement.”

Fidel Cervantes, president of the district’s board of trustees, said Melara is the youngest school superintendent in Delhi for quite some time and brings a lot of energy to the job.

“I think he has already made a very strong impression with the community,” Cervantes said. “It’s not just his work experience. His life background resonates with the community, in overcoming hardship to get where he is today.”

Melara came to the United States in 1983 from El Salvador. At the time he didn’t know English, and said it took about four years to become partly fluent. He said he empathizes with the plight of English language learners and their goal of becoming part of the greatest country in the world.

Melara got his master’s degree in public school administration and policy studies in 2003 from California State University, Sacramento, and his bachelor’s degree in 1998 in ethnic studies from California State University, Stanislaus, in Turlock.

In his new role, Melara said he wants students engaged with educational content at their highest level of thinking. He has trained other educators in the new Common Core instructional practices and said the district needs to maximize opportunities for students and teachers to collaborate in the classroom.

Melara spent 11 years with the Stockton school system as a teacher and administrator, time as a bilingual teaching assistant in Lodi and several years as a professional instructional coach in Northern and Southern California.

The father of two sons ages 7 and 15, Melara succeeds Brian Stephens as superintendent. Stephens recently became superintendent of the Tracy school system.

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 8:17 PM.