School board forms panel to oversee bond

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Months before voters have even decided on Measure A, the

school board formed a committee Tuesday night to oversee spending of the

proposed $110-million bond.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of Education established

the purpose, criteria, composition and operations of a two-tiered

oversight system. There will be a districtwide citizens oversight

committee, with 29 members, plus committees of seven to 11 members at

each school.

Tuesday’s initial approval of the system must be confirmed by a final

vote at the board’s April 11 meeting.

If voters approve the bond measure in June, the committees would keep an

eye on the funds, to be sure the dollars are spent according to the

district’s plan, which was released in January. The money would be used

to repair aging schools.

The school board is forming the committees now because, when the board

agreed to put a bond on the ballot, the trustees promised constituents an

oversight group would be in place prior to the election.

All committees are open only to people who live within district

boundaries.

For the main committee, the board developed a specific list for 29

positions to represent a wide variety of school attendance zones, local

organizations and interests.

“On these kinds of things, it’s important to include all the parts of the

community,” said board member Jim Ferryman, who developed the laundry

list of participants.

Membership on the smaller school-by-school committees, which will each

oversee projects on a campus, is limited to people who live within the

school zone. District employees cannot make up a majority of a group.

All positions will be appointed based on an application process and

members may serve no more than two three-year terms. Current and former

board members are prohibited from serving.

Some residents have criticized the size of the committee as too large,

but school officials said it is necessary to have a wide range of people.

“I wouldn’t want it to be that large -- especially at the district level,

it’s kind of unwieldy. But to be inclusive, we felt there was no other

way than to have this many members,” Ferryman said. “But we certainly

think we covered all the bases.”

Orange County Treasurer John Morlach, a Costa Mesa resident and district

parent, commended the board members’ actions.

“I am pleased that they set up a charter before the passage of the bond

measure, showing foresight that also specifies size and selects who will

be on it by categories,” Morlach said. “When you look at a community like

Costa Mesa, with about 100,000 [people], and Newport Beach with another

100,000 -- with a population the size like we have, it seems 29 out of

200,000 is not too unwieldy.”

---

BY THE NUMBERS

The district’s citizen oversight committee will have a minimum of 29

members, with the number of representatives designated for the areas or

organizations:

* The four high school zones, 2 each

* At large, 4

* Chamber of Commerce for Costa Mesa, 2

* Senior citizens groups, 2

o7 These groups will each have one representative:

f7 * American Institute of Architects

* Board of Realtors local office

* Building Industry Assn.’s local chapter

* California School Employees Assn.

* Chamber of Commerce for Corona del Mar

* Chamber of Commerce for Newport Harbor

* District audit committee

* District investment advisory committee

* Harbor Council PTA

* Newport-Mesa Administrators’ Assn.

* Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers, 1

* Orange County Treasurer’s office, 1

* Orange County Taxpayers Assn., 1