Downey Unified superintendent John Garcia to retire after 12 years
Superintendent Garcia visits Rio San Gabriel Elementary School, and receives happy retirement wishes from the students on February 25. (Photo by Vince Medina)
DOWNEY — After more than a decade as superintendent of the Downey Unified School District, Dr. John Garcia announced his retirement at the Board of Education meeting on Feb. 12.
Since taking on the position in 2012, Garcia has aimed to make major transformations in the district, from facility modernizations to academic advancements.
His career in education spans more than three decades, but it began unexpectedly. His father worked in maintenance in Inglewood Unified School District, and approached him with the idea when he was graduating from college.
“He happened to be talking to one of his principals, and she said, ‘If your son’s interested in teaching, have him come and talk to me,’” said Garcia. “I didn’t have any designs on teaching, but it was the early ‘90s, there was a recession going on, and there weren’t a lot of jobs. So I went and I talked to her, and she hired me as a fifth grade teacher in Inglewood Unified School District. Once I started working with kids as an elementary teacher, I just thought, ‘Wow, what an amazing job.’”
His career advanced as he took on administrative roles, including teaching and principal positions in Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District before deciding to seek a superintendent position.
“I think somewhere along the way, I realized I want to get into leadership, and then that ultimately led to wanting to be a superintendent,” said Garcia. “I fell into this career by accident, but I found my love, my excitement for working with young people every single day.”
After more principal positions at school districts in Orange County, he went to Glendale Unified School District to take an assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent position. In 2012, when then-superintendent Wendy Doty announced her retirement, Garcia saw an opportunity for his career to return to his hometown and fill the position.
“I’m a Downey kid, I went first through 12th grade here in Downey Unified, Carpenter Elementary, Sussman (then South) Middle School and I graduated from Downey High School (1985),” said Garcia. “Something struck me, with my career trajectory intersecting with this job being open. I just felt like it was fate for me that I would get to come back to my hometown and be the superintendent of Downey Unified School District.”
In 2012, he returned to lead the very district where he grew up as only the fourth superintendent of DUSD since 1970.
After 33 years in education—most spent in leadership roles— Garcia feels the district is in a strong position to continue thriving without him. His decision to retire comes after he signed a four-year extension to his contract last year.
“It’s written into my contract, in section 11, that every year if I get a satisfactory or better on my evaluation, the board has the option to extend my contract for another year,” said Garcia. “I’ve gotten excellent evaluations during the 11 years that I’ve been here. Because of my positive evaluations, our board of education has opted to renew my contract for another four-year term every year since I’ve been here.”
Garcia’s decision to retire comes from personal considerations, notably wanting to spend more time with his family. He shared that his parents live in New Mexico, and as his father recently turned 86, and his mother will soon be 83, he wants the flexibility to spend more time with them.
He also said that retiring would give him more freedom to spend time with his wife of 31 years along with his son and daughter.
“We have an amazing pension system in California, our State Teachers Retirement System, and that gives me the opportunity to be able to retire at 58,” said Garcia. “I just feel like everything is in place, and this place is just going to continue doing great. And because I do have the opportunity to be able to retire at this point, I think it’s just time for me to go.
“Over the last 12 years, I’ve accomplished all of the goals that I set when I started here in 2012.”
During his tenure, Garcia led Downey Unified through significant changes. He shared some of his proudest achievements include the modernization of school facilities, made possible by multiple bond measures that upgraded campuses and created better learning environments.
He also oversaw an increase in graduation requirements, aligning them with A-G coursework required for admission to California’s public universities. Under his leadership, the district’s A-G completion rate increased by 30 percentage points. Additionally, new Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways, including fire science and JROTC programs, were introduced to provide students with broader career options.
Beyond infrastructure and academic policy, Garcia’s leadership fostered a culture of excellence and dedication among educators and staff. His motto, “Our kids deserve the best,” became a core philosophy guiding his career.
“I knew when I got here what I wanted for our kids in Downey, having been a kid in Downey,” said Garcia “Then when my son started here, it really gave me a great perspective now that I am a parent in Downey. I know what I want for him every single day, and being able to provide that for every one of our 22,000 kids for the last 12 years has been absolutely amazing to me, because our kids deserve the best.”
“It isn’t just a slogan on a wall, it’s a philosophy, a way of living. It’s a way of conducting ourselves every single day to respect and honor what the parents of this district send us every single day - what they love most in the world, their kids.”
With his retirement set for July 31, 2025, the Downey Unified Board of Education is in the process of selecting an executive search firm to find his successor. The board aims to name the new superintendent by mid-May, allowing for a transition period where Garcia can provide guidance before stepping down.