A 31-year veteran of the Toppenish School District has been selected by the board of directors as the new district superintendent.
John Cerna began his Toppenish career in 1979 as a teacher at Toppenish Middle School.
He coached wrestling at the middle school and at Toppenish High School, and also served as principal at those two schools.
In addition, he was the director of bilingual education for 13 years and served on the district team in labor negations for 18 years.  
He became the head negotiator in 2003, the same year he was named assistant superintendent.
“My goal was to move up the ladder,” Cerna said. “In 2001, I knew I wanted to be superintendent.”
He officially takes over his new position July 1.
Cerna said one of his priorities is to begin monthly evening meetings at which parents and other members of the community can share concerns about the district.
He said he wants to “resolve those concerns collaboratively.”
Cerna said the district has good relationships between the staff and the administration, and he wants to continue to build and enhance relationships.
Cerna said he also wants to focus on encouraging and preparing students for a variety of post-secondary educational opportunities.
“What we do is all about learning and teaching,” Cerna said. “That’s critical.”
He said his replacement as assistant superintendent will be selected by a team made up of the administration and other district personnel.
Meanwhile, Cerna said he wants to be as accessible as possible to members of the community and district staff. 
“My door is wide open,” Cerna said. “I’ve always functioned that way.”