Gabriel Trujillo
Tucson
Summary
Dynamic educational leader with a proven track record at Tucson Unified School District, excelling in collaborative leadership and project management. Spearheaded initiatives that transformed a "D" rated district to a "B," while enhancing student support services and expanding arts programs. A visionary communicator dedicated to fostering educational equity and community engagement.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Superintendent
Tucson Unified School District
04.2017 - Current
- Serve as the chief administrative officer and authority charged with oversight, leadership, and supervision of the district's 89 schools, 40,000 Pre-K through 12th grade students, and 8,000 employees, in Arizona's 3rd largest public school system.
- Provide oversight of and recommendations for the fiscal efficiency of a $600 million annual budget that prioritizes classroom instruction and student support services.
- Organized, promoted, and supported the successful campaign to secure a $480 million capital bond focused on modernized learning spaces, school safety upgrades, building renovations, and HVAC replacement, the largest bond in district history.
- Collaborated with community members, community partners, employees, and parents to create the district's comprehensive 5 year strategic plan focused on future focused learning, educational equity, civic engagement, community and parental engagement, and professional growth.
- In 2022, successfully led the district out of an almost 50 year court desegregation order through dramatic improvements in minority student representation in gifted and talented programs, advanced learning opportunities, two way dual language courses, and magnet school programming throughout the district.
- Lead the instructional transformation of the school district from a district assigned the rating of a "D" by the Arizona Department of Education with fewer than 20 district schools carrying an "A" or "B" rating in 2017, to a "B" rated school district with almost 60 of the districts schools currently carrying an "A" or "B" rating.
- Promoted, recommended, and successfully secured Governing Board approval for an $8 million fine and performance arts re-invigoration focused on instrument and uniform replacement throughout the district as well as auditorium, band room, and stage renovations.
- Between 2018-2023, successfully funded the restoration of 50 music, band, dance, and visual arts teachers throughout the district's elementary schools that were previously cut during the recession years.
- Dramatically increased tuition free pre-school programming and before and after school child care programming to over 85% of the district's elementary schools through public-private partnerships since the 2016-2017 school year.
- Promoted and facilitated the expansion of Career and Technical Education programming throughout the district's high schools, including the new opening of one of the state's few CTE focused high schools at Innovation Tech, resulting in over 7000 students participating in CTE programs.
- Implemented the state's largest online educational option, the Tucson Unified School District Virtual Academy at 1,300 actively enrolled students for the 2024-2025 school year.
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Tucson Unified School District
08.2016 - 04.2017
- Provided leadership, budget oversight and supervision of all academic departments such as Language Acquisition, Special Education, Career and Technical Education, Early Childhood Education, and Gifted and Talented Education.
- Oversaw the review, evaluation, and approval process for all instructional materials, text books, curricular resources, and newly proposed courses throughout the district.
- Planned, organized, and oversaw the implementation of the district's balanced literacy initiative across all of the district's elementary schools.
- Planned, organized and oversaw the design and implementation of the district's K-12 multi-cultural and culturally relevant curriculum for literacy, numeracy, and all subject areas.
- Collaborated with teachers and administrators to implement a districtwide targeted learning focus for literacy and numeracy, providing during the day academic interventions for identified elementary and middle school students working off grade level in math and reading
Principal
Phoenix Union High School District
07.2009 - 08.2016
- Served as the Principal of Trevor G Browne High School, the District's largest comprehensive campus with 3,100 students and almost 200 employees (certified/ classified), with a budget of more than $1,000,000.
- Created and implemented the PUHSD's largest and most comprehensive feeder district outreach and recruitment campaigns with the Cartwright Elementary School District resulting in an 80% capture rate for 8th graders every year since the 2009-2010 school year, the highest for feeder middle schools in the District.
- Reorganized disciplinary practices and procedures and created the TGBHS Positive Intervention Disciplinary team resulting in a 53% reduction in student fights, a 39% reduction in major disciplinary infractions, and leading the District with over 250 student to student mediations resolve conflict.
- Re-organization of the ELL Department resulted in 62% of ELL students increasing their proficiency level from one performance level to another and a re-classification rate of 27% at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, both almost 10% increases compared to English Language Learner performance during the 2012-2013 school year.
- Implemented the district's first evening school opportunities program (ESO) in 2011, resulting in a 8% increase in the graduation rate, from 72% in 2011 to 80% in May of 2015.
Assistant Principal
Phoenix Union High School District
07.2006 - 06.2009
- Served as the Assistant Principal at Trevor Browne High School charged with supporting the principal in the oversight and design of the school's master schedule of courses, supervision of student support services and discipline, and served as the administrative point person for parents during the enrollment process.
- Served as the designated summer school administrator for TGBHS including the creation of the summer school schedule, the coordination of the first day of summer school, and the facilitation of the summer school hiring and selection process.
- Implemented a school wide tardiness and absenteeism prevention initiative that resulted in significant increases in student daily attendance.
- Providing instructional coaching and guidance to teachers through formal and informal classroom visits and evaluations.
Secondary Classroom Teacher
West Phoenix High School
09.1998 - 07.2006
- Served as a Language Arts, English as a Second Language, and Spanish teacher for 9-12th grade students charged with differentiating and providing specially designed instruction according to student ability levels.
- Led professional development workshops for colleagues, sharing best practices in instructional techniques and classroom management strategies, specifically for AVID and the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol for English Language Learners.
- As English as a Second Language Department Chair, assessed, scheduled and oversaw compliance and record keeping for all ELL and refugee students.
- Improved communication among students and parents by maintaining regular contact and providing timely updates on progress with Spanish language support for monolingual Spanish speaking parents.
Education
Master of Arts - Educational Administration And Policy Studies
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZPh.D. - Educational Administration And Policy Studies
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZBachelor of Arts - Secondary Education
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZBachelor of Arts - History/ English
Park University
Kansas City, MOSkills
- Relationship builder
- Communicator
- Collaborative leadership
- Visionary
- Project management
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Awards and Recognitions
Arizona Association for Latino Administrators and Superintendents Superintendent of the Year 2022
Arizona Music Education Association Superintendent of the Year 2018
Phoenix Union High School District Principal of the Year 2014
Rodel Foundation Exemplary Principal Finalist 2013
Timeline
Superintendent
Tucson Unified School District
04.2017 - Current
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Tucson Unified School District
08.2016 - 04.2017
Principal
Phoenix Union High School District
07.2009 - 08.2016
Assistant Principal
Phoenix Union High School District
07.2006 - 06.2009
Secondary Classroom Teacher
West Phoenix High School
09.1998 - 07.2006
Master of Arts - Educational Administration And Policy Studies
Arizona State University
Ph.D. - Educational Administration And Policy Studies
Arizona State University
Bachelor of Arts - Secondary Education
Arizona State University
Bachelor of Arts - History/ English
Park University
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