Ben Drati, Ed.D, Superintendent

Dear BUSD Staff, Parents, and Students

I am delighted to join the Bellflower community as your next superintendent. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as steward over the most important job in the US aside from parenting and that is the education of our children. Where our children go is where we will go as a nation so I take this responsibility with great care and I can’t wait to get started and to meet everyone.

I began my career in education as a chemistry teacher and football coach in 1997 and subsequently served as assistant principal, learning director, deputy principal, and principal of Clovis West High in central California. After being in the role of principal, I became the assistant superintendent of secondary education in the Santa Barbara Unified School District in 2012. I was in this position until joining Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), I have served as superintendent of schools since January 2017.

I will not be able to articulate in this first letter to you the clarity and understanding of who I am, What I will do, and why Bellflower Unified.  What I would like to leave you with at this juncture until you get to know me are my commitments to myself and how I will work and that is to:

1. keep the interests of children as my highest priority and goal. And to shape our system so that our system works to support all of our students instead of them having to fit into our system that necessarily doesn’t support all students with what they need to reach their potential.
2. work collaboratively with the board of trustees as we lead our district to greater heights.
3. value and support the work of teachers who teach our students.
4. appreciate the work of our classified staff and treat them as vital partners in the work of our district.
5. lead and mentor the management team to be effective leaders of schools and the entire district. 
6. respect and partner with our parents as they raise their children
7. listen with empathetic ears and look for and find those who may not feel like they have a voice
8. serve as a worthy ambassador for Bellflower to the outside world. 

In closing, educators bear a great responsibility for shaping society, as the public education system has the unique privilege of educating the youth as they are forming their worldview.

Educators also have a responsibility to ensure equity and opportunity for all students, while at the same time working to create a better and more just world for our students to inherit. With that, I have dedicated my career to serving, enhancing, and impacting the lives and academic success of students. I am anticipating the opportunity to continue this as Superintendent of Bellflower, where the diversity is rich and the potential of students is vast. 

Ben Drati, Ed.D