Jeffries and Puglia to take top seats on La Cañada Unified school board

In a reorganization Tuesday, members of the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board unanimously approved Dan Jeffries as president for calendar year 2017 and named board member Kaitzer Puglia vice president, also in a unanimous vote.

Before handing over the gavel, outgoing President David Sagal thanked fellow board members for their dedication and support in an at-times turbulent year that saw a heat-up of negotiations between the district and its teachers union, and two public hearings on a possible transfer of homes in La Cañada’s “Sagebrush territory” away from Glendale Unified and into LCUSD boundaries.

“I really appreciate the talents here and how hard everyone works,” Sagal said. “It has not always been a day at the beach, but nothing rewarding or fulfilling is.”

Join the conversation on Facebook >>

Supt. Wendy Sinnette recognized Sagal’s steadfast guidance in a year marked by “great achievements (and) relational turmoil.”

“David’s leadership has been unwavering, unflappable, insightful and intelligent,” Sinnette said in her superintendent’s report. “Under his presidency, I can truly say our success was intentional.”

Jeffries, a father of five who works for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, was nominated as vice president last year and has served on the LCUSD Governing Board since 2013. On Tuesday, he expressed gratitude for his colleagues’ vote of confidence.

“It’s going to be very difficult to fill David’s shoes — he manages to keep us on target, on time and on track,” he said.

Sagal assured those in attendance Jeffries was a solid pick for president.

“I have the utmost confidence in Mr. Dan Jeffries,” he said. “He’s going to be a tremendous president. I think you all are in good hands.”

Board member Brent Kuszyk was selected to serve as board clerk for the 2017 calendar year.

--

Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine