John Ortiz

Name: John Ortiz

Age: 45

Birthplace: Los Angeles

Residence: Huntington Beach

Occupation: paraeducator severely handicap

Education: attended Marine View School (When it was a kindergarten through eighth grade), Huntington Beach High School, ITT, Golden West College (on-going)

Experience as an educator: I have worked with high school students for more than 20 years. I have volunteered on committees evaluating and developing programs for at risk students in the Huntington Beach Union High School District . At Ocean View High School, I developed an outdoor explorer program for students. They worked on their team building, problem solving, communication and event planning skills.
Previously elected or appointed positions: None

Community organizations you belong to: California School Employees Assn. (CSEA) and California Advocates to Save Education (CAUSE)

Why should constituents vote for you?

I believe constituents should vote for me because I am dedicated, hard working and will fight for the
funding that our students are entitled to and desperately need.

What do you think is the biggest problem facing your district and how do you plan to address it?

One of the biggest problems for the Ocean View School District among all districts is how schools are
under funded. The educational funding of our students must be changed. My commitment is to fight
for change in education funding structure, to be a team player as a board member, and to continue to
strive towards excellences for our student’s future.

In the last year, what is one issue that you think the sitting board members handled well and why?

I believe one of the best decisions the board made was developing Community Base Advisory
Committee (CBAC). CBAC allowed the community to give input to the superintendent regarding the
devastating cuts to our education budget and the effects on the classroom. CBAC also allowed
information and transparency to the communities and unions.

In the last year, what is one issue the board got wrong and what would you have done differently?

The one issue I believe the board should have focused on more was rallying the communities to fight
for the educational funding our students deserve. I would have a town meeting with our legislators
explaining how important education funding is and how this community is expecting and demanding
change.