ANAHEIM : It’s Wait and See for New School Board

With elections over and new members soon taking their seats on the Anaheim Union High School District board, a number of parents and teachers are hoping that business won’t continue as usual.

Concern about low staff morale among teachers and questions about how the district’s $105-million budget is spent were top issues at a number of pre-election candidates’ forums.

More specific issues--such as the fate of soccer fields used by Cypress High School, an awkward boundary that sends children from the same family to separate high schools and the possibility that Cypress schools would secede from the Anaheim district remain public concerns.

“I hope that those things will be addressed,” said Pat Miller, president of the Loara High School Parent Teacher Student Assn. “I think I’m one of many sitting back waiting to see what will happen.”

Others are concerned that personnel issues will be difficult to resolve since Molly McGee, elected in November, is the wife of a district principal and will therefore need to abstain from those votes.

“The high school district needs a change in a positive direction,” said Leonard Lahtinen, a member of the teachers’ association. “I think it’s kind of a wait-and-see situation.”