Palm Springs Unified's first Latino superintendent reflects on his career trajectory

On a December morning shortly before winter break, as they sat together on their class rug, second graders at Rio Vista Elementary School in Cathedral City were asked what they know about snowballs.

In a corner of the classroom, Tonatiuh Signoret observed the math lesson attentively — smiling as he watched the students transition back to their small groups. The kids, in turn, looked up from their clipboards as he hovered over their desks to pick their brains or provide support. (“Thank you, I appreciate it,” he said softly to a girl in a black and white plaid jacket after she shyly walked him through her thought process.)

He’s the first Latino to lead Palm Springs Unified School District. He’s a long-time educator at that very district. His promotion has been well-received by many. And on Tuesday evening, Signoret, who goes by Tony, will shed "interim" from his title as he officially presides over the first board of education meeting of the new year as superintendent.

His early years

Signoret spent his formative years in Mexico City and in different parts of Mexico, like Cuernavaca and Monterrey, and also spent a period living in Puerto Rico.

Upon completing his studies at Colegio Americano, a college prep school in Mexico City, he had every intention to follow in his father’s footsteps: to pursue a business administration degree in the United States with plans to return to Mexico to begin his career. Halfway through his studies at Whittier College, however, he realized that it wasn’t his forte.

After spending his summers back in Mexico coaching his brother’s sports teams, he realized just how much he enjoyed working with kids, “especially (those) who didn’t have a lot, and helping them move along,” Signoret said. “And so that’s when I decided to go into education. Like they say, I haven’t looked back since. Thirty three-some years later, here I am.”

After earning a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts, he entered Whittier City School District mid-year, in January 1991, as a substitute teacher. He left with a full-time job.

“I worked that semester and the following full year at a small school called Hoover Elementary,” Signoret said. “I loved it and they loved me, but really, I was looking for more opportunities (and considering) the cost of living, I had the opportunity to come out (to the Coachella Valley) and I seized it.”

At PSUSD, he got his start as a bilingual teacher at Agua Caliente Elementary in Cathedral City, where he bought his first home in the desert. Like many brand-new teachers, Signoret had a lot on his mind, despite having a year-and-a-half of teaching experience: Will he be a successful teacher? What if the school doesn’t like him and lets him go? What would he do then?

In the end, it was a memorable year with a “special group of children in the Dream Homes (neighborhood).” Looking back, it was a period in which he experienced significant growth as an educator.

“All those insecurities that hit us all, I probably had that (multiplied by) 10. I felt the pressure of the world was on my shoulders,” he said with a laugh. “Not to be condescending to myself then, but I didn’t have the maturity that I have now. I remember why I was in education, and it came naturally: I’m here to help the kids.”

Recalling his 'why'

At the start of the school year, PSUSD educators were prompted to reconnect with their “why” — a reflective exercise, well-known among teachers, aimed to rekindle their sense of purpose as educators.

“It is so easy (to forget) with all of the demands we have in our profession,” Signoret said, “and not only community influences, political influences, all those challenges. Sometimes it’s so easy to forget why we got into this profession. I did my own. I shared my ‘why.’”

Signoret’s father lacked the same supportive environment that shaped his own upbringing in Mexico City. Driven by a strong desire for an education, his father, at the young age of 5, took the initiative to walk himself to school.

That in itself isn’t “earth-shattering,” Signoret said. Sure, lots of kids walk themselves to school.

“But when you come to the realization that he walked himself to enroll himself at the school, as a kindergartener, that puts a whole different perspective on it,” he said. “Instead of being turned away, it was educators at that site who helped him and got him enrolled. And then he just progressed: he got his doctorate and did a wonderful job with his career.”

And then there’s Signoret’s wife, Silvia, and their children: "the other part of my ‘why,’" he said.

For about 17 years, they were deeply involved in a nonprofit they established called For the Children, which focused on recruiting families to foster or adopt children within the community.

“It started off with five families and grew to over 200,” he said. “By the time we decided to go into the next stage of our own lives, we practiced what we preached. We fostered well over 30 — maybe 40 — kids in our lifetime, and adopted eight.”

He proudly pointed out that all of his kids currently attend or have graduated from PSUSD, adding that he’ll occasionally sneak into his child’s classroom during site visits to “intentionally embarrass him and he’ll enjoy that. Those opportunities, I will seize.”

A few days after our interview, the couple visited the Riverside County Department of Education’s Migrant Office in Indio to drop off gifts for a toy drive aimed at benefiting the children of migrant farmworkers.

“I believe in the power of education,” he said. “I believe in the power of our school district ... It’s easy to get caught up on all the other things, but when you get back to your ‘why,’ it gives you that breath of fresh air, it gives you that second wind to keep moving forward because our kids need us. That’s really what it boils down to.”

Lifted by community

Landau Elementary, also in Cathedral City, was Signoret’s next stop during his recent school site visit tour. As he interacted with students and the principal, it’s clear that he draws on his extensive experience as a former teacher and as assistant superintendent of human resources. His face lights up when he sees an educator making linguistic connections with students’ native languages to enhance their learning.

“I really try not to ever interrupt. I try not to be too much of a disruption,” he said. “But yeah, my wheels were turning.”

Signoret is quick to admit that he never actively sought to become superintendent.

“I truly envisioned myself being a teacher and retiring as a teacher. I don’t want to say it was any personal ambition that I had to fulfill. It just happened to be that every step of my career, there were opportunities to step into leadership positions and leadership opportunities,” he said.

The late William Diedrich was among the many mentors who were instrumental in his career development. Dietrich served as PSUSD superintendent for 12 years and retired in 2003.

“He was one of those that, just like on a site visit today, saw me and said, ‘Have you ever thought about being in an administrative position?’ Truthfully, I had not at that time,” he said. “And he just periodically kept in touch with me and encouraged me to move up in the career ladder.”

Sandra Lyon, the former PSUSD superintendent from 2016 to 2021, said she first met Signoret when he returned to the school district after a brief period in which he worked at Desert Sands Unified School District. “You could tell he had great relationships with everybody,” Lyon said. “Everybody was just thrilled to have him back to the Palm Springs family."

She added that Signoret worked diligently to establish great relationships with the labor unions and that he always operated with integrity.

“He doesn’t rush to judgment. He’s quick when he needs to be, obviously, but he’s one of those people that has really given that 360 look before he arrives at his decision-making,” Lyon said. “It’s always comforting because he’s thoughtful and comprehensive (when it comes to) how he approaches a variety of situations.”

His former colleague, Mauricio Arellano, who now serves as superintendent at San Bernardino City Unified School District, shared a similar sentiment. They first met at Cathedral City Elementary School and Arellano saw Signoret’s potential right away.

“I saw a lot of humility in Tony. Leadership is not the title. Leadership is how you work with people,” Arellano said. “It’s evident that (Signoret) was very in tune with working collaboratively with his team and interacting with parents, kids. Those personal connections are how you create a culture across the organization where everybody is seen. Those were traits that he had innately.”

As Signoret wrapped up his visit at Landau Elementary, his name was shouted across the parking lot. The voice came from a Latina woman whom Signoret had met previously. “I hadn’t seen her in years,” he said. “Her first words were, ‘I couldn’t be more proud. It’s so great to have you in this position.'”

And even though he had to go to his next appointment, his third and final school site visit of the day, he made the time to continue that connection. He seems earnest about wanting to listen to the needs of his community, to help everyone achieve their best, to provide that level of belief and inspiration.

The job will, no doubt, have a lot of demands on Signoret. Yet he feels that in being embraced by the community, the responsibilities don't feel as heavy.

“When I go back to my ‘why,’ being a foster and adoptive parent, I’ve seen kids that, had they been in any other setting, would not have succeeded. All they needed was somebody to believe in them and somebody to love them and somebody to encourage them. That’s it," he said. "When I get out with the community, I think people feel that when I talk to them, and (subsequently), the compassion, the love, the support that I get back is sincere and real. I think the mutual belief the community saw in me, and me in them, is really so powerful.”

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Unified's first Latino superintendent to begin Tuesday