Phyllis Schroeppel is retiring as Director of Fiscal Services. She originally came to the District from the private business world, graduated from California State University at Northridge with a degree in Business Administration, and started her career with Castaic Union more than 22 years ago.  She has served as District Bookkeeper, Financial Analyst, Coordinator of Fiscal Services/Financial Analyst, and for the last eight years as Director of Fiscal Services.

In her place, the Board of Trustees of the Castaic Union School District has appointed current Castaic Elementary School Principal, Mark Evans, as Director of Fiscal Services.

Evans, who has worked as an educator for more than 20 years, graduated from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.  He has worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District as an English teacher at Maclay Junior High School in Pacoima, and has served in the Castaic Union School District in several positions, including math teacher and dean/counselor at Castaic Middle School; Assistant Principal at Live Oak Elementary School, and District Coordinator.

Evans obtained Master of Arts (MA) degrees in both Education and Educational Administration from CSUN.

His experiences in education, negotiations, and budget make him an excellent choice for the position of Director of Fiscal Services.

Denise Davis has been appointed by the Board of Trustees to the position of Principal of Castaic Elementary School. Davis is a long-time Santa Clarita Valley resident who has worked as a teacher and school administrator for 24 years.  She began her career in the Los Angeles Unified School District as an upper grades elementary school teacher after graduating from CSUN with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies.  She continued her education through CSUN receiving her MA in Educational Administration.

In the Castaic Union School District Davis has been a sixth grade teacher at Castaic Middle School, a kindergarten teacher at Castaic Elementary, a fourth grade teacher at Northlake Hills Elementary School, the District Program Improvement Coach, and Assistant Principal at Castaic Middle School.

Sarah Delawder has been appointed Assistant Principal at Castaic Middle School. Delawder, who has had extensive service in the William S. Hart Union High School District, will replace newly appointed Principal and former assistant, Denise Davis. She has served as an English teacher, English Department chairperson, Advancement Via Individual Determination Program Coordinator, Hart District Professional Development Coach, Special Programs Intern, and Administrative Intern.

Delawder lives in Valencia with her husband and baby son.  She received her BA from UC Santa Barbara, her English teaching credential, her CLAD certificate and her MA in Educational Counseling from the University of La Verne, as well as her administrative training in preparation for her Administrative Services Credential.

The Castaic Union School District is pleased to announce that our own Director of Administrative Services, Marcia Dains, a current member of the executive committee of the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS), has been selected to be President-Elect of the organization and will assume the Presidency in July 2011.

Dains, a middle school teacher for 22 years and a middle school Principal at Castaic Middle School for seven years, was an original implementer of “Caught in the Middle,” the publication that outlined the specific needs of middle-age (12-14) and middle grade (6-8) students, as well as specific programs and instructional procedures to accommodate the needs of the “middle” student.  Dains guided Castaic Middle School through becoming one of the original California “Schools To Watch” and has seen the school through additional re-certifications over six years.  As Principal of CMS, she was responsible for its continued growth as a middle school through the implementation of “Taking Center Stage,” the successor document and middle grade focus after “Caught in the Middle.”  She was also responsible for introducing “Taking Center Stage Act II” to CMS and providing both training and leadership under her CLMS responsibilities to middle schools state-wide.

In preparation for her new position, and in addition to her middle school experiences, Dains has actively served in CLMS since 1988.