SMMUSD's New Superintendent Outlines His Priorities As He Starts Work July 1

SANTA MONICA, CA — Newly appointed Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Antonio Shelton plans to focus on strengthening relationships, consensus building and sound fiscal stewardship when he begins work on July 1.

Shelton outlined those priorities in a welcome message recently shared with the SMMUSD community.

The School Board on June 1 appointed Shelton as the district's next leader after sifting through 35 applications and conducting interviews with top candidates.

Shelton for the past year has worked as SMMUSD executive director and previously served for six years as the lead principal at Santa Monica High School.

Here's the full text of Shelton's welcome message:

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and Community Members,

I am truly excited and humbled to serve as superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, starting July 1, 2023. As a current member of this amazing school community, I believe that we can continue to perform at a high level. This district is truly a gem in the Los Angeles area and in the state of California. I hope to inspire students and staff to continue being the shining light that we have been since our inception.

I want to thank the members of the school board for trusting my 23 years of experience as an educator and 18 years as an administrator to lead this wonderful district. It is an honor to have been chosen to lead a district that is on the move. I will accept the responsibilities placed before me and lead to the best of my ability with the support of the entire school community.

It is my goal to get to know as many of our educational partners as possible. Listening and learning will optimize my ability to support our students, staff and school community. I want to strengthen our relationships with community partners in both Malibu and Santa Monica, while building upon the work that our very capable and trusted certificated and classified staff has already done.

I look forward to working to ensure sound fiscal stewardship and transparency as we make
financial decisions based on data and research. Use systems that have been established to
give us a clear picture of our financial state and how we can improve our forecast to meet the needs of our students.

I will remain committed to the work that we have started collectively, and review those areas that may need further support or reimagining to ensure that our students and staff are supported. Our innovative, diverse, and creative school district will continue to engage our staff and community in challenging conversations that will lead to a more equitable system where all students are heard, seen, and engaged in the learning process.

Throughout our journey as a school community, I ask that you support me as we continue our focus on academic success for all students, professional growth for our staff members, and to use data to drive our instructional practices in the classrooms, while also creating intervention opportunities for those students needing additional support. I also believe we are moving in the right direction as it relates to our English Learners and I believe we will continue to grow our number of students being reclassified. These are just a few of the focus areas that I know and believe we will continue to be focused on.

I want to build consensus with our educational partners that will allow us to support our excellent school district to ensure that all students are getting the best educational opportunities possible. With your support, belief in our ability to take on challenging task, and create avenues for student engagement we will accomplish these goals.

Thank you again to the Santa Monica-Malibu community for this opportunity to serve as your superintendent. I envision a journey ahead with collaboration and community built on trust between myself and the educational partners of SMMUSD. I look forward to leading the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District community, its faculty, staff, and students to greater heights.

Dr. Antonio Shelton
Superintendent, SMMUSD