A father of two daughters, a lover of dogs and pizza, and of course, a teacher at heart, PUSD’s new superintendent, Dr. Ben Churchill, officially took office, Dec. 2. Though it has only been two weeks since his first day, Dr. Churchill has already outlined a few goals he is working towards for the next few months.
“I want to focus on student mental health and wellness, and definitely want to focus on the school district’s finances,” Dr. Churchill said. “I’m spending as much time as possible listening and learning from as many people as possible.”
One of Dr. Churchill’s immediate goals is to visit all 40 schools within his first 100 days as superintendent.
“I will continue to have board meetings every month, but school campus visits are my top priority right now,” Dr. Churchill said.
Though he is now assured in his position, Dr. Churchill did not initially aspire to be in education, and his career did not start in PUSD. In fact, it didn’t even start in the states.
“I was a philosophy major and wanted to be an attorney,” Dr. Churchill said. “When it was time for me to apply to law school, something didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do anymore.”
As Dr. Churchill weighed other options, a friend of his who was teaching English in China suggested that he join him at Victoria Shanghai Academy.
“I didn’t know anything about teaching, but when I got there, I found out that I loved living and teaching there,” Dr. Churchill said.
For six years, he stayed in Shanghai as an English teacher.
“Then, 9/11 happened in 2001 and I felt very far from home,” Dr. Churchill said. “I decided it was a good time to return to the United States.”
Returning to his home city, Chicago, Dr. Churchill officially obtained his teaching credentials and taught for the next seven years. Afterwards, he moved into administration, becoming an assistant principal at Dundee-Crown High School for three years, followed by serving as the principal at Howard Area Leadership Academy for the next five. He later became the assistant superintendent of District 300, Illinois’s sixth largest school district. His four years there were capped off by working as a chief academic officer.
In 2016, he moved to Carlsbad, where he worked as the superintendent for eight years. Last month, he was named as superintendent of Poway Unified.
“I feel like I accomplished many good things during my time in Carlsbad, and it was a natural time for me to move to a new opportunity,” Dr. Churchill said.
Having spent the last three decades deeply involved in education, Dr. Churchill said that he doesn’t view the superintendent position as an authority role, but rather, one of support.
“I understand the high expectations that parents have for the schools in PUSD, and I really want to meet those expectations,” Dr. Churchill said. “I want to support every school and make sure that every student has what they need to be successful.”
One way that Dr. Churchill is looking to provide support to students is through PUSD’s college program.
“If we can increase our dual enrollment and have students get more college credits while they’re in high school, I think that would be something really exciting,” Dr. Churchill said.
Dr. Churchill also said he believes that it is important for schools to prepare their students for a myriad of other career pathways.
“Students have a number of paths after high school; they could go to college or trade school, military, or directly into the world of work,” Dr. Churchill said. “I am hopeful that our high schools are preparing students for all of those things.”
Though it is just the beginning of a new chapter in Dr. Churchill’s school administration career, he said that he can see a great future ahead.
“I know that there’s a great tradition of excellence [in PUSD],” Dr. Churchill said. “I am excited about the opportunity to work with more schools, students, and families.”
