Castaic Union School District officials announced the provisional appointment of Frederick Malcomb Jr. to fill Michael Lambarth’s seat.

Lambarth gave notice of his resignation on July 21 and was effective September 1. The CUSD Governing Board members appointed Malcomb to the seat on September 8.

Unless a petition calling for a special election, containing a sufficient number of signatures is filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools within 30 days f the date of the provisional appointment, it shall become an effective appointment, according to a news release.

Fred Malcomb graduated from San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino in 1981.
He entered the United States Air Force in October 1981, and retired from active duty in April 2003, as a master sergeant.

Fred started out his teaching experience as an AFJROTC Instructor at Lancaster High School, and in 2004, was hired at Valencia High School.

Fred earned the United States Air Force Outstanding Instructor Award in 2007-08. After 13 years in the classroom. Malcomb was hired as a Counselor at the Palmdale Aerospace Academy.

Over the course of the last 13 years, Malcomb has dedicated his time and efforts to serving the communities of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Lambarth announced his departure during a special meeting of the board.

“During the past several months I’ve been forced to examine my use of time,” Lambarth said. “I have experienced ill health affecting my full-time employment, and preventing me from meeting family and religious obligations.

“Due to these issues and changes in my personal schedule, I’ve determined I must step down from my seat on the Castaic USD Board. This is not due to any outside influence or concern, merely an understanding that I misjudged my ability to be a committed board member while simultaneously meeting the demands on my time.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the other members of the governing board,” he said. “I very much admire the time and dedication they give to the people of our community, in the face of an adverse fiscal situation. Their work has kept our district among the best, despite challenging cuts. I can certainly appreciate more clearly now, the challenges they face and resolve on a regular basis. I deeply regret the need to leave, but do not see a way to avoid this choice. Thank you for your time.”

Lambarth joined the board in December 2015 after the terms of David Huffaker and Steven Teeman expired.

“(Lambarth said he doesn’t have) the time commitment to do it the right way and fully commit to be a board member. He just feels like something has to give,” said district Superintendent Steve Doyle.

According to Lambarth’s published biography, he has lived in Castaic for 10 years with his wife and three children.

“Mike volunteered as a missionary for his church in Venezuela for two years, and is a fluent Spanish speaker,” according to the bio. “He has a B.A. in Political Science from Brigham Young University. He has been a Police Officer for the City of Los Angeles since 2004, and is currently assigned to the Detective Bureau in the Abused Child Unit. Mike is active in his church youth group, currently serving as the Scoutmaster of Troop 491 in Castaic.”