New board sworn in; Culverhouse offered interim role

Morgan and Hills were sworn in by Mayor Alex Rounaghi. Per Sensible Laguna, outgoing Board President Jan Vickers, outgoing Clerk Kelly Osborne, and Superintendent Viloria did not attend. Dee Perry was elected Board President by a 3-2 vote (Perry, Hills, Morgan in favor; Kelly and Malczewski opposed, with Kelly initially nominating Malczewski for the position). The board also voted in closed session to offer the interim superintendent role to Dr. JoAnn Culverhouse, former superintendent of the La Habra City School District and herself a former LBUSD principal. Culverhouse declined the offer after this meeting; the role was filled in practice by Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Jeff Dixon, formally appointed as Acting Superintendent on January 9, 2025.

People referenced

• Sheri Morgan
• Howard Hills
• Dee Perry
• James J. Kelly
• Joan Malczewski
• Jan Vickers
• Kelly Osborne
• Dr. JoAnn Culverhouse
• Dr. Jason Viloria

Citations (7)

1. Community Voice & Updates advocacy Sensible Laguna
   Sensible Laguna · Gary Kasik, Steve McIntosh
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2. Transparency Concerns Swirl Around Laguna Beach School District news Voice of OC
   Voice of OC · 2025-01-09

   Voice of OC reporting (Jan 9, 2025) referenced past and present board members raising Brown Act concerns about the interim superintendent search process initiated at the December 16, 2024 reorganization.

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3. Laguna Beach School Board Looks For Interim Superintendent Amid Transparency Concerns news Voice of OC
   Voice of OC · 2025-01-13

   Voice of OC follow-up coverage of the interim superintendent appointment process and Culverhouse's role.

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4. LBUSD BoardDocs — Public Board Agendas and Minutes primary Laguna Beach Unified School District
   Laguna Beach Unified School District

   Agenda, packet, and minutes for the December 16, 2024 organizational meeting are accessible through the LBUSD BoardDocs portal.

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5. Letter: Why LBUSD Should Miss Culverhouse More Than Ever op-ed Laguna Beach Independent
   Laguna Beach Independent · Howard Hills · 2022-01-28

   She was a highly successful principal at El Morro, Thurston and Laguna Beach High School… driven from our school community.

   Howard Hills's January 28, 2022 letter to the editor in the Laguna Beach Independent, written nearly three years before his November 2024 election to the LBUSD Board and the new board majority's December 16, 2024 vote to offer Culverhouse the interim superintendent role. Documents a public advocacy connection that pre-dates the offer.

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6. Dee Perry named woman of the year by Woman's Club of Laguna Beach news Laguna Beach Independent
   Laguna Beach Independent

   Laguna Beach Independent coverage of Dee Perry's recognition as Woman of the Year by the Woman's Club of Laguna Beach (2022).

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7. Board Governance Meeting (Open Session) — Apr 23, 2026 primary Laguna Beach Unified School District
   Laguna Beach Unified School District

   LBUSD recording of the meeting; see /meetings/2026-04-23-governance for a transcript-derived summary.

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