Former School Supt. Possemato Honored

Former Supt. Paul M. Possemato, who took an early retirement last August at the height of the city school district’s financial crisis, was honored recently by friends and former co-workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he had worked before moving south.

“There’s a lot of people in L.A. Unified who were deeply touched by the vision of Paul Possemato, and who felt we needed to let him know that we care,” said Don Dustin, director for performing arts in the Los Angeles district.

Possemato, whose retirement from the Laguna Beach Unified School District became official on Feb. 3, spent 34 years in the Los Angeles school district, where he rose to the position of associate superintendent. He came to Laguna Beach in 1991. But when the school district’s financial pictured darkened during his tenure, parents demanded his ouster.

The gala for Possemato, held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, was attended by about 200 people, including several of Possemato’s co-workers from Laguna Beach.