Putting Kids at the Center of Every Decision with Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar

What happens when you realize education has never really been designed for students?

In this episode, Jeff Kubiak and Carla Cummins sit down with Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar, Superintendent of Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, California. With 34 schools and 27,000 students, Dr. May-Vollmar has built a district culture rooted in student voice, community trust, and relentless accessibility. From volunteering as an art teacher in her daughter's first grade classroom to leading a $675 million bond measure, her journey reflects a simple but radical belief: students deserve a seat at the table.

Takeaways:

• Student voice isn't optional—it's the foundation: From superintendent advisory panels to climate surveys with open-ended questions, Desert Sands builds systems that actively solicit and act on student input—because kids know what authentic work looks like and when adults aren't being transparent

• Trust is built through consistent presence: Attending every PTO and booster meeting, hosting "Coffee with Kelly" events, and sitting in staff lounges during lunch aren't PR tactics—they're how you understand what your community actually needs

• Eliminate barriers, not just friction: Borrowed from the Savannah Bananas' "fans first" philosophy, the district's "students first" framework has staff asking themselves in real time: "Are we creating a barrier? We can't do that."

• Alignment isn't top-down—it's everywhere: Board priorities (academic proficiency, future focus, warm and welcoming environments) cascade through every division, every professional development session, and get reported on quarterly with defined metrics

About Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar:

Kelly May-Vollmar, Ed.D. is the proud Superintendent for Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD), serving approximately 27,000 students. Throughout her over 20 years in education Dr. May-Vollmar has held many different roles and served in numerous capacities. Dr. May-Vollmar has served on the CoSN Digital Equity Educator Advisory Panel and is the co-chair of the National Chief Technology Officer Council and the AASA/CoSN Empowered Superintendent's Advisory Committee. She is currently a CoSN Board Member. In 2026 Dr. May-Vollmar was named a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association and in 2025 she was named one of the top 100 Innovators in Education by District Administration. In 2024 Dr. May-Vollmar was honored to receive the DALI Women of Distinction Award and the CalSPRA Superintendent to Watch award. Kelly was also awarded the CA CITE Educational Leader of the Year award in 2019 and the Association of CA School Administrators State Technology Administrator of the year in 2019. She is passionate about bridging the divide that often exists between curriculum and technology departments as well as bridging the digital divide for all students. To this end she is thrilled to have led her district to launch their own LTE Network to address the digital divide and to be awarded the CoSN Digital Equity Award in 2021.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-may-vollmar-ed-d-ab844678

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 309 of the Better Learning Podcast

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

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