W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 23, NO. 49
July 31, 2025
Rialto Unified’s Unity Summit Gathers 400+ to Heal, Empower, & Lead with Compassion Ahead of 2025/26 School Year By Manny Sandoval
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n a powerful step toward healing and equity, more than 400 students, educators, parents, and community leaders gathered on July 25 at Wilmer Amina Carter High School for the Rialto Unified School District’s inaugural Unity Summit—a transformational half-day event created to foster compassion, build bridges, and equip attendees with tools to support inclusive, student-centered learning environments.
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Held from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM, the summit marked a significant moment for the district, which is preparing to open its 2025-26 school year in a couple of weeks, following a year of significant challenges and reflection.
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“Saying unity is one thing,” said RUSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White, who brought the summit to life. “But knowing how to unify—that takes learning, commitment, and courage.
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PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL RUSD student Taylen Cooper, a junior, leading an engaged audience with a message of building bridges of compassion and forging a better humanity–before receiving a standing ovation.
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She then followed that with a collective affirmation, inviting attendees to whisper the words I choose unity to themselves, then say it louder, and finally declare it in unison. The theater swelled with energy and purpose—setting a tone of solidarity that carried through the day. The program featured student performances, spotlight speakers, and remarks from RUSD leaders and local dignitaries. Dr. Rhea McIver Gibbs, RUSD Deputy Superintendent, welcomed attendees with a message on “building community bridges and connecting every voice.” Participants later engaged in rounds of breakout sessions focused on cultural responsiveness, equity in education, mental health, student voice, and inclusive practices. Sessions included: Every Voice Matters: Demonstrating Restorative Circles to Transform School Culture Rules of Engagement: Challenging Norms That Shape How We Teach, Learn, Relate Building Resilience and Cultivating Student Voice Unity Summit cont. on next pg.
KVCR’s Funding Crisis Revealed at Inland Film Festival Mixer, Creatives Rally Behind Public Media By Manny Sandoval
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Today, we chose to come together and build a path forward with the skills to do so.” Dr. White opened the event with a powerful moment saying, “There is no greater bridge for success than a community who has united for the purpose of unity and stands for a standard of morality and kindness to all,
while abandoning excuses that every race has to stick to people who look like them.”
uring the Inland Film Festival Summer Mixer & Community Celebration on July 23, held inside KVCR’s state-of-the-art TV studio, KVCR Executive Director and former State Senator Connie Leyva delivered sobering news: the station is set to lose more than half a million dollars in annual federal funding. “You’ve all heard the wonderful Trump Administration has eliminated our federal funding. We get that through the California Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation will cease to exist in September,” Leyva told a room of filmmakers, creatives, and community leaders from across the Inland Empire and beyond. “What we would receive from the corporation was about $550,000 each year, and that is money equivalent to eight fulltime positions here at KVCR,” she said. “No one is going to be
laid off. We are going to make sure we keep everyone that we have. But, it will hurt us in creating local content.” KVCR, a PBS affiliate based on the San Bernardino Valley College campus, received two Emmy® Awards in June 2025 for The Warehouse Empire and Inland Edition. The station is also home to Learn With Me, a bilingual children’s education series created in partnership with local educators, Footsteps 2 Brilliance, and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. While Leyva’s statement underscored serious challenges ahead, her transparency ignited a wave of support from the creative community in attendance. Rather than dampening the celebration, her remarks galvanized filmmakers, artists, and advocates to rally behind KVCR and reaffirm the importance of sustaining public media in the Inland Empire. KVCR Funding cont. on next pg.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL KVCR Executive Director Connie Leyva addresses Inland Film Festival attendees about looming federal funding cuts and the station’s commitment to preserving local content.