THE RACE FOR HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD

Angelique Flores

John L. Gibson, a longtime Huntington Beach resident, appreciates the

importance of a high-quality education system to teach the community’s

children.

“My priorities are to improve the intellectual skills of students,

place parents at the center of their children’s education and bring

fiscal accountability to the district,” he said.

The most important issue facing the Huntington Beach Union High School

District is reaching higher academic achievement for all students in the

district, including those in schools comprised mostly of students from

lower income neighborhoods, such as Westminster and Ocean View High

School, he said.

A corporate compliance auditor, Gibson said he understands the

challenges students face in an increasingly demanding, worldwide

marketplace. American children now consistently scores at or near the

bottom in international tests, he said.

“To correct this, I will place greater emphasis on fundamental courses

important to a solid foundation, like math, English and science,” he

said.

Gibson has volunteered on various local political campaigns.

He received his bachelor’s degree in international business from Cal

State Dominguez Hills.

BIO: JOHN GIBSON

* Age: 32

* Family: Wife Beatriz, mother Pauline, father Lawrence, and brothers

Robert and Richard

* Community Activism: Army veteran, watchdog of the city of Huntington

Beach, volunteer for Dog Beach cleanup, volunteer for Bolsa Chica

wetlands cleanup, and financial contributor to Ducks Unlimited wetlands

restoration

* Contact: (714) 488-2996

JOHN GIBSON ON:

* THE DISTRICT’S BIGGEST CHALLENGES:Gibson said the district’s biggest

challenge would be to wire the campuses to allow every student in every

school in the district to use computers in the classrooms.

“The district should focus on achieving the maximum amount of

construction for the taxpayers’ money. In addition, the district should

set aside funds in reserve to make unexpected and routing repairs that

the district will certainly face in the future.”

* PLANS TO DEMOLISH BUILDING NO. 300:

“The building is sinking. It’s unsafe,” and repairing the building

would be too costly for the district, Gibson said.

“At this time, the state will pay for 100% of the cost to build a

somewhat smaller building in place of Building 300. This is a $10-million

project. That’s a substantial amount of taxpayer revenue. If the district

delays the demolition, the state may not be willing to pay for the

project in the future if funds are not available, so the district should

take advantage of the opportunity to save money for the taxpayers in this

district and replace Building 300 now.”