School board jumping aboard JWA battle

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT-MESA -- The Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of

Trustees is close to ratcheting up its pressure on county officials to

address the effect of increased flight noise at John Wayne Airport on

district schools.

The county is considering three scenarios for increasing the number of

flights, passengers and facilities at the airport.

District staff have been discussing the issue over the past year.

Trustee Wendy Leece raised the issue at Tuesday’s board meeting,

saying she would like the board to adopt a resolution against any noise

that would have an adverse effect on learning in any of the district

schools.

The issue is taking on added urgency because the county is tentatively

set to vote Feb. 26 on the final environmental report for extending the

airport’s flight restrictions.

“If we don’t do anything, then we’re stuck with what [the county]

does,” Leece said.

The three possible changes to the flight restrictions, which are up at

the end of 2005, range from the mild to the unlimited.

Under the modest plan being pushed by Newport Beach officials and

gaining support from cities under the airport’s flight path, 12 more of

the noisiest flights per day and an additional 1.4 million passengers

would be allowed at the airport.

The most extreme scenario envisions 27 more of the noisiest flights

per day and no passenger limit.

Leece said it’s imperative that the district fully understand the

various scenarios so it can work with the county to reduce the effects of

airport noise on students at nearby schools.

“If they’re going to increase the number of flights and our kids are

going to be impacted by more noise and more interruptions in the school

day, then we need to be aware of the Board of Supervisors’ [actions] and

be at the table understanding what the impacts are on our kids,” Leece

said.

The principal of Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach, which is

in the flight path, said the current level of noise has not generated any

complaints. But increased noise levels could have a detrimental effect on

students, she said.

“I would need to know what the noise level would become compared to

what it is now, because if the noise levels became a lot worse, that

would make a difference,” Pam Coughlin said.

Leece and trustee Dana Black have been leading the board’s efforts to

keep restrictions at the airport as tight as possible.

“It’s urgent,” Black said. “I believe the airport really impacts us.

It’s part of our neighborhoods, part of our kids.”