School board greetings paired with a farewell
Residents and La Cañada Unified school officials celebrated a deeply connected district Tuesday, as board members bid a fond farewell to outgoing President Andrew Blumenfeld and welcomed two newly appointed members.
Current Vice President Ellen Multari was sworn for a second four-year term, while newcomer and La Cañada parent Brent Kuszyk was welcomed to the governing board.
After more than 17 years of being involved with the school district, as both a student and board member, Blumenfeld is transitioning to a run for a state Assembly seat, representing California’s 43rd District. The board presented him with a plaque and gavel in commemoration.
According to Multari, the board will meet sometime before Dec. 9 for its official reorganization. On Tuesday, Supt. Wendy Sinnette praised the great strides made since Blumenfeld and Multari joined the board in 2011.
“We’ve made superintendent goals public, initiated annual surveys of students and staff … transitioned to new state standards, implemented new computer-standardized testing models, developed a teacher evaluation model, established a parcel tax, overhauled technology district-wide with one-to-one learning for fifth, sixth and seventh graders and implemented a local and state control funding formula,” Sinnette said. “All of this happened in the last four years.”
She and Blumenfeld’s fellow board members complemented the outgoing president on his dedication before a packed audience.
“He’s a man of great vision, and is grounded in his intelligence and actions,” Sinnette said. “He has exceptional integrity and high standards.”
“You’ve made me a better board member,” Multari added.
Blumenfeld quipped that prior to his leadership on the school board, the last time he held a managerial position was at the La Cañada Starbucks.
“It was a tall order to ask a community of highly engaged parents to have me lead the board that oversees their children when I have no children of my own,” Blumenfeld said. “I have embarked on this journey and logged lots of miles.”
He recalled how four years ago, board members received their hefty meeting agenda packets at home. Today, they can access all the information needed on the school district’s website.
Following Sinnette’s lead, Blumenfeld noted achievements made in the last four years, such as securing needed funds through the new parcel tax, a 27-point increase in parents saying on the LCUSD annual survey they feel informed by the school board, as well as a 14-point increase in respondents who believe technology is adequately used in the classroom and a 21-point increase in residents who say they have faith in the school district.
“Our students are top performers in the entire state, and across the nation in some places with more double the funds spent per pupil than La Cañada,” Blumenfeld said.
Kuszyk, a classical musician and teacher at Loyola Marymount University who’s been involved for years on the La Cañada Flintridge Education Foundation, said in his remarks he’s excited for his opportunity to serve on the board.
It’s like joining a dream team,” he said, adding that he hopes to bring in more alumni engagement to the district.
Multari noted the “culture change” with the school board over the last four years, and said she looks forward building on its success in her next term.
“We have a much more ongoing relationship with the public,” she said. “We played to the fact that we are an intimate community, and it works well.”
In other news
Mark Evans, chief of business operations, informed board members on Tuesday that the high school football field replacement project preliminary work is getting underway. The existing field was installed during the 2002-03 school year, and the latest replacement is slated for 2016 he reported.
The board also unanimously approved Evans’ first interim financial report as well as an addendum to the Spartan Spirit Campaign naming opportunity that would allow community members to sponsor parts of La Cañada High School’s newly built fitness center.
According to the education foundation, the high school booster club has been working on the improvements to the fitness center. The new policy addendum would provide an opportunity for donors, including local businesses, to have their names affixed on placards for a determined period of time.
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Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer.