Ocean View classified staff, two assistant superintendents receive a 2.5% salary increase this school year

Ocean View School District classified staff members and two assistant superintendents are receiving 2.5% pay increases.

The employees will get 2% retroactive raises to July and 1% retroactive increases to January.

The school board approved the new contracts with a 4-1 vote this week. Trustee Norm Westwell dissented.

The total amounts to a 2.5% increase for the 2016-17 school year, said Felix Avila, assistant supt. of human resources.

The estimated salary increase for Assistant Supt. of Educational Services Jodee Brentlinger and Avila amounts to $3,944 for the 2016-17 school year, Avila said.

Brentlinger and Avila received contract extensions through 2020.

Earlier this year, the school board approved 2.5% increases for teachers.

Avila and board President Gina Clayton-Tarvin both said the Huntington Beach-based district works in a “collaborative manner” with its employees.

Clayton-Tarvin said there was “preferential treatment” for employees years before, but now the district strives for parity among all employees, including administers and principals.

New language arts materials

In other business, the board decided students within Ocean View School District will be using two new English language arts materials in 2017-18.

Trustees unanimously adopted “Wonders” published by McGraw Hill for transitional kindergartners through fifth-graders and StudySync, also published by McGraw Hill, for grades 6 to 8. The two McGraw Hill programs were recommended by a committee of 35 elementary and 18 middle school teachers.

The committee gathered in 2016 to begin reviewing the Common Core State Standards and select programs that would best serve students.

Brentlinger said the full adoption of program materials is estimated to cost $1.3 million.

All English teachers within the district and parents reviewed the instructional materials and offered input prior to the final adoption process, said Clayton-Tarvin, who works as a teacher in ABC Unified School District in Cerritos.

Wonders offers “great resources,” such as online quizzes where students can “immediately review” their scores, she said from her experience with the materials.

Non-amendment agenda item

A law firm determined an item listed on an Ocean View School District agenda in April did not require an amendment demanded by a trustee.

During a board meeting April 4, Westwell said the district improperly listed an item as “anticipated litigation” instead of “existing litigation.”

Westwell said the item, which involved a restraining order request filed by the district against an iactivist, was needed because it was filed the day prior.

However, after review from Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, a Cerritos firm, it was determined the “agenda was properly posted 72 hours in advance of the meeting and “at the time of posting, accurately reflected the status of the litigation.”

Supt. Carol Hansen said the board then created a resolution denying the request made by Westwell to correct the board minutes from April 4. The resolution passed with a 4-1 vote with Westwell dissenting.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella