Parents pitch fast food for smaller classes

McDonald’s restaurants in Huntington Beach are teaming up with

Community for Class Size Reduction, a parent volunteer group, to

raise money to help maintain smaller class sizes in the Huntington

Beach City School District.

McClass Size Reduction Nights will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

on Jan. 11 to 13 at local McDonald’s, and 25% of the proceeds will go

to the district toward class size reduction.

“What can you not love about McDonald’s and kids, and everybody

enjoys not having to cook for a night,” said Kelly Vander Lans, a

volunteer with the group and a parent of two children in the

Huntington Beach City School District.

Last year, the parents raised more than $250,000 to maintain small

class sizes in kindergarten through second grade. This year, they

hope to raise $750,000 to also allow for smaller class sizes in the

third grade.

“As a group of volunteers, we wholeheartedly believe in the small

class size for our youngest learners,” Vander Lans said.

In the district, the student-teacher ratio is 20-to-1 in

kindergarten through second grade. For third grade, the ratio jumps

to up to 35-to-1, Vander Lans said.

The group is also holding two more fundraising events in February

in hopes of raising funds needed by the March 31 deadline set by the

district board.

The following McDonald’s restaurants will be participating in the

McClass Size Reduction Nights: Jan. 11 at 19350 Goldenwest St. and

20362 Beach Blvd.; Jan. 12 at 19350 Goldenwest St., 20362 Beach Blvd.

and 18665 Beach Blvd.; Jan. 13 at 19350 Goldenwest St. and 20362

Beach Blvd.

When ordering, an event flier must be presented. Fliers can be

downloaded from the group’s website.

For more information, go to https://www.communityforcsr.org.

Superintendent announces job move

Huntington Beach City School District Superintendent Gary

Rutherford is leaving his job and moving to the Upland Unified School

District.

Rutherford’s decision was announced at a meeting last month of the

district’s board.

Rutherford will leave his position as superintendent on Feb 15.

The board is considering hiring a temporary replacement to act as

interim president. The school board plans to meet in the future to

discuss the process of permanently filling the position.