On Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Oscar Macias released a letter to parents that he will be stepping down as Principal on September 30 to take a job in the Glendale Unified School District as the Director of Equity, Access, and Family Engagement.
Macias becomes the eighth of 19 Principals to now leave the District during the past year. He has been employed by the District for the past 22 years and was named Principal of Luther in 2015.
Debbie Kukta, Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services, also announced this month that she was leaving the District at the end of September after receiving a new contract and a retroactive raise from the Board of Education in May.
Here are the contents of the letter Macias posted on social media on Wednesday:
It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that I have been offered a position with the Glendale Unified School District as Director of Equity, Access, and Family Engagement.
I acknowledge that the timing of this opportunity is not ideal. I think that you all know me well enough by now to know that my commitment and loyalty to the community of Luther Burbank Middle School and the Burbank Unified School District is authentic. My passion for creating a climate of nurturing, learning, and partnerships is genuine. This decision has not been easy.
I began my career in Burbank Unified as an At-Risk teacher at the Burbank Community Day School in the year 2000. In 2007, I was blessed with a school leadership position as an assistant principal at John Burroughs High School. In 2015, I began my journey as principal at Luther Burbank Middle School where I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with the best, most dedicated faculty and support staff.
I have a great amount of trust and confidence that our district will find a highly qualified replacement to fill the role of principal. There is a plan in place for a transition that I intend to assist with. I will remain as principal until September 30, 2022.
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” – Maya Angelou
This community has left a mark on me that can never be erased. I hope that I have left a legacy of great service and leadership.
To all who have helped, guided, and supported me throughout my 22 years here, I am forever grateful.
In partnership always,
Oscar Macias, Ed.D.
The mass exodus of BUSD staff should come as no surprise. The single minded goals of Superintendent Matt Hill are insulting to all involved. Hill would have you believe the BUSD staff are all racist, sexist, and homophobic. I say the opposite. We have/had a wonderful, dedicated crew that can only take so much nonsense. Staff is unwilling to say anything for fear of being “not politically correct”. Who could blame them after watching the treatment leveled on me for simply asking questions and publicly disagreeing with the direction BUSD is/was going?
Steve Fritner did the district a huge disservice buy voting to retain and extend Hill’s contract, along with a retroactive raise. Fritner knew he was not going to run for re-election, so why not defer the vote to the new board? The Hill vote was 3-2 in favor of keeping Hill. Fritner’s vote was the swing vote. Shameful. Now, the new board will have to buy Hill out if they should chose to fire him. (I am in favor of replacing Hill AT ANY COST)
I hope the School Board members are reading this and are willing to hold a new vote to try and stop the hemorrhaging of our seasoned staff.
Joel Schlossman
Comments are closed.