ELECTIONS BEACH CITY SCHOOLS : To Merge or Not to Merge--That’s the Question Candidates Are Debating

Their schools consistently rank among the state’s best in test scores. They have avoided the massive layoffs and budget trauma of other districts. And in many other areas of education, from campus safety to overcrowding, they have so far avoided tumult.

Still, there is plenty for school board candidates in local beach cities to debate as Tuesday’s election nears. Heading the list: the very existence of the districts.

With candidates vying for two seats each in the Hermosa Beach City School District, the Manhattan Beach City School District and the South Bay Union High School District, the most talked-about issue is the proposed consolidation of the districts. (No seats are up for election in the Redondo Beach City School District.)

The proposed merger, which will be decided at the polls as early as next fall, is a belt-tightening move that would forestall serious budget cuts and compensate for reduced enrollment in all four districts.

One option, total unification, would merge all four districts into one. Supported by Hermosa Beach trustees, total unification has been rejected by board members in Manhattan and Redondo beaches.

Split unification would create two kindergarten-through-12th-grade school systems, one based in Redondo Beach and one in Manhattan Beach. Under that plan, Hermosa Beach would either join one of the other districts or remain separate and send its students to a neighboring high school.

There is no consensus among the candidates on the best unification option. Manhattan Beach candidates support split unification; Hermosa Beach candidates support total unification or remaining a separate district; those seeking seats in the South Bay Union district are either remaining neutral or supporting split unification.

All the contenders agree, however, that adept leaders will be needed in the next few years as the districts undergo massive change. And they know the posts they are seeking could be fleeting. If unification is approved, all the incumbents in the unified district would be thrown out and forced to run again for a newly created board.

The 3,200-student South Bay Union High School District balanced its budget this year but faces uncertainty in the future because of dwindling financial support from the state. Longtime trustee Armando Acosta is stepping down and real estate investor Joe Mark, who was appointed to a school board seat in June, is running to retain the post.

The challengers are data processing manager Cecilia Ball, architect Frank Bostrom, Manhattan Beach school trustee Kathy Campbell, aerospace training manager Alan Honeycutt, secretary Judy Swanson and retired engineer William D. Wiener.

Mark, 53, who previously served for six years as a Hermosa Beach trustee, describes himself as a proven leader with knowledge of the difficult financial and education issues facing the schools. Campbell, 49, also said she would hit the ground running, with eight years’ experience as a Manhattan Beach trustee.

At a candidates’ forum earlier this week, the candidates differed in their degree of criticism of the current district leadership. Honeycutt, 35, and Bostrom, 41, were the most vocal critics, arguing that the district’s administration is top heavy and needs trimming.

“I am a major advocate of reducing management staffs in a major way” and raising teacher salaries, Honeycutt said. “I want to create the highest-paid teachers in the state,” he said.

Bostrom, who ran unsuccessfully for Redondo Beach mayor in 1989, is a leader in the drive to create a K-12 district in Redondo Beach. He said the district needs a five-year financial plan so it is better prepared for the future. He also said the current board has not been as frugal as it ought to be with district funds.

Wiener, 75, said he decided to enter the race out of frustration with the board when it insisted on remaining neutral in the debate over unification. Wiener is a strong supporter of split unification, which he said will help students educationally and add to the stability of the various districts.

Swanson, 42, who is married to Redondo Beach trustee Bart Swanson, has been active in parent teacher organizations and says the current board has not done enough to improve the district’s financial health.

Ball, 45, the only candidate in the race without any children, says she has the business experience to guide the district in these difficult fiscal times. She said the district needs to seek more outside support to compensate for declining state funding.

In the 2,500-student Manhattan Beach district, which has avoided layoffs and balanced its budget by leasing some school facilities, incumbent Barbara Dunsmoor is running for reelection against investor Bill Daugherty, financial manager Mary Rogers and businessman Joel Shapiro.

Dunsmoor, 47, who just finished her first term, said she believes the campaign has not attracted much interest because many in the community consider the district’s schools educationally sound. Nonetheless, she said, the election is critical because unification will require experienced board members who know the issues. “I believe I am such a person,” she said.

Rogers, 48, has served on several school committees and said she has regularly attended board meetings for years. She said that involvement would allow her to easily step into office and that her experience in finances would enable her to tackle complicated budget issues.

Shapiro, 48, a youth soccer commissioner, said the school system cannot become overconfident with its students’ high test scores. “We may be doing very well in the state and even in the country, but we have the world to compete with,” he said.

Daugherty, 44, has been out of the country since Oct. 17 and will miss the election. In campaign literature, he has stressed the importance of budget analysis and planning and says he has the business experience to keep the district’s budget in the black. Daugherty also said that because he is not a parent--the other board members or candidates are--he would offer a different perspective on the board.

In the 740-student Hermosa Beach district, which has balanced its budget in recent years without widespread cuts in personnel or programs, businesswoman Catherine McCurdy, realtor Bob McEachen and teacher Vicki Garcia are vying for two openings. All three are emphasizing their involvement in the schools.

McCurdy, 40, is serving a second term as president of the Hermosa Valley School Parent Teacher Organization. At a recent candidates’ forum, she said she hopes to improve relations between the school district, the city and the community and involve more residents in school affairs.

McEachen, 46, a four-year member of the Hermosa Valley School Site Council, said he hopes to strengthen the curriculum and increase community and business support for the schools. He said declining state revenues might force the district to eventually consider a tax increase to maintain quality education.

Garcia, 44, a longtime teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, said future budget cuts should be kept away from educational programs.

“I promise to be open-minded and open to the concerns of parents,” she said. “I will use my experience to provide answers and direction to the board.”

Free-lancer Elka Worner contributed to this story.

Hermosa School Candidates Three candidates are vying for two school board seats in the one-school Hermosa Beach City School District . Catherine McCurdy

Age: 40

Businesswoman

“We need to focus more on reading, writing and arithmetic instead of driving to be on the cutting edge of technology. We need to get the basics down first.”

Bob McEachen

Age: 46

Realtor

“If we believe in education we have to support it with tax money. . . . We need to run the district as efficiently as possible.”

Vicki Garcia

Age: 44

Teacher

“I am concerned about the decreased educational funds because of the effect it will have on programs. We have to make sure that these cuts have the least effect on our educational programs.”

Candidates for Manhattan Beach City School District Four candidates, including one incumbent, are seeking two school board seats in the Manhattan Beach City School District. Bill Daugherty

Age: 44

Investor

“I am not a ‘savior’ of the Manhattan schools. Fortunately, they don’t need saving. However, as challenges grow and issues change, the board badly needs a fresh point of view.”

Barbara Dunsmoor (incumbent)

Age: 47

Former teacher

“I think people need to be elected who have experience and knowledge of what’s going on. If unification is the will of the people, you need trustees who know what they’re doing.”

Mary Rogers

Age: 48

Financial manager

“I have a proven commitment to the schools. I have knowledge of the district and experience that the other two non-incumbents don’t have.”

Joel Shapiro

48

Businessman

“With such a great school district, I’d like to strive for an excellent school district. We may be doing very well in the state and even in the country, but we have the world to compete with.”

Candidates for South Bay Union High School District Seven candidates, including one recently appointed incumbent, are vying for two school board seats in the South Bay Union High School District. Cecilia Ball

Age: 45

Data manager for district attorney’s office

“I think the school board has done a pretty good job and I think the school district is a good district, but there are places where we can improve.”

Frank Bostrom

Age: 41

Architect

“We’ve got a district in limbo. . . . We have to restore the confidence, the traditions, the trust. . . . That’s why I’m running.”

Kathy Campbell

Age: 49

Former teacher

“I believe children are this country’s greatest natural resource. I believe we have to fight for the education of those children. . . . We need to value our teachers (too).”

Alan Honeycutt

Age: 35

TRW manager of training and education

“My one single stance is a whole lot more money for the kids . . . a whole lot less money for the management staff.”

Joseph Mark (incumbent)

Age: 53

Real estate investor, former Hermosa Beach school trustee

“Education must be operated as a business as well as a place of learning. . . . As a school board trustee there can be no personal agenda. . . . The primary concern must be the children.”

Judy Swanson

Age: 42

Secretary

“I feel we are in a point of time in our school district when we can no longer be concerned with what has already happened. We have to move forward.”

William D. Wiener

Age: 75

Retired engineer

“I entered this race because I feel the present school board has been dragging its feet on the subject of unification. . . . I am not particularly pleased with the way the school board has been running the schools or managing the finances.”