ON THE TOWN:Voters tell school board to think fresh

Almost a month removed from the elections on Nov. 7, there now seem to be a few surprises.

School board trustee Serene Stokes was not returned to office, which is big. Until Nov. 7, becoming a trustee was like being confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court — once you’re in, you’re there to stay unless you are involved in some scandal.

But the public was ready for a change, and change they’ll get. In just a few days, three new members of the board will be sworn in.

A few columns ago, I passed along some unsolicited advice to the new kids on the block, one part of which was to resurrect the concept of a charter school. Newport Beach and Costa Mesa could use one.

In Newport Beach, where test scores continually rank higher than in Costa Mesa, I would like to see a school where the highest-achieving kids can learn in a world that addresses their urgent needs.

We pay so much attention to the needs of the mentally and physically challenged kids in our district, as we should, but — and I know this may be tough to grasp — these high-achieving kids have special needs too.

I know, I know, it’s hard to appreciate the plight of the parent whose kid is the next Einstein, but their challenges are real.

Call it an “all-GATE” (Gifted and Talented Education) school or an “AP” (Advanced Placement) school, whatever you want, but let’s create one place where they can be with kids whose attention is more focused on learning and achieving than other kids.

Maybe this school has an expanded arts program too, for there is a connection between arts and achievement.

I applaud the district’s development of the Early College High School — this a huge step in the right direction. But let’s expand on the concept by providing a new home for another type of learner.

In Costa Mesa, the charter school is different. There are many kids going to schools in Costa Mesa who are capable of so much more than they are achieving. When they fall short it is due less, I believe, to the curriculum and the teachers than their learning environment, mostly the learning environment at home.

Costa Mesa has a greater percentage of working couples than in Newport Beach and a smaller percentage of parents who have graduated from college. Combined, this is not always the best foundation for learning at home or for kids to understand the value of a good education.

Yes, some kids excel despite these and other conditions, but if there were a way to give them a leg up, we should find it.

I believe that way is to develop gender-specific charter schools in the district — one for boys, one for girls.

There is fresh evidence that under certain conditions, gender-specific schools, also known as same-sex schools, can help good students become better students and can help better students become great students.

Same-sex schools are not new, nor are they experimental. The results have been in for a long time and they work. In Costa Mesa, the demographics for a successful same-sex school are there.

The timing is good too. The district is just about to spend $36 million on a new auditorium at Newport Harbor High School, so before they blow through all that fresh Measure F tax money, we can get a commitment for each of these projects.

We’re in the process of making our facilities nice. Outside, they will shine. Since we seem to be in the mood for a change, this is also the perfect time to work on the inside. After all, without academic achievement, it won’t matter how much we’ve spent to make nice-looking schools.