New Carlsbad Unified Superintendent Hails From Illinois

CARLSBAD, CA: The Carlsbad Unified School District Board of Trustees announced in a news release Wednesday evening that it has appointed Dr. Benjamin Churchill to the position of superintendent, "concluding a rigorous and competitive selection process that attracted candidates from throughout the country."

Described as a highly respected educator, Churchill currently serves as chief academic officer for Community Unit School District 300 in Alonquin, Illinois. He was further described as passionate about all aspects of teaching and learning and someone who is especially interested in classroom technology integration, early learning and kindergarten readiness, workforce development and career pathways for all students.

Churchill will succeed Dr. Suzette Lovely, who announced in January that she was retiring after more than 30 years as a California educator — four as superintendent of CUSD.

Contingent upon negotiation of a contract that is satisfactory to both parties, the board expects to introduce Churchill to the community at its May 18 regularly scheduled board meeting; he will assume his new position on July 1.

"I’m excited because Dr. Churchill's experience and personal qualities are exactly what the Board and our community stakeholders wanted to see in the next leader," CUSD Board President Claudine Jones said. “For the past four years, Dr. Lovely has successfully led our school district as we implemented a rigorous College and Career Readiness Program while strengthening employee-district relations. We know that Dr. Churchill will continue these initiatives as he leads us toward our district’s vision.”

Board Vice President Elisa Williamson also commented on the board's selection.

"Dr. Churchill is uncompromising in his quest for rigorous and relevant educational opportunities for all young people," Williamson said. "Colleagues describe him as a trusted, collaborative, quietly confident, visionary leader. The Board is confident that he will quickly earn the respect and support of staff and community as the next superintendent of our extraordinary school system."

Churchill, 43, currently oversees all aspects of teaching and learning in 27 school sites for nearly 21,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12 in a culturally and economically diverse school community located 40 minutes from Chicago. Under his leadership, the district has designed and implemented Career Pathways Programs in 11 areas, expanded dual enrollment with a local community college, and made progress in closing the achievement gap.

He previously served as an assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, high school principal, associate principal of curriculum and instruction, and a high school English teacher. He began his 20-year career in education teaching English for six years in China.

Churchill earned his educational doctorate from Argosy University, a master’s degree in school leadership from Northeastern Illinois University, another master’s degree in teaching and learning from DePaul University, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Valparaiso University.

Churchill, his wife Nichole, and their two school-age daughters are planning to relocate to the Carlsbad area this summer. The family said they are "thrilled to be joining the active community of parents and other committed stakeholders in the district."

"Carlsbad is an outstanding community with committed parents, excellent teachers and staff, and a tradition of excellence," Churchill said. "It is my goal to lead Carlsbad from excellent to exceptional and to establish CUSD as a nationally recognized model for innovation and achievement."

Board President Jones said the board is grateful to the Carlsbad community for its input in the extensive search process.

"After carefully reviewing the comments received from more than 900 community members, we developed a Leadership Profile that was for recruiting candidates," Jones said. "We believe that Dr. Churchill embodies the qualities outlined in the Profile: visionary leader, instructional leadership and organizational excellence, collaboration and team building, and continuous improvement and systems thinking. Ben is going to be a tremendous leader and we are looking forward to having him joining the CUSD family."

About Carlsbad Unified School District:

CUSD is a TK-12 district with over 11,000 students who attend two comprehensive high schools, three middle schools, nine elementary schools, one alternative high school, and one independent study school. Recently, three elementary schools, Hope, Pacific Rim, and Aviara Oaks, were awarded the distinction of California Gold Ribbon Schools. The district boasts a stellar graduation rate of 94 percent with over 75 percent of students meeting the University of California and California State University admission requirements (referred to as A-G). CUSD is also part of San Diego Career Pathways consortium that recently won $13 million to expand career pathway opportunities for high school students. Carlsbad High was ranked in the top 10 percent of high schools in the state in the 2016 US News and World Report “Best High Schools” report and is a two-year recipient of the College Board’s AP Honor Roll designation for expanded access and achievement in AP courses.