The superintendent of National School District will retire June 30 after a decade at its helm and a career that has taken her all around the county.
Leighangela Brady is retiring from her role as superintendent of National School District. (Stephanie Poirier)
Before heading to National City, Leighangela Brady was assistant superintendent for educational services for Encinitas Union School District.
“I wanted to bring the things that North County kids were getting down to South County,” she said.
In National City, she’s particularly proud of a Read Across America event that has turned into an annual tradition, with people Zooming in from across the country to read to students.
In her first year as superintendent, she was looking for a book for all of her sixth-graders to read and found “Last Stop on Market Street,” a picture book by San Diego State University professor Matt de la Peña.
The book tells the story of a boy riding the bus with his grandmother after church and of her helping him find the beauty in everyday life. De la Peña grew up in National City and has said it shows up in a lot of his work.
“The kids could see the book, hear the book — and then I told the kids that this book was written by somebody who grew up in National City like them,” she said.
As part of the event, the district asked students to create their own picture books in a districtwide competition. Each class and then school names a winning book, and from those the school board names a districtwide winner.
The district then publishes the winning book so that schools and the National City library can shelve it among the books read each year for Read Across America.
“It just shows that connection from reading to writing,” she said.
Brady said whoever is “lucky enough” to lead the district next will become part of a family and need to care about the families in the community.
“That’s something that board is going to be looking for — somebody that’s going to love and care and have the best interest of National School District and the community,” she said.
Originally Published: October 17, 2025 at 1:55 PM PDT