Promotions may move

It was supposed to be a joyful celebration for the Billing family as their two children reached a milestone.

But Ocean View School District’s recent decision in changing all eighth-grade promotion dates is leaving a “sour taste” with mom Angela Billing.

“Instead of being happy and celebrating our children’s accomplishments, the day is going to be the complete opposite,” she said. “It’s just going to be exhausting for us.”

Billing and other Ocean View district parents were informed in late-March that middle schools in the district were moving promotion ceremonies to 2 p.m. June 17, the same day as Marina High School’s graduation at 4 p.m.

Billing, who has a son promoting from Spring View Middle School and a daughter graduating from Marina, said the family won’t have enough time to properly celebrate each child’s accomplishments, due to the short gap between the two events.

Marina agreed to push back its graduation to 5 p.m. in hopes of allotting more time for students and parents to travel from school to school.

But Billing said that some problems still can’t be solved with an extra hour.

“We still won’t have enough time after the promotion to take pictures with friends and teachers if we want to get to Marina on time,” she said. “And I’m not even sure if my daughter can go to my son’s promotion because she probably has to get ready for her own graduation.”

The date change is the result of a reaching a tentative contractual negotiation between the school district and the Ocean View Teachers’ Assn. in efforts to save money amid a budgetary shortfall.

The tentative agreement, if passed, would furlough the last two days of school, which would make June 18, a Friday, the last day of classes.

Ocean View Superintendent Alan Rasmussen said that after consideration, June 17, a Thursday, is the best day for promotions because most of Huntington Beach Union high schools are graduating June 16, a Wednesday, and promotion has never been on the last day of school, and promoting on Tuesday might cause a higher rate of absentee for the rest of the week.

Furlough days will not be official until the agreements are approved by the Board of Trustees and ratified by the teachers’ union.

Rasmussen said he is “cautiously optimistic” for approval by the board and association and hope for a final result by Tuesday.

There are about 25 promoting Spring View students who have graduating siblings at Marina.

Spring View Principal John Drake said he is working with his staff and Marina to alleviate any stress for the promoting and graduating families.

“Their concerns are legitimate, and we are trying to be as flexible as we can to accommodate to everyone,” he said.