Kristi Britton, assistant superintendent of Business Services for Ceres Unified School District, was the subject of a profile article featured in the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) EdCal online publication on Aug. 24.
Dr. Britton was recognized for being voted ACSA’s statewide 2026 Business Services Administrator of the Year.
She’ll be honored at the ACSA Leadership Summit this November in Chula Vista.
Britton oversees five departments as one of CUSD’s three assistant superintendents.
She approaches problem-solving with the same guiding principle — experiment with different solutions and try something new — as noted by EdCal.
”Many staff members in my division do not work directly with students, but the work they do every day matters to students, staff, and our community,” Britton said. “We are intentionally communicating with staff that they are a significant part of the district and what they do is essential to student learning. Kids can’t learn if the environment isn’t clean and safe, or if technology isn’t working properly or instructional materials are not ordered and delivered. Their work plays a vital role in creating the conditions students and staff need to succeed.”
Britton is responsible for leading CUSD’s Child Nutrition team, which serves close to 15,000 meals daily.
She oversees the Maintenance & Transportation department as well. Assuring families that student travel in Ceres is safe is a top priority.
Britton also supervises annual visits to all 20 campuses to evaluate safety, cleanliness and learning conditions.
“When I was a new site administrator, I had my fair share of learning experiences, and my first principal was a great leadership coach,” Britton said when asked about what has been the best advice she’s been given during her career in education. “My inherent leadership style is very collaborative. When I was faced with a situation in which a group of teachers were not in favor of an initiative I was bringing forward, he shared some valuable advice. When working with a group, whether that is teachers, other administrators, or anyone really, make sure you clearly communicate at the onset what decisions will be made collaboratively and what decisions you are just getting input on. This advice has served me well in my different leadership roles.”
Britton played in integral role in guiding CUSD to a successful $114-million school bond measure, which was approved by voters in 2024.
Measure Y bond funds have been used to modernize older campuses and support new construction.
Additional projects have included completing an aquatic facility, a performing arts center and an athletic stadium at Central Valley High School, along with stadium upgrades at Ceres High School.
Hundreds of community members attended CUSD’s ribbon-cutting on Aug. 7 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of Central Valley’s stadium, which cost $16.2 million.
Phase I of the project consists of a:
- 1,800-seat home grandstand and press box made of steel;
- 1,000-seat visitor grandstand;
- Ticket/restroom/concessions building;
- Extended bus loading zone and sidewalk;
- Artificial turf field and all-weather track;
- Fencing and improvements to the parking lot and the entrance to the stadium.
Second and third phases will include a home and visitor tool room, and a restroom/concession stand on the visitor side. Funding for those phases will be about $5 million.
The project provides handicapped accessible facilities, including restrooms and bleachers, ramps and a designated wheelchair seating area.
Central Valley staged a home football game for the first time at its new stadium on Aug. 28.
Home games were previously held at Ceres High School for the past 20-plus years.
“Something that truly sets Kristi apart is her ability to translate systems-level leadership into daily student impact,” commented Dr. Amy Peterman, superintendent of CUSD. “Whether expanding access to arts and athletics, ensuring reliable transportation and nutritious meals, or reimagining learning spaces, she leads with empathy, integrity, and a deep understanding of school-site realities.”
Britton’s position hasn’t come without challenges.
“Post-COVID, the district experienced a shift from many years of steady student enrollment growth to declining enrollment,” she stated. “Communicating with all our educational partners and planning for current and future decline was a reality of my new position leading the Business Services division. We have now been ‘right-sizing’ our district over the past several years. As positions become vacant, we review each to determine if we will refill the position or not. This has not been easy for the sites/departments as they experience running schools and programs with fewer staff members. It has definitely been a mindset shift for everyone.”
Britton started working for CUSD in 2006. She was promoted to her current position during the 2022-23 school year; was CUSD’s director of Special Education from 2016-22; served as Blaker-Kinser Junior High School’s principal 2009-16; and was Central Valley High School’s learning director and assistant/associate principal from 2006- to 2009.
Britton was named the ACSA’s Region 7 “Special Education Administrator of the Year” in 2019 and “Secondary Co-Administrator of the Year” in 2009.
Britton has been an ACSA member since 2006.
She was Region 7 vice president of programs from 2018 to 2020.
Prior to that, Britton was president of the Stanislaus Charter.
“Most often people are surprised that I was a bartender before I started teaching part-time and that I participated in college and community theater production. I actually learned some valuable lessons and skills from both of these experiences that I use as an administrator.”
