EDITORIAL:

Two down, two to go.

Leases have been signed for the two school sites the district considered selling, so now attention turns to the remaining two not in use.

We applaud the district on ensuring the two Christian schools leasing the Gisler and Burke sites will be able to stay at their respective campuses. Both schools have been recognized as outstanding neighbors in their communities, so we are sure those communities are relieved.

But the fact that Le Bard, and possibly Kettler, remain on the table for sale is alarming.

One word repeatedly comes up when community members describe even the consideration of selling school sites: shortsighted.

Community members have formed the group “Save Huntington Beach’s Community,” www.savehbcommunity.com, which has collected names of 2,311 supporters who want to see the district retain those sites.

We can appreciate the fact that the district needs money. But, as supporters of the sites say, the district needs to come up with more creative solutions to budget issues than letting land go. It needs to think about the community as a whole, and about how many groups will be affected by the sale of even one property.

Le Bard is used by Little League teams. Kettler is used by a girls’ softball league. Both sites also have future potential as enjoyable places where the community can gather and thrive.

Anyone who has even a minimal knowledge of real estate knows it is always harder and more expensive to find property as time goes on. These school sites are a Huntington Beach resource and should be treated as such. If we have them, we should hold on to them.

The district needs to think into the future when the housing crisis will have passed and there will be a great need for school sites. If the district holds on to property, then that need will be filled.

Now, think about the reverse of that — if the sites are sold and then developed.

“Nobody wants to look at more houses and concrete,” wrote someone identified as Kathleen Angelovic on www.savehbcommunity.com.

Also, one signer identified as Joseph Ferretti predicts that if the sites are sold, “Prospective developers won’t be able to market the quality of our school system as an enticement to the prospective new home buyer.”

Bottom line, selling school sites doesn’t just affect the displaced Little Leagues. It affects Huntington Beach’s sense of community and worth.

Even if the city buys Le Bard and agrees to preserve it as open space, what’s to say that plan won’t change? Putting the future of the community in someone else’s hands will continue to make preserving these sites an uphill battle for residents.

With at least 2,311 members of the community willing to go to great lengths to save these sites, the district has little excuse for letting an invaluable resource slip away.