First published in the June 30 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The La Cañada Unified School District presented the Governing Board with its staff lineup for the upcoming year that features new and familiar faces.
Superintendent Wendy Sinnette announced that after three years of commendable service, Palm Crest Elementary Principal Cory Pak decided to step back from administration for a brief time and return to the classroom as 4th-grade teacher at La Cañada Elementary.
“I am grateful to him for his awesome service as our PCR principal and look forward to future opportunities to work with him in an administrative capacity,” Sinnette said in a statement. “Cory’s decision is family-centered, with Cory and his wife looking for ways to adjust schedules to have more time and flexibility to support and enjoy their teenage daughters. I think the challenges of the last two years have made us all even more acutely aware of the importance of family, and I am happy to be able to support his decision for a short-term career pivot.”
The district was able to secure Amy Marcoullier’s return to Palm Crest in the role of principal. Marcoullier previously served assistant principal at PCR before her recent assignment as an assistant principal at La Cañada High School.
“Marcoullier is an outstanding administrator who knows PCR well,” Sinnette said. “Her familiarity with the students, teachers, staff, families, facilities and school culture at PCR position her for a successful and seamless return. I am grateful to Amy for accepting the position and have every confidence that she will do an outstanding job serving and leading our Palm Crest community.”
At the special meeting, the school board acted on the PCR administrative change and also accepted Sinnette’s recommendations, approving the following administrative personnel actions:
• Jamie Lewsadder was named the associate superintendent of technology services. This action is primarily a title change that acknowledges Lewsadder’s exemplary service to the district as a member of the superintendent’s cabinet.
• Adam Almeida was approved as one of the LCHS assistant principals. Almeida comes to LCUSD from Malibu High School where he has served as assistant principal since 2019. He has been a public school administrator since 2007 and joins LCUSD with a wide range of high school administrative experience.
• Jennifer Nebor was also appointed as an LCHS assistant principal. Nebor is relocating to LCUSD from Aurora, Illinois, where she most recently served as an interim principal. Her teaching background is in high school science, focusing on biology, chemistry, physics and environmental earth science.
Also presented at the meeting were first-read agenda items regarding the contracts of two cabinet members. The board is not allowed to approve cabinet-level contract positions at special meetings, so this first reading allowed Sinnette to introduce both people into their new positions in advance of the formal action by the Governing Board on June 28.
Sinnette appointed Debra Cradduck as assistant superintendent of human resources after having served as the district’s chief human resources officer for four years and introduced Melissa Greenwood as the successor to Mark Evans, who will be leaving LCUSD at the end of June.
Greenwood will be the new assistant superintendent of business and operations and comes from the Fullerton School District where she has served since 2014.
“With these administrative hires, the LCUSD leadership team is fully staffed, and we are also almost completely staffed in all of our certificated teacher and support staff hirings,” Sinnette said. “LCUSD’s human resources office will next tackle interviewing and hiring for openings in our classified support staff positions. I am happy to share with you that we are casting wide nets for all of our staffing vacancies and hiring the very best to serve the students of LCUSD.”
