With over 30 years in education, the Culver City Unified Superintendent shares his journey of fostering safety, connection, and joy in California’s classrooms.
November, 2024
Brian Lucas (Los Angeles ‘91) is a people person. He is naturally grounded, diligent, caring, and easy to get a smile from–four traits that have led to an incredibly fulfilling and successful career as an educator for over thirty years. Today, he serves as the Superintendent of Culver City Unified School District, which he proudly shares is home to one of California’s most diverse student populations. “I love going into classrooms,” he tells, “so many different people are represented here, and no matter who you are, you’re welcome. It’s truly the culture; teachers, administrators, our school board, and policies are centered on inclusion.”
Originally from Florida, Brian attended the University of Southern California. He stayed local after college when he joined the corps in 1991, teaching fourth and fifth grade at an elementary school in Inglewood. “It was a wonderful experience; I fell in love with the profession,” gushed Brian who marks his early years in the classroom as a period of humor, exhaustion, and rapid growth. He quickly became an educator who focused on creating affirming and safe environments for students because he found that fostering confidence and creating genuine connections made all the difference in students’ experiences. Even on the most challenging days, “there was always grace, openness, conversations, and redos. Another chance can make all the difference.”
After three decades of working in education, Brian still focuses on creating a culture of safety and understanding, this time at the District level, to ensure that students find joy and success in school. While he emphasizes the importance of effective and inclusive education policy, he still believes individual educators have immense influence and invests heavily in finding the right school administrators and teachers. “I miss being in class (as a teacher) almost every day,” shares Brian, “but now it’s pursuing change on a broader level. Working with educators to coalesce around a particular goal is energizing; there’s no stopping the ripple effect–thousands of kids can be affected.”
Working as a teacher as well as in school and school system leadership roles in Inglewood, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, and now Culver City, Brian finds long-term educators are flexible, have a good sense of humor and can think on their feet. However, he places one trait above the rest as the most important–a person must possess a love of working with kids. If he could snap his fingers and make a wish, he’d ensure teachers knew that love was reciprocated and valued not only by students, but also by parents, school leaders, and community members. “It may sound trite, but education is a hugely rewarding and incredibly complex career,” tells Brian. “Thirty years in, I feel so privileged to have worked alongside outstanding and dedicated educators in many beautiful and difficult situations. I have witnessed how far caring and connection goes, and there seems to be no limit.”
