HUNTINGTON BEACH : School Trustees Assail Recall Effort

A day after being served recall notices, school board members from two districts on Wednesday assailed the citizens group leading the effort to oust them from office.

Board presidents of the Huntington Beach City and Ocean View school districts argued that the recall campaign is unjustifiable. And they said if the recalls are successful the campaigns would force costly special elections in the districts.

Additionally, Brian Garland, Huntington Beach City School District trustee, released a statement on the recall attempt, which he berated as “an unwarranted effort to harass and intimidate” board members.

A group calling itself Citizens for Accountability in Education presented recall notices to all 10 board members in the two districts during their meetings Tuesday night.

The group remains incensed at board members in those districts and the Huntington Beach Union High and Westminster school districts for jointly approving a property fee to raise money for school maintenance, although trustees subsequently repealed that measure.

Group leaders say they plan to wage recall campaigns against 19 trustees in the four districts--every board member in the four districts except Westminster Trustee Margie Rice, who has consistently opposed the assessment. The group intends to serve recall notices to targeted trustees in the other two districts either before or at their next board meetings next month, co-director Bryan Bridges said.

Garland, who is Edison High School’s principal, in his statement defended the property fee. He called it “an attempt by 19 dedicated and caring individuals to put the welfare of our children in a position of top priority.”

Ocean View board President Lottie Hobbs said Wednesday she supports Garland’s statement.

“What is frustrating to me is that we’re charged with the responsibility of making decisions in the best interest of educating children in our district,” Hobbs said. “But every attempt we make to secure funding to carry out that charge is met with screams of protest . . . from both the community and the state.”

Robert Mann, president of the Huntington Beach City School District board, said he considers the recall effort “ironic” because it would end up costing schools money if a special election was to be held.

A special election would cost about $150,000, according to the county registrar of voters. If two special elections are required--one for the high school district and another for the elementary districts--the cost would double.

“That money would come directly out of the general fund, directly out of programs to educate kids,” Mann said Wednesday. “We decided not to implement the (property) fee, and now (opposition group members) turn around and want a recall.”

Citizens for Accountability in Education leaders contend they are pushing forth with the recall not because of the fee but because board members showed disdain toward them by not originally heeding their pleas to reject the levy.