Pali Elementary Welcomes Back Longtime Principal Joan Ingle

By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter

Palisades Charter Elementary School has welcomed back Principal Joan Ingle, after the departure of principal and longtime community member Gary Saunders.

Ingle, who will be serving on an interim basis as the school finds a permanent solution, will be coming out of retirement to return to the school she oversaw for 10 years.

“Great leaders make great schools,” said Nick Melvoin, District 4 representative of the LAUSD. “We are grateful to Principal Ingle for helping to fill that role while we engage the community to find the best new leader for Palisades Elementary.”

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge, Ingle went on to earn two master’s degrees in special education and administration.

Prior to her career at Pali Elementary, she worked as an assistant principal for Westwood Charter School and Roscomare School.

“I love seeing [students] return year after year, even after they’ve moved on to middle school or high school,” said Ingle to the Post in a 2017 prior to her departure. “They come back to visit us smarter, taller and more excited. One of the best feelings is knowing that I’ve played a part in so many lives.”

Ingle has been a Palisadian since 1997 with her husband and children, who attended Paul Revere Charter Middle School and Palisades Charter High School.

“One of the things that I admire most about this community is the amount of love that people have for public education,” Ingle said in 2017. “The parents of our children are so active and involved, it’s really unlike any other school that I have been to.”

Saunders, who will now be serving as principal at the Porter Ranch Community School, leaves the school after two years at the helm and was welcomed to his new home by the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council on Wednesday, August 14.

He was often seen throughout several Palisadian community events, including Read Across America Day, the Jumping for Health Fundraiser and the Pali Bee.