ABC Unified School District

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Spanish | Korean | Chinese

In order to see this animation you must install the Adobe Flash plug-in.

Superintendent's Office - Superintendent's Message

The ABC Unified School District is composed of 30 schools, nearly 21,000 students, over 2,000 employees, all supported by a vibrant and cosmopolitan community. In ABC, we believe that our district should function as an integrated system where all parts work together to support the classroom teacher. This approach provides a focus of energy, talent, and resources aimed at our "Main Thing" which is student achievement.

Our District's mission is supported by an active community through the ABC Board of Education, volunteers, business partnerships, PTA's, booster organizations, educational foundations, as well as our employee organizations. Although ABC enjoys a high level of communication with the community we serve, we want to continue to do everything possible to provide information regarding our schools, present opportunities for individuals and groups to express their views, involve people in decisions, and demonstrate an attitude that shows we are all partners in the education of children and that the free flow of information is an essential component of that partnership.

ABC has a vision that is simple and powerful:

We believe students in ABC should be as well educated as any in the world.
We believe all students have the capacity to be high achievers.
We believe people are the cornerstone of our district and students are the reason we are here.

A successful school district is made up of three elements: hard working students, supportive parents, and dedicated well-trained educators. The evidence is clear that ABC continues to prosper because of the sustained commitment of this triangle of support. In their review of ABC's Five Strategic Plan Goals in June 2005, the School Board renewed its resolve to stay focused on the continued success of the District with the main purpose of improving student achievement.

This is my third year as the superintendent of the ABC Unified School District. I have been a teacher and administrator in ABC for over 30 years. I want to thank you for your support during my three decades in ABC and urge you to continue to participate in your child's educational life.

About The Superintendent

Gary grew up locally where he attended schools in Norwalk. Gary received his bachelor of arts degree in history from California State University, Fullerton in 1972. Six years later he received his master of arts degree in history from Chapman University. In 1997, Gary earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of LaVerne. He likes to read about local history, is an avid jogger, and likes to fish and hike.

Gary has been married to Laura Smuts for 33 years. They have three children and five grandchildren who all live locally.