Anaheim Union High School District Supt. Michael Matsuda announces retirement
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With a final graduation season behind him, Michael Matsuda decided it time to turn the tassel on his own tenure as superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District.
Matsuda announced his retirement in a video message to the district, which serves roughly 26,000 students, 70% of whom are Latino, across campuses in Anaheim, Cypress, La Palma, Stanton and Buena Park.
“Like all the thousands of students who have graduated through their own capstones, their own reflections on life, I am ready to move on with the next stage of my journey,” he said in brief remarks.
Matsuda’s 11-year run as AUHSD superintendent will conclude at the end of the year.
“This is not the end,” he added. “It is only the beginning.”
Anaheim Union High School District’s international student recruitment efforts came under scrutiny as more than 100 teachers were set to be laid off earlier this year.
Described as an “unexpected” pick when first appointed superintendent in 2014, Matsuda touted 21 years of experience at AUHSD, mostly as a teacher at Orangeview Junior High School and the prestigious Oxford Academy before taking on an administrative role overseeing professional development.
Some trustees at the time expressed reservations with Matsuda’s lack of administrative experience before a 4-1 vote appointed him to lead the district.
During his time as superintendent, Matsuda became synonymous with a number of branded educational efforts. AUHSD became the first California Democracy School District and secured $26 million for community schools.
The “Anaheim Pledge” program also provides free tuition for district graduates to attend Cypress and Fullerton College as freshmen with the intent to transfer to UC Irvine.
In making students career ready, AUHSD partnered with Google in offering career certificates through several tech courses.
The AUHSD issued a news release calling Matsuda’s tenure “a defining era of innovation, student empowerment and national recognition” for the district.
“Superintendent Matsuda’s legacy is one of courage, vision and relentless dedication to equity, innovation and student voice,” said Brian O’Neal, president of the board of trustees. It was O’Neal who cast the sole vote against the superintendent’s 2014 appointment, but he had long since retired his skepticism. “His leadership has not only reshaped AUHSD but has served as a national model for the future of public education.”
Trustee Annemarie Randle-Trejo added that Matsuda’s “impact will be felt for generations.”
But toward the end of his tenure, AUHSD faced a serious challenge in the form of declining enrollment, an increasingly common post-pandemic conundrum for campuses statewide.
The district has shed about 5,500 students in Matsuda’s time as superintendent, a contraction that is expected to double by the 2028-29 school year.
Citing sagging enrollment stats, trustees initially approved more than 100 teacher layoffs last year before protests prompted Matsuda and district officials to work with the teachers’ union on a plan to save jobs through alternative budget cuts.
Though teacher layoffs were averted, a budget presentation given during a June board meeting made clear that fiscal challenges still lie ahead. Projected budget deficits are expected to spike from a modest $300,000 this school year to $47 million by 2028-29.
School board members cited declining enrollment and dried up pandemic relief funds as chief reasons for the mass layoffs while at the same time stressing efforts made to mitigate their impact on students.
The Trump administration’s push to withhold significant federal education grants has also thrown a wrench into budgeting, with the district considering only $15 million of $41 million in federal revenue to be “certain.”
How AUHSD grapples with staying solvent going forward is a pressing matter for Matsuda’s successor.
Is search for new superintendent being rushed?
The trustees are conducting an internal search for Matsuda’s replacement, a recruitment process with an application deadline set for this coming Monday, July 28. In soliciting input, trustees have invited community members to participate in a multilingual survey regarding the selection of a new superintendent, with their comments also due Monday.
The tight turnaround, which comes while school is out for summer, has raised concerns for some in the community.
“There’s no rush,” said Germaine Neumann-Chau, a former district parent and freelance journalist. “Our school district is limiting our opportunity to attract the best candidates. Are we looking at what is best for the district or continuing a favored agenda?”
Dulce Sotelo, a district parent, called the recruitment process “rushed.”
She learned of Matsuda’s retirement through his video message and plans on filing out the survey soon but wants more transparency overall.
“Is our voice really going to be considered?” Sotelo asked. “What if there’s someone with incredible experience, who can understand our students and they can’t apply because they’re only doing it internally?”
