Burbank High principal takes job at Village Christian

Burbank High School Principal Bruce Osgood will step down at the end of the academic year to assume a similar role at Village Christian Schools in Sun Valley, officials said Thursday.

Osgood, 56, will serve as principal for the middle and high schools at Village Christian, a K-12 private school with an enrollment of about 1,000 students, said Head of Schools Tom Konjoyan. He replaces Lisa Levoe, who served as interim principal for one year. Levoe will now assume the title of assistant principal and continue to be in charge of college counseling.

Village Christian has been a standard bearer in private education for 60 years, Osgood said, and offers a unique experience for an affordable price.

“I have been in public education for 25 years and have always loved it,” Osgood said. “That hasn’t diminished at all, but I just feel at this time the call was to move to a Christian school where I could pursue my two great passions, ministry and education.”

Since Osgood took the helm at Burbank High in 2003, the school raised its Academic Performance Index score by more than 100 points, and he supervised a major refurbishment project. He has been a champion for the school’s athletic teams, and two years ago oversaw the Burbank High centennial celebration.

In 2010, he was honored by the Assn. of California School Administrators as the 2009-10 High School Principal of the Year.

Osgood took over at Burbank High following a period marked by frequent turnover, said Supt. Stan Carrizosa, and he brought with him a new commitment to excellence.

“To have someone like Bruce come in and provide a sense of calm and stability, and a sense of unity, has been a really wonderful asset, not only for Burbank High School, but Burbank Unified,” Carrizosa said.

The search for a new principal will begin immediately, Carrizosa said, adding that he hopes to announce a replacement by mid-May. Internal and external candidates will be considered.

Before his term at Burbank High, Osgood served as principal at John Muir Middle School in Burbank He also has strong background in Christian youth ministry, having worked for Young Life, the Glendale YMCA and First United Methodist Church early in his career.

“I think the ability for him and for us to combine his fantastic leadership experience with schools with his passion and real heart for helping kids grow in their faith is the combination we were looking for,” Konjoyan said.

Osgood said he is proud of the changes he has implemented, and he has been continually impressed by his Burbank Unified colleagues, especially the staff at Burbank High School.

“The thing I am happiest about are marked changes in the culture of Burbank High of people really caring about the school, and caring about what they do here,” Osgood said. “I think our achievement scores are an indication that the kids are learning right now … It has been a great eight years at Burbank High School.”