Staff within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) is being shored up entering the 2024-25 school year, including a new Director of Student Services for the district and a new principal at Malibu High School.
At the August 1 meeting of the SMMUSD Board of Education, the board officially approved the appointment of Dr. Fransisco Dussan as the Director of Student Services, effective on that date. Making his way to the district from a policy organization facilitator role within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Dussan will be charged with developing and implementing student services innovations. This includes elemental health services, fiscal sustainability and implementation of state behavior programs.
Prior to his time in education, Dussan served as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Response Project in Los Angeles and as a peer specialist and facilitator in the substance abuse treatment center for the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Health Care System. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton lauded these accomplishments, as well as his time spent in the United States Army and US Army Reserve.
"We are glad to have you as a member of our family … we know that you will continue to demonstrate leadership and excellence because of your experience," Shelton said.
The new hire noted that his "commitment" to the community "is to ensure that every student receives the support and services they need to thrive" emotionally, academically and socially.
During the July 24 board meeting, two more hires were approved, including Dr. Adam Almeida’s return to the district as Malibu High School Principal. Someone who Shelton noted as "not a stranger" to the district, Almeida was assistant principal at Malibu from 2019-2022, and has recently been working as an assistant principal of La Canada High School and a part-time lecturer and university supervisor at Cal State Northridge.
Almeida noted his gratitude for the new gig, as well as highlighting his commitment to Malibu during the completion of the high school’s campus facilities plan.
"I am super excited to be back with [SMMUSD] … I look forward to working with all the students, the staff and the community, highlighting all the wonderful things they’re already doing and continuing to move forward as they transition to a new facility," Almeida said.
The meeting also saw the appointment of Kara Belsky as the new Assistant Principal at Grant Elementary School, with Grant Principal Christian Fuhrer and Belsky’s mother both in attendance for the approval. Belsky was also tenured at LAUSD by serving in teaching and leadership roles at Warner Avenue Elementary School in Westwood.
Shelton noted that himself and Belsky were "neighbors" when Belsky was a teacher in Milford, Ohio, and stated that her leadership is characterized by a "data-driven approach, collaborative spirit and innovative strategies to enhance student learning."
"Grant Elementary is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, and I’m confident that [she] will contribute significantly to our community," Shelton added.
Just making the move to Santa Monica at the end of July, Belsky said she was "very excited" and that "everyone has been so welcoming" during and after her interview process.
While the hires bring new life into the district, the staffing process has not finished yet, particularly when it comes to bus drivers in the district. During his August 1 Superintendent’s Report, Shelton stated that the district is "desperate" for new drivers, and that anyone interested should visit the human resources page on the district website to learn more.
thomas@smdp.com
