New school trustees ready to forge ahead

Angelique Flores

With the election season over, newly elected school trustees are

gearing up for the work that lies ahead.

Ocean View School District presents several challenges for board

members to face, and Barbara Boskovich and Pam Ogdon say they are ready

to take their seats and tackle them head on.

They said they are looking forward to bridging the communication gaps

among the school community, the residents around the schools and the

district administrators.

The lack of communication has led to a feeling of distrust among

administrators, Boskovich said. She plans to work with the board to

create more open dialogue.

“I think it’s attainable,” Boskovich said.

Bolstering parent involvement and reducing class sizes beginning in

fourth grade are on Ogdon’s agenda.

“I think I can help bring in some kind of a balance,” Ogdon said.

Boskovich would like to continue to see district test scores climb to

the top in the county and possibly the state.

The two also look forward to working with the board in resolving the

issue of building gymnasiums at the middle schools -- a plan that has

many residents upset. Ogdon hopes to find a solution that would be

agreeable to both the school community and the surrounding residents.

“I’m not against gymnasiums, I just don’t think that it’s a priority,”

Boskovich said.

She said she would rather take on other issues, such as upgrading

infrastructure to accommodate advancing technology, before that big

project.

“We have awesome schools. There are a lot of positive things already,”

Ogdon added.

Boskovich and Ogdon have been touring the campuses to learn more about

the 15 schools.

“I think it’ll be nice we’ve got new people on board with new

insight,” said Ocean View Teachers Assn. President Gay Davidson-Shepard.

“I think we’ll be able to work together well.”

The district and its teachers are in the final stages of salary

negotiations.

The board “wants to treat us well. They’re concerned about that,”

Davidson-Shepard said.

Ogdon hopes teachers will finally feel that they are heard and

respected. By the end of her four years on the board, Boskovich would

like to see the teachers rank the highest paid in the county.

“We’re all working for the same goal,” Ogdon said.

Huntington Beach Union High School District will resume business as

usual with incumbent Michael Simons and the addition of Susan Henry

sitting on the school board.

“I’m not going to be making any radical changes any time soon,” Henry

said, adding that she still expects to “learn the rest of the ropes” and

get better acquainted with the district’s issues.

“She’s in line with the board on a lot of issues,” Trustee Matthew

Harper said.

Though the absence of Bonnie Bruce will certainly be missed at the

district, administrators expect Henry to carry on the same direction.

“We’ll continue to have the excellent leadership at the board level,”

Supt. Susan Roper said.