Donald LaPlante takes helm as school board president

On Tuesday evening, at the Board’s annual reorganization meeting, Donald LaPlante was elected president of the Downey Unified Board of Education. Seen in this photo is LaPlante (left) with outgoing Board President Nancy Swenson

DOWNEY — On Tuesday evening, at the school board’s annual reorganization meeting which is held in December of each year, Donald E. LaPlante was elected president of the Downey Unified Board of Education.

Other officers include Tod M. Corrin as vice president and D. Mark Morris as clerk. Outgoing President Nancy A. Swenson, a member of the Board since 2005, will continue to serve on the Board as a representative of Trustee Area 5.

There to present Swenson with a certificate thanking her for her one-year term as president was City of Downey Council Member Alex Saab. LaPlante presented outgoing president Swenson with a plaque, on behalf of the entire Board of Education, thanking her for her leadership as president this past year.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized tonight,” expressed Swenson. “I truly appreciate the support of my Downey Unified family this past year. I have learned a lot as president and I look forward to continuing to learn as a member of the Board in the coming year. I would like to thank the community for taking the time to read my articles each month; it has been a true pleasure to write them and an even greater pleasure receiving your feedback.”

Serving on the Board since 1979, LaPlante is Warren High School alumnus and one of the longest serving Board members in the state of California. This is the seventh time that LaPlante has served as president. He has been actively involved in school board organizations during his time on the Board. In 2012, he was elected by his colleagues in the southern part of Los Angeles County as Director for Region 24 of the California School Boards Association.

For the past 30 years, he served as a member of the Delegate Assembly for the California School Board Association. Professionally, LaPlante retired from teaching English and United States history for the Duarte Unified School District, teaching at the seventh and eighth grade level for over 20 years.

Corrin, a Downey resident for over 40 years, is an active volunteer, member of PTA for over 20 years and a past member of the Warren High School Academic Booster Council. A Board of Education member since 2003, Corrin has also served as a member of the Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis and is the past-president of Northwest Downey Little League.

In addition to his role as a member of the Board of Education, Corrin has served in multiple capacities on the Downey YMCA Board of Managers and has directed the YMCA Easter Caravan for 41 years.

Councilman Alex Saab and school board member Nancy Swenson.

Morris is a lifelong resident of Downey and a graduate of Downey High School. He has been a member of the Board of Education since 1982.

Morris is a member of the California School Board Association and the Los Angeles County School Boards Association. He retired from the City of Downey as a Housing Planner after 28 years; also, having worked for six years for the cities of Norwalk, Paramount and Alhambra.

Morris is married to his wife Pam, who is a Downey Unified teacher. All their children have attended Downey Unified schools as well as their four grandchildren.