The Modesto City Schools (MCS) Board of Education is pleased to announce that it has officially appointed Dr. Vanessa Buitrago as the district’s next Superintendent. She will begin the role in July, following the retirement of Superintendent Dr. Sara Noguchi at the end of the 2024–2025 academic year.
Dr. Buitrago, a graduate of MCS schools, was previously named the finalist for the role after a thorough search and evaluation process. The Board of Education approved her contract at its May 12 meeting.
The board’s selection followed an extensive process, during which trustees confirmed that Buitrago’s experiences as an educator, administrator, and former MCS student make her the right person to continue moving the district forward. Buitrago, currently a network deputy superintendent at the Oakland Unified School District, attended Modesto High School, where she was an International Baccalaureate (IB) student, and graduated in 2001. Prior to that, she attended Beard Elementary School and Roosevelt Junior High School.
“I am proud to stand here before you as a Latina, an English learner, a first-generation college student, and a product of Modesto City Schools,” Buitrago said at the board meeting. “These identities are important because they are points of connection or likeness with students that we serve… I believe that students benefit when they recognize themselves in their leaders. However, our students will not thrive because of my background, and they will not thrive because of who I am. They will thrive when they learn who they are.”
Buitrago, who brings a combined 20 years of experience in education and educational leadership, was one of four finalists interviewed by the Board of Education after an intensive evaluation process. That process began shortly after Superintendent Dr. Sara Noguchi announced in January that she will retire at the end of the 2024–2025 academic year.
Buitrago currently serves as High School Network Deputy Superintendent at Oakland Unified, where she oversees high school principals and programming as well as school budgets in an urban district with more than 30,000 students. Prior to her time at Oakland Unified, Buitrago served as Instructional Assistant Superintendent at the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), where she was responsible for hiring and supervising administrators, designed professional development opportunities for district leaders, guided the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to support learners at all levels, and more.
Prior to this role, she served SCUSD as site principal, notably as the principal of the School of Engineering and Sciences, where she helped oversee a wide variety of student support services, including English language learning, special education, and behavioral interventions. She also held positions as a special education supervisor, a teacher, and a university instructor.
“Dr. Buitrago has spent her career focused on improving education for all students,” said MCS Board President Abel Maestas. “As a child, she was an English language learner determined to further her own education, and has since helped countless students in Sacramento, San Diego, and Oakland do the same. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Buitrago back home to Modesto, and we are confident that her dedication will lead to continued progress for students.”
Buitrago holds a doctorate in educational leadership from California State University, Sacramento, a Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of the Pacific, a Master of Arts degree in political science from California State University, San Diego, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Southern California. Buitrago also obtained a certificate in Statistical, Social and Economic Research from the University of Ghana in West Africa.
The Board confirmed her appointment at its regularly scheduled meeting on May 12, 2025. She will officially assume the role in July.
“A warm embrace awaits Dr. Buitrago here in Modesto,” Noguchi said. “Her pursuits and achievements in life are a testament to the strong foundation that MCS schools are able to give our students, and I know our board is confident that Dr. Buitrago’s work will help MCS be that foundation for more and more students in the years to come.”
The district's selection process, announced in January, received strong interest, with 14 applicants. The board’s decision reflects input gathered from parents, students, and educational partners, including the California School Employees Association (CSEA) and the Modesto Teachers Association (MTA). Leadership Associates, an executive search firm, led the process.