HUNTINGTON BEACH : Trustees to Consider Meeting at Schools

Ocean View School District trustees, as part of an effort to improve communication with residents, are considering holding some future meetings at school sites.

Trustee Sheila Marcus proposed holding board meetings at each of the district’s 17 schools in hopes of increasing attendance among residents who normally do not attend the twice-monthly meetings at the district’s central offices.

“This would allow people who wouldn’t come to a large forum like this to come forward in a setting where they feel more comfortable,” Marcus said. “We talk about ‘the community,’ but there is no such thing as a community. There are communities, and each of them has different interests and concerns.”

Marcus’ proposal, which other trustees said they generally support, is based on a practice instituted this month by Huntington Beach Union High School District trustees. The high school district board is holding six successive meetings at each of its high school sites.

Like the Huntington Beach Union High School District, Ocean View is seeking to improve its community relations in the wake of a bitter controversy about a property fee to help raise money for schools.

Trustees from Ocean View, the Huntington Beach Union High School District and two other districts approved a $50 annual property assessment, but repealed the measure under intense public pressure. The school districts have since been seeking ways to repair community relations. A recall effort has been launched against all but one of the trustees in the four districts.

In addition to considering holding meetings at neighborhood schools, Ocean View board members have tentatively agreed to spend $6,000 to hire a consultant to help the district spruce up its public image.