From the scrum to the School Board

Andrew Edwards

School board candidate Michael Haskin is a newcomer to politics. The

ex-rugby player entered the political game for the first time when he

threw his hat in the ring this year to run for a seat on the Ocean

View School District’s board.

“You can either complain about stuff, or you can get off the bench

and get into the game,” he said.

Haskin, who is running a joint campaign with parent and attorney

Debbie Cotton, said he and other parents are worried about the

financial future of the Ocean View School District. Haskin and his

running mate both emphasize fiscal conservatism and have said they

want to make sure class-size reduction does not become a victim of

future budget cuts.

“Everybody’s concerned that’s the way it’s heading,” Haskin said.

District officials are not as worried about Ocean View’s financial

health, Chief Financial Officer Mary Lou Beckman said. The district’s

budget for this school year uses money saved from past years to make

up for a revenue shortfall, but does not dip into the state-mandated

3% reserve. Class-size reduction, she said, is safe for the current

school year. Teachers needed to maintain low class sizes are on

contract through the end of the year.

Haskin owns his own construction management firm, Huntington

Beach-based Stelcon Construction, and he said that if elected, his

experience in that business could help the board plan for

construction projects and avoid possible cost overruns.

“I think if you take a closer look at that stuff, before you get

going ... some of the pitfalls could probably be avoided,” he said.

A former player with the Huntington Beach Unicorns rugby squad,

Haskin projects a confident attitude and seems ready to bring his

experiences from rough-and-tumble games on the playing field to

debates within the boardroom.

“I don’t anticipate fighting with anybody, but I don’t anticipate

backing down either,” he said.

The 46-year-old candidate has been in construction in some form

since he was 16, he said. At 21, he left college to start his own

pizza business in Long Beach. Though he does not regret his decision

to leave college, he said his desire to make sure his daughters earn

a diploma has led him to become more interested in education.

“That’s why I’m such a stickler now,” he said. “I want my kids to

go.”

Despite his concerns that Ocean View schools may have a rocky

financial road in coming years, Haskin is impressed with the quality

of schools in the district. After the Haskins moved to Huntington

Beach in 1987, he enrolled his daughter, Madison, at Circle View

Elementary School despite his personal background of attending

parochial school. His other daughter, Samantha, is a Circle View

student.

Haskin and his wife, Stephanie, both volunteer in Circle View’s

classrooms, and he volunteers for the Children’s Hospital of Orange

County every April as an emcee for the hospital’s annual chile

cook-off fundraiser.

Another volunteer who helps the hospital, Haskin’s friend Susan

Dill, said she sees in Haskin a strong interest in helping children.

“I think that’s his focus, he has kids, he likes kids and he

probably wants the best for kids in the school district,” she said.