TOP STORIES IN EDUCATION:An up-and-down year for local schools

It was a year of sad endings and hopeful beginnings for the educational community. Concurrent with the death of a beloved board member and the resignation of several other key players in the public school system, the community’s only accredited college celebrated a milestone.

The allegedly destructive effects of a popular TV show also raised concerns of local parents and administrators.

1. Controversy at LBHS

A local principal decided to resign and then attempted to rescind her resignation when hundreds of parents and students protested against it.

Laguna Beach High School Principal Nancy Blade announced that she would resign by the end of the school year in February, citing personal and professional reasons.

The district never commented on the reason for the decision, which led some to believe she was forced out.

Parents swarmed a meeting in which the board planned to discuss her replacement and asked whether the district could talk Blade into staying on. Many parents then attended the next school board meeting and expressed their concerns.

In late March, more than 150 angry protesters, many with picket signs, gathered in front of the district office, claiming that the community was “throwing her away,” even though Blade was the one to submit her resignation. They gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition supporting her reinstatement.

Blade tried to rescind her resignation in a letter to the board, but the school board declined a parent’s request to reinstate her at a school board meeting in April.

Later that month, Don Austin was unanimously selected to fill the principal’s seat. No protests were made to his appointment.

2. Death saddens community

The school district experienced a heart-wrenching spring when Kathryn “K” Turner lost her long battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

She was succeeded for the remainder of her term by William Landsiedel, who was unanim- ously approved after promising to not run for an open seat in November’s election. Community members had previously threatened to overthrow the board’s decision if he was to seek reelection.

Turner first joined the school board the day before the Orange County bankruptcy in 1994. Her greatest legacy to the district was the Quest for Excellence, a program designed to focus on the “whole child.”

She served as a college dean, had a pilot’s license, served in the military, had a law degree and was an ordained minister.

Turner was also half of the first lesbian couple to register as domestic partners in Laguna when it began to offer official recognition of same-sex partners.

Then-mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider named Jan. 7, 2006 “K Turner Day.”

In February, Laguna Beach High School named its library after Turner.

“She has inspired a transformation in thinking,” board president Bob Whalen said at the time.

Later that month, a “celebration of life” luncheon was held in her honor.

Turner died in April at the age of 70, at the home of Thurston Middle School Principal Joann Culverhouse. Her partner, Bivens Hunt, was at her side.

3. MTV vs. LBUSD

A relatively tame school board race was upended at the last minute when parent James Vanderveen organized a school board forum the night before the election at which parents shared their concerns over MTV’s effect on the town and its schools.

In addition to hundreds of parents, the event attracted the attention of the New York Times and international media outlets, demonstrating the fascination of the rest of the world with the setting of the reality show “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.”

The subsequent New York Times article quickly became the most e-mailed piece on its Website. Parents alleged that the controversial MTV show, which has focused on Laguna teens for the past three years, creates potential safety issues. Some wanted the school board to take action to separate Laguna Beach from the show.

“No one’s asking tough questions; we have some big issues to talk about,” Vanderveen said in November. “The MTV show isn’t enhancing safety at our schools; we’re probably the most infamous school in the country right now.”

It has also opened discussion on the high levels of drug and alcohol abuse indicated in the Spring 2006 Healthy Kids Survey, which reported that incidences of such use among Laguna kids are the highest in the county.

“I think it [alcohol and drug use] is very open here,” Laguna Beach High School Principal Don Austin said at the time. “If kids are more exposed to it, it becomes more acceptable. There’s a blurred line where it shouldn’t be blurred.”

4. 45th anniversary

The Laguna College of Art & Design celebrated its 45th anniversary this year.

The college was originally established by a joint agreement between the Laguna Art Museum and the Festival of Arts in 1961 as a venture to improve the technical skills of Laguna artists.

The new Laguna School of Art held its first classes on the grounds of the Festival of Arts and underwent several name changes during the college accreditation process, changing from the Art Institute of Southern California to the Laguna College of Art & Design in 2002.

It holds regular gallery exhibits and participates in the First Thursdays Art Walk, at which it holds special student exhibitions.

It also is involved in special projects, such as the design of a mural at the Nix Nature Center by a student.

The college offers more than 300 students the choice of a bachelor’s degrees in fine arts, graphic design, illustration or animation; it launched a master’s degree program in painting this fall.

5. More resignations

In July, district Superintendent Theresa Daem indicated her intention to resign at the end of the current school year. Daem, who has served the district since 1998, said her decision was based on personal factors.

She underwent breast cancer last year, and then dealt with the resignation of high school principal Nancy Blade and the death of K Turner this year. She said that Blade’s resignation had nothing to do with her decision, but the other two events had a profound impact on her.

Daem is engaged to be married and said she is looking forward to other pursuits.

The district has since commenced a search for a new superintendent; search firms will be interviewed in early January.

Assistant Superintendent Steven Keller also resigned to take a position as superintendent of the Redondo Beach school district. He was replaced by Nancy Hubbell.