Mark Balch

Educational leader with experience at both the district and school site levels. Focused on promoting community engagement and instructional change leading to increased student college and career readiness

• As Principal, implemented and/or developed Career Pathways in the following areas: Agriculture (One of only two three-star programs in California) Aerospace (aviation and drones, with a full-motion Redbird simulator and 10 desktop simulators), PLTW Engineering, Graphic Arts, Photography and Design, Fashion Design and Merchandising, and Residential Construction
• As Principal, 2018 Regional Administrator of the Year, CA FFA
• Provided sufficient dual-enrollment and articulated course opportunities so students may leave North High with 30 or more college credits
• Leveraged California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG) funds to provide industry standard learning labs for students, including a t-shirt production factory and a video production lab taught by a local news anchor daily
• As KHSD Director, developed and led Assistant Principal’s Forum, providing training for all assistant principals, district-wide, while establishing a mentorship program between experienced and new administrators in the KHSD
• As KHSD Director, oversaw instructional design, professional development, and textbook adoption for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards
• District Lead, Annual Business Leadership and Ethics Conference (with Rotary Clubs of Bakersfield)
• Instructor, Dean’s Academy, professional development for teachers considering administration as a career
• Member, California Academic Partnership Program grant core leadership team, developing partnerships and aligning programs between Kern High School District, Bakersfield Junior College, Taft Junior College and California State University, Bakersfield
• Member, KHSD Joint Committee, comprised of three California Teachers’ Association members and three KHSD administrators, with a focus on mentoring teachers and providing professional development
• As KHSD Director, responsible for alignment of common assessment practices with the largest K-8 school districts city wide, so the district received English and Math assessment data (Star Renaissance) for proper placement recommendations at grade 9
• As KHSD Director, significantly revised the process to transition and reclassify English Learner students, which led to a 12% overall increase in the district reclassification rate
• As KHSD Director, expanded AVID professional development and growth in number of KHSD AVID sites, including work to hire college students as AVID tutors on school sites

• Member, Oildale Community Action Team and Oildale Prevention Partnership
• Past member member of Bakersfield Lions Club
• School leader in Rural Economic Development Philanthropy Innovation Network (REDPIN) (2017-19), working to focus on specific North High School data with community leaders including Bakersfield Mayor Goh, Kristen Watson (Kern Community Foundation CEO), and Eugene Voiland (former Aera CEO, current Chairman of Valley Republic Bank)

• California Regional Star Administrator, California Association Future Farmers of America, 2018
• Star Service Award for North High School Parent Teacher Club, 2017
• Association of California School Administrators Co-Administrator of the Year for Kern County,
• 2015 North High School, California PBIS Coalition Silver Award, 2016-18, Gold Award 2019