Deadline to Apply for School Fund Board Extended

Citing a lack of applicants to serve on the newly formed Ocean View Education Foundation board, school district officials have extended the application deadline through Thursday.

The Ocean View School District, which originally set the application deadline for Feb. 8, will continue accepting applications for the foundation’s board of directors until 4 p.m. Thursday.

The school board extended the original deadline because only six residents have applied for the five seats open to community residents on the seven-member foundation board. The two other seats will be held by Supt. Monte McMurray and James Jones, assistant superintendent for financial services.

Ocean View has set up the private, nonprofit foundation as a fund-raising organization that will operate independently of the district general fund.

The directors will raise private donations and help identify other potential sources of income to be spent on educational programs within the 17-school district.

Educational foundations have become an increasingly popular fund-raising tool among school districts in recent years, as limited public funding has continued to force districts to tighten budgets.

The school board is scheduled to interview applicants for the foundation board at its March 5 meeting. Trustees will either make the appointments immediately after those interviews or at their March 19 meeting, McMurray said.

Anyone over age 18 who lives in the district may apply to become a foundation director. Applications are available at any Ocean View school site or at the district offices at 17200 Pinehurst Lane in Huntington Beach.