HUNTINGTON BEACH : Citizen Panel Sought for School District

Responding to recent pleas from residents for a greater voice in how schools are run, the Huntington Beach Union High School District’s board president this week proposed a two-pronged plan to foster more community involvement in the district.

Board President Charmayne Bohman called for the creation of a community panel that would exchange ideas with trustees about budgetary, educational and other issues.

Bohman also proposed that the board this fall hold a regular meeting at each of the district’s six high schools to encourage more interaction with parents and other residents.

Other trustees, who greeted Bohman’s proposals with enthusiasm, said they will study them more closely before deciding whether to adopt the plan at their Aug. 27 meeting.

Bohman’s suggestions came a week after angry residents pressured trustees from the high school district and three other districts to back away from a property assessment and demanded greater involvement in decisions about schools.

As a joint authority of trustees rescinded that assessment, which would have raised $2.5 million a year for the high school district, a group of business leaders promised to work closely with district officials to improve schools.

“I’ve always been a strong advocate of outreach,” Bohman said. “All public officials should be going out to the public, instead of waiting for the public to come to them. And the timing right now seemed good for this.”

The twin efforts would not only provide residents more input in district policy but would also enable school officials to better inform the community about district issues and why trustees are making certain decisions, Bohman said.

“People out there have been asking, ‘What do you do with all your lottery money?’ They really don’t know,” she said. “Obviously, with the events of recent weeks, I realize that we’re just not getting our message out to people. There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation out there.”

The main issue the district will face in the coming year is how to deal with a shrinking budget. The district has slashed more than $14 million in spending during the past five years and projects cuts as high as $3.5 million in 1991-92.