Michael Musick Selected As LOSD Interim Superintendent

From Lake Oswego School District: The Lake Oswego School District school board voted 5-0 to appoint Dr. Michael Musick as interim superintendent for one year beginning July 1, 2018.

Musick will replace Dr. Heather Beck who has taken an academic leadership position with the Canadian International School located in Singapore. Her last day as LOSD superintendent is June 30, 2018.

Musick brings more than 30 years experience to the position. This is his first appointment as superintendent. He is currently assistant superintendent in charge of school leadership at LOSD. The district’s 10 principals report directly the him.

“When I started out as a teacher in 1982, I witnessed how districts and schools could fail or save kids,” said Musick. “I have spent my entire career working to ensure all students are highly successful.”

Musick has been with LOSD since 2015. He brought a rigorous process of implementing Response to Intervention (RtI) to the district by creating new tutoring centers for students and professional learning communities for teachers, and conducting site visits with principals. He is also the district’s Title IX director.

“Increasing each student’s opportunities for success is foundational to our work,” said Musick. “As superintendent, I will carry on the initiatives we have started to ensure that all students receive the support they need in order to be career and college-ready. From tutoring, to career and technical education, to enrichment opportunities, all students can be supported in their quest to achieve their academic goals."

“I have great confidence in Mike’s abilities,” said superintendent Heather Beck. “He will continue to deepen our work around all means all in order to reach our goal of a 100 percent graduation rate. His ability to support our principals has led to such positive outcomes for our students. It has been a pleasure to work with him and I am excited for him to take the helm of such an engaged district.”

“With the hiring of Dr. Musick as interim superintendent for the 2018-19 school year, the school board is very pleased to be able to continue the work begun by Dr. Beck," said school board chair John Wallin. "Dr. Musick was instrumental in the successful completion of our most recent three-year strategic plan with its focus on improving student success through education achievement and developing a vision for updated facilities.

"He also helped craft our new three-year plan, which focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion; career and college success; facilities and infrastructure; and communications and community relations," Wallin continued. "We are grateful that Dr. Beck remains our superintendent for another five months, and we are glad that Dr. Musick has five months to work closely with her to ensure a seamless transfer of leadership."

Musick has been instrumental in many shifts within the district. He led a task force that recommended moving to a later start time for secondary schools which was enacted this academic year. He helped lower barriers to academic success by allowing more students to take challenging coursework including honors English and advanced math classes.

As part of this RtI work within the district, he helped establish the Academic Support Centers, which provide academic support to students who are struggling, but also to students who are taking academically challenging courses.

As Title IX coordinator he is responsible for shepherding through changes to athletic facilities and developing increased opportunities for girls to participate in sports in order to bring parity across the district.

Musick began his career as a teacher with Clayton High School in Clayton, MO.

Over the next 18 years he worked his way up to Associate Principal of the 1,000 student school. He then moved to Construction Careers Center Charter High School in St. Louis for two years. He then joined Conifer High School in JeffCo School District located in Conifer, Colorado from 2007 to 2013 where he was principal of the 1,000 student high school.

During his tenure at Conifer, he increased AP test participation by CHS students from 186 to 699 in 2013. His school was recognized by Newsweek, Washington Post, and US News and World Report as on of the best high schools in American and one of the top 10 high schools in Colorado.

Musick received his doctorate in education administration at St. Louis University, his master's in education administration at Northeast Missouri State University and his bachelor's in business administration at Culver-Stockton College.

Mike and his wife Beth live in West Linn. They have two grown children.

Photo courtesy of LOSD