You might have noticed OCDE’s website has a new look.
But the changes go well beyond appearances. The entire site has been redesigned to make it easier for educators, students, families and community members to find information, services and resources.
The new OCDE.us, which went live Sept. 4, features improved mobile functionality, a clearer structure for navigating the department’s programs and supports, and updated content across thousands of pages.
“Our website is one of the most important ways we connect with the public,” Orange County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean said. “It should reflect who we are, what we do and how we serve students, families, educators and communities across Orange County. Most importantly, it should make it easy for people to find the information they need.”
A gateway to OCDE
OCDE provides direct instruction to some of Orange County’s most vulnerable students while supporting 28 school districts and more than 40 charter schools with services ranging from professional learning and special education support to fiscal oversight, technology, payroll and school safety.
With such a broad range of programs and services, the website serves as an important gateway to the department’s work. The latest version, built on Finalsite’s website platform, was designed to make that information easier to find and provide a more consistent experience across desktop computers, tablets and mobile devices.
It also brings OCDE’s updated visual identity to life, incorporating the department’s refined logo, brand mark and three primary colors — Pacific Blue, California Gold and Sunrise Orange.
Moreover, visitors can get a clearer sense of OCDE’s organizational structure. The Divisions page highlights the department’s two-pillar model, with most divisions aligned under either educational excellence or operational excellence. Additional units report directly to the county superintendent’s office.
From the ground up
Digital Media Manager Shane Cline, who led the website migration for OCDE’s Communications and Media Services team in partnership with IT staff, department leaders and content owners across the organization, said the project was about much more than moving existing pages to a new platform.
“This was an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we organize and present information,” he said. “We wanted the site to feel intuitive, work well on any device and give people a clearer path to the programs, services and resources they’re looking for.”
The launch capped a months-long effort involving teams across OCDE, with more than 2,000 pages created and thousands of resources uploaded to the new platform, Cline said.
Work on the site will continue as teams refine content, update links and explore additional tools, including an AI chatbot to be added later.
In the meantime, feel free to take a look around.