The Mountain View-Los Altos School District board unanimously elected Phil Faillace and Sanjay Dave as board president and vice president, respectively, at last Thursday’s board meeting. Thida Cornes, Esmeralda Ortiz and incumbent Catherine Vonnegut were also sworn in by Superintendent Dr. Nellie Meyer.
Faillace, who served as board clerk this year, assumed Vonnegut’s position as president. Dave succeeded former vice president Debbie Torok, who recently retired.
“[Faillace] knows how to interact with people,” Vonnegut said. “He knows how to take questions, and he gives answers that are appropriate for what’s going on. His experience all along will help him do the same good job.”
Faillace commended Vonnegut’s public service and the dedication she’s shown to her position, which he said has “kept the board moving forward” in the past year.
“You were doing everything, all the time, everywhere,” Faillace said at the meeting. “It’s incredible. You have given great service to the district. You have done so much in four years, and the public recognized that by re-electing you.”
Cornes nominated Ortiz as the board clerk. There were no opposing candidates for the role.
Vonnegut said she hopes that the new board will “work together cohesively,” as boards in past years have done. Because Faillace and Dave have worked together for roughly six years, and served as president and vice president, respectively, Vonnegut said “they’ll work very well together.”
“[I hope] we coalesce as a cooperative group, and that the new [members] are brought on board with an understanding of the system,” Vonnegut said. “We will come up with some good plans to change things up a little bit.”