La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board members recently declared a positive certification for their second interim financial report of 2018-19.
The positive certification, according to a district statement, means the school district will meet its financial obligations for the current fiscal year and two subsequent fiscal years. Continue reading “Second Interim Financial Report Declared Positive”
Readers Offer Impassioned Responses to Publisher’s Column
Publisher Charlie Plowman’s column in last week’s Outlook that criticized the conduct of some young La Cañada High School fans at a recent basketball game drew the largest response in more than a decade to an issue raised by the newspaper. Today we are publishing all of the letters we have received on the issue. The Outlook does not hesitate to publish letters that are critical of the newspaper. Contributors should strive to limit letters on any subject to 250 words, and letters should be submitted by one person only and be accompanied by a current address and valid telephone number for confirmation purposes. (The Outlook has allowed some latitude on these rules today.) Anonymous letters are not accepted. Send submissions by email to outlooknews@outlooknewspapers.com. Please write “Letter to the Editor” as the subject line.
Continue reading “Readers Offer Impassioned Responses to Publisher’s Column”
School Officials Probe Alleged Offensive Language at Game
La Cañada High School and district officials said they have launched a comprehensive investigation into allegedly offensive language and behavior attributed to a specific group of student fans at a CIF championship basketball game between LCHS and Ontario Colony High School at Azusa Pacific University on Feb. 23. The alleged language was described in a first-person, front-page editorial column by Outlook publisher Charlie Plowman on Feb. 28. Continue reading “School Officials Probe Alleged Offensive Language at Game”
LCUSD 6th-Graders Stage ‘Peter Pan Jr.’
Advanced Math Class at LCHS Takes Step Forward
An advanced math course at La Cañada High School is a step closer to reality as the La Cañada Unified School District and Pasadena City College are making plans to collaborate.
“We are excited at the possibility of partnering with Pasadena City College to offer advanced math classes as well as possibly other subjects at La Cañada High School,” said LCUSD Governing Board President Brent Kuszyk in an email. “This will come before the board for discussion at our March meeting and we will be considering a MOU [memorandum of understanding] with Pasadena City College.” Continue reading “Advanced Math Class at LCHS Takes Step Forward”
School Campus Projects Still on Course, Officials Say
At a school district Governing Board meeting this week, La Cañada High School Booster Club President Jeremy Milbrodt, Superintendent Wendy Sinnette, club Treasurer Randy Scoville and LCHS interim Principal Jim Cartnal display a $41,000 check from the club to help fund the high school’s new Wellness Center.
Some of the construction projects at local schools that are being funded through Measure LCF bond revenue are expected to cost more than first anticipated but are still within the budget, officials said this week.
Improvements that have been or will be made possible by the $149 million general obligation bond, passed in November 2017, were discussed on Tuesday night at the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board meeting. Continue reading “School Campus Projects Still on Course, Officials Say”
LCUSD Board OKs Settlement With Ex-Principals, Dives Into Pool Plans
The La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board on Tuesday night unanimously ratified settlements worth more than $500,000 involving former principals Christine Castillo and Ian McFeat.
Board members did not discuss the issue before or after the vote, but local resident David Haxton rose to object after the settlements were approved in open session that they were not truly “confidential,” as they were revealed to newspapers. The Outlook reported on them after making a public records request. Continue reading “LCUSD Board OKs Settlement With Ex-Principals, Dives Into Pool Plans”
LCUSD Settlements With Ex-Principals Stir Mixed Parent Response
La Cañada High School students are beginning an academic year’s second half without Principal Ian McFeat for the first time since 2013 as a result of six-figure legal settlements involving him, the school district and his wife, Christine Castillo, a former La Cañada Elementary School principal.
McFeat, who was hired as principal in July 2012, became the La Cañada Unified School District’s executive director of student services on Dec. 10, a move that district officials had said was a promotion. Later, it was revealed that he and Castillo had signed settlement agreements on Dec. 4 that stemmed from a Castillo lawsuit and determined his employment is terminated effective June 30.
Ian McFeat, former La Cañada High School principal, and Christine Castillo, an ex-La Cañada Elementary School principal, agreed in December to separate six-figure settlements from LCUSD.
Since The Outlook reported last month that McFeat has left and details of the settlement have been disseminated, the community has engaged in spirited discussion — in particular on a closed Facebook page, with more than 100 comments on the topic. Some parents have said they are glad the lawsuit has ended, albeit with questions regarding the cost and divided opinion over the unforeseen changes in leadership. In several Facebook posts, writers voiced displeasure that LCUSD had settled at all in a case that they said was bogus and declared that the hiring process for McFeat and Castillo had been flawed from the beginning.
Continue reading “LCUSD Settlements With Ex-Principals Stir Mixed Parent Response”
LCUSD Settles Lawsuit With Former Principals for $500K
The La Cañada Unified School District will pay about $500,000 to settle a lawsuit with former La Cañada Elementary School Principal Christine Castillo and her husband Ian McFeat, the former La Cañada High School principal who was recently named executive director of student services at the district. Continue reading “LCUSD Settles Lawsuit With Former Principals for $500K”
Former LCE Principal Asks to Dismiss Suit Against District
A former La Cañada Elementary School principal who had filed a lawsuit against the school district for alleged sexual discrimination and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional stress has requested a dismissal of the case.
A clerk in Los Angeles County Superior Court said that the request for dismissal in effect ends the civil case. Continue reading “Former LCE Principal Asks to Dismiss Suit Against District”