Mother’s view of school board

When she won an open seat unopposed on the school board in 2002, Linda Sneen had more or less one job on her resume: parent.

Over the next four years, it turned out to be enough. The only Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee with children at the district’s schools, Sneen had served as PTA president at Paularino and Davis elementary schools and at Costa Mesa High School before running for office. With her two sons offering reports from the classroom, Sneen devoted her time on the board to advocating for students.

“I think I came more from a mom’s than a trustee’s viewpoint,” said Sneen, who opted not to run for reelection this year.

A member of Costa Mesa United, the nonprofit group that helped to raise funds for high school athletic facilities, Sneen also championed the arts in schools and attended Newport-Mesa productions whenever possible. She served on the district’s nutrition advisory committee and helped to remove soft drinks from school vending machines.

Perhaps her greatest contribution to the district, however, was revolutionizing the summer school program. When she arrived on the board, she found herself troubled by the fact that Newport-Mesa gave priority to the first students who signed up for the summer, rather than the ones who most needed the classes. At one of her first board meetings, she presented a list to then-Supt. Robert Barbot of all the flaws in the summer school program, and the district took action quickly.

Working with student services director Mike Murphy, Sneen created a system for students to register online and encouraged administrators to weigh applications. At one point, she pushed the district to add an extra math class over the summer after a number of Costa Mesa High students failed it during the school year.

“She gave such stability to the board,” Murphy said. “She was such a calming influence in my mind. She was the typical mom who cares about kids — not only her kids, but all the kids in Costa Mesa.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of three parts of the Daily Pilot’s salute to the three outgoing members of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board of trustees.