HUNTINGTON BEACH : Desegregation Panel Holds First Meeting

A 40-member committee charged with the task of desegregating Oak View School, whose student population is overwhelmingly Latino, began its three-month effort with an inaugural meeting Wednesday.

The Ocean View Elementary School District Board of Trustees formed the committee last month in response to concerns that Oak View School has grown increasingly segregated in recent years.

According to last year’s enrollment figures, more than 80% of the school’s students are Latino, reflecting the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood near Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue.

State officials examine school district’s ethnic enrollment distribution every five years, and any imbalance requires a plan to correct the situation.

Ocean View’s next review is scheduled this year.

If the district is not working on a desegregation plan by the time of the state review, it could be penalized by the state, which could result in state funds being withheld, officials said.

The district’s Integration Advisory Committee is made up of parents, teachers, administrators and city and community representatives.

The committee’s mission statement, which trustees approved this week, calls for the group to review the ethnic distribution of each of the district’s 17 schools during the past five years. Members have been charged with proposing long-range plans for integrating Oak View with any other schools in the district to correct the racial imbalance.