School Board Fills Two Top Positions on Santa Monica Campuses

By Lookout Staff

August 18, 2017 -- A former Inglewood high school principal has been hired by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board as a new Santa Monica High School house principal, district officials announced this week.

Isaac Burgess, who has been principal of Morningside High School since January 2016, has led the 900-student school "toward improved student achievement and equity through team building and professional development," District officials said.

The Board approved the appointment of Burgess, as well as that of Cynthia McGregory as assistant principal of Franklin Elementary School, at its meeting August 9.

Issac Burgess (Photos courtesy SMMUSD)

Burgess has "sound knowledge of research-based high impact strategies to increase learning outcomes and the ability to create innovative staff development with curriculum programs that improve teacher, student and overall school performance," officials said in a statement. Burgess began his career 1n 1997 as a teacher in the Marion County Public Schools in Florida, where he rose to assistant principal of students services, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction, then principal of elementary, middle and high schools within the district.

“Mr. Burgess brings 20 years of education excellence to SMMUSD and will be a strong addition to the Samohi leadership team,” said Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati.

Burgess is a United States Army veteran, with an honorable discharge, and a member of the California Association of School Administrators.

The board this month also promoted Cynthia McGregory, who has been the lead and education specialist at the SMMUSD Off Campus Learning Center (OCLC) since 2008, to assistant principal at Franklin.

McGregory’s responsibilities at OCLC included "developing and leading the district’s alternative program designed for the most at-risk middle and high school students," officials said.

"She supervised all daily functions of the program, and coached, mentored and supported new and seasoned teachers through the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program in the district." An educator in Los Angeles since 1998, McGregory previously worked at the Linden Center Non-Public School in various teaching and administrative positions. Left: Cynthia McGregory

McGregory, who received the Outstanding Young Teacher award from the Santa Monica Jaycees in February 2015, is a member of the City of Santa Monica Youth Resource Team and serves on a task force with the local Police Activities League.

She has a Master of Science degree in education with a concentration in special education from Mount St. Mary’s College and a Master of Arts in educational administration with distinction from Cal State Northridge.

McGregory earned her Bachelor of Arts in law and society and Black studies, a double major, from University of California, Santa Barbara, district officials said.

She replaces Dr. Ashley Benjamin who was appointed principal at McKinley Elementary School in June ("Santa-Monica-Malibu School Board Names New McKinley Elementary School Principal," June 30, 2017).