Talk on school sites heats up

Andrew Wainer

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A Huntington Beach City School District committee

analyzing the use of three unused school sites felt the ire of locals

intent on preventing the sale of the former Gisler Middle School on

Strathmoore Street.

Sometimes using strong language, about 30 residents -- most of them from

the Gisler community -- warned the committee that they would challenge

any attempt to sell the site, which the district closed in 1986.

The committee is also considering what to do with two other closed sites

-- LeBard school on Yorktown Avenue and Burk school on Queens Park Lane.

The district uses LeBard as its headquarters.

The committee was convened in the fall by the board of trustees to

examine the possibility of selling one of the sites.

“We will fight the sale of a school site at the district and at the

city,” resident Bryan Bullette told the committee.

Bullette said the sale of the now unused site would be “irresponsible”

because future enrollment increases could leave the district hamstrung if

it is sold.

Gisler resident Scott Miller said other districts have decided against

selling unused sites after their student populations increased, forcing

them to reopen the schools.

Community members urged the committee to seek long-term leases on the

sites instead of selling them.

“We want to take advantage of state facility repair funds, but we also

want to keep the sites,” Bullette said. “Long-term leases would allow the

district to do both.”

The district has contemplated selling the sites to acquire much-needed

state modernization funds. District officials said they must come up with

$3 million to get $12 million in matching funds from the state. Board of

trustees member Catherine McGough has said the district does not now have

the money necessary to get the matching funds.

The majority of committee members said they advocate maintaining Gisler’s

current status as a long-term lease. The district now leases the Gisler

site to Greater Long Beach Christian Schools.

The issue of what to do with the three campuses has haunted the district

for years.

In 1995, a similar committee recommended the board sell the Gisler site,

but the board did not follow up on the recommendation.

The current committee was formed by the board to break a deadlock on the

sites.

A two-thirds majority vote from the board is needed to sell a site. The

last time the issue came up for a vote, the board deadlocked at 3-2 in

favor of selling, with trustees Robert Mann and Shirley Carey vehemently

opposing the move.

Although the committee, made up of 11 members, will make a formal

recommendation to the board, the board is not required to follow the

committee’s directives.

The committee has set Jan. 26 as a tentative date for a public hearing

regarding the sites issue.

A final recommendation to the board is expected in February.

QUESTION

CAMPUS SALE?

Do you feel any of the three closed school sites should be sold? Call our

Readers Hotline at 965-7175, fax us at 965-7174 or send e-mail to

[email protected]. Please spell your name and tell us your hometown and

phone number for verification purposes only.