Officials mark final days on the job

Andrew Edwards

With school out, a handful of Surf City education leaders are heading

into the sunset of their careers. One district has already said

goodbye to its school board president, and another will see two

longtime administrators go in new directions.

Robert Mann presided over his last school board meeting with the

Huntington Beach City School District on June 22, shortly after

wrapping up his day job as a middle school teacher in the Westminster

School District. At the Huntington Beach Union High School District,

pupil personnel services director Dorothy Crutcher is beginning her

retirement today and curriculum director Jerry White is logging in

his final days of service.

Mann was first elected to the school board in 1987. During his tenure, the district built Huntington Seacliff Elementary School and

introduced class size reduction to elementary schools, which he said

were highlights of his four terms in office.

At his final school board meeting, Mann received a chorus of

praise from his fellow board members for his work with the district.

“I just want to thank Bob for his quiet strength,” board member

Shirley Carey said. “He’s provided us with a lot of good ideas -- a

lot of sound ideas.”

Mann said he looks forward to visiting his grandchildren who live

in Hawaii, spending time at his second home on Puget Sound in

Washington and traveling with his wife Mary.

“My wife likes to go on cruises so we’ll be doing that,” he said.

Mann’s term was set to expire in 2006. The board will have four

members until a replacement is elected in November, district Supt.

Gary Rutherford said.

In the high school district, Crutcher is retiring after 32 years

as a Surf City educator. Prior to working in the district office, she

spent five years as a counselor and another five in special

education. She worked at Huntington Beach, Edison, Ocean View and

Westminster high schools.

As an administrator, Crutcher guided the district’s Gifted And

Talented Education program, coordinated standardized testing and

guidance, and helped incoming freshman and their parents get

acquainted to high school life. She looks forward to having time for

gardening, splitting her time at her homes in Garden Grove, Sedona,

Ariz., and her mountain cabin in Crestview, and living life on her

own terms.

“I plan to do what most people do when they retire, which is

whatever they want,” she said.

White has spent 34 years in the high school district. He also

served as an assistant principal at Fountain Valley High School for

three years and as a math teacher at Marina High School for 25 years.

He said he enjoyed having the chance to work with the district’s many

teachers in his latest post, and is keeping his mind open on his

future. He wants to travel and is considering trying a different job

or even going back to school.

“When people retire, they don’t just sit down,” White said. “They

want to do different things.”