Classified employees endorse three school board candidates

Members of the Laguna Beach chapter of classified employees are backing Ketta Brown, Carol Normandin and Dee Perry in the race for the Laguna Beach Unified School District board.

The group, part of the California School Employees Assn., voted to endorse the three candidates Wednesday at its monthly meeting, chapter President Margaret Warder wrote in an email.

Brown, the only incumbent, Normandin, Perry and Annette Gibson are vying for one of three open seats on the five-member board. The election is Nov. 4.

Warder said she sent questions and spoke with each candidate regarding several issues, including classified employees’ healthcare and the possibility of contracting out certain classified positions.

“The involvement in the community and the commitment to providing the excellence that is expected from [district officials] in their decision-making process was a very pivotal part of our [selections],” Warder said.

Brown previously worked in the public finance industry and has been a board member since 2006. Perry taught special education in the district for 35 years until retiring in 2010.

Gibson is a registered nurse, and Normandin owned her own recruitment firm for more than 10 years.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce