Laguna School District Names Interim Superintendent

An attorney for the troubled Laguna Beach Unified School District, Jackson E. Parham, was appointed Thursday night to be its superintendent for the next five months.

Parham, 51, a legal consultant to the district for 12 years, succeeds Supt. Paul M. Possemato, who retired under pressure as the district’s loss of more than $2 million brought a community uproar. The district has been without a superintendent since mid-August.

“This was key for us,” Trustee Susan Mas said. “We could not function without someone in the leadership position.” Mas said the board had asked other administrators in the district to take the job, but none wanted it.

Parham said the county Board of Education was instrumental in his appointment.

“The county office was very interested in there being leadership in the Laguna community by someone with background in conflict management,” he said. Within the next few months, the district must negotiate a contract with employees, who account for 85% of the budget. The contract probably will include pay cuts.

“I’m very optimistic,” he said. “This is a quality school district, and has been for a long time.”

Parham, who has been the district’s legal consultant for 12 years, will be paid $8,000 a month for the five-month assignment.

Parham lived in Laguna Beach until his house burned in the 1993 fires. He now lives in Camarillo and flies to work in his own plane. He has a private law firm in Irvine.

Some residents expressed surprise that the trustees had named an acting superintendent without public notice.

Steve Rabago, a candidate for school board, said, “It is incomprehensible to me to think that Jack can really spend the appropriate amount of time to get this thing under control.”

Trustees also appointed Lisa Howell of Fullerton to be the financial services controller.

Earlier Thursday, trustees said they will have to borrow money to make it through the school year.

Staggered by the recent loss of $1.2 million (on top of an earlier $1-million loss), trustees said a major portion of the latest shortfall will have to be financed in an as yet undetermined way. The rest will have to be made up in pay cuts.

District officials said the borrowed money will cover one-time capital costs only, principally those incurred after Thurston Middle School was severely damaged by the 1993 Laguna fires.

Although the exact amount necessary to borrow is still uncertain, Carlyle said members of the community have come forward and suggested they would loan the district the money.