2016 in review: A look back at Newport-Mesa’s 50th-anniversary year
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016, along with a new football field at Costa Mesa High School.
It also faced questions about retirement benefits, workplace culture, a school award and math curriculum.
Here is a list of some of the district’s top stories of the year, in chronological order:
Top business official gets separate retirement fund
The retirement benefits for Paul Reed, Newport-Mesa’s deputy superintendent and chief business official, came under scrutiny in January after the district’s former director of human resources, John Caldecott, brought to light that the district had paid into separate tax-sheltered annuities for Reed as an incentive to delay his retirement. The payments were first made in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
The district also reimbursed Reed, 69, for his annual purchases of credit toward additional service time, which increased his pension benefit from the California State Teachers’ Retirement System.
Reed announced in September that he would retire at the end of the year, stating through the district that as he approached 70, it was “simply time to focus more on family, especially grandkids.”
According to CalSTRS, he will receive a monthly pension benefit of $22,194.
Two former officials sue district and superintendent
In January, former Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Laura Boss and former Asst. Supt. Ann Huntington filed a lawsuit alleging that Supt. Fred Navarro created a workplace culture of fear and intimidation that compelled them to leave their jobs after the school board failed to investigate their claims.
The lawsuit alleges that Navarro excluded them from cabinet discussions, assigned tasks to their subordinates without consulting them and embarrassed them in front of colleagues during meetings.
The suit claims the board did not investigate a formal complaint that they and then-director of human resources John Caldecott brought forward in October 2014, alleging a toxic work environment.
The district said “the evidence and facts will clearly show that these allegations are unfounded.”
A hearing in the case is scheduled for April.
Principal leaves Mariners Elementary amid award controversy
Mariners Elementary School replaced its principal this school year after complaints from teachers and parents about the principal’s leadership and the accuracy of an application she filed for a school award.
Laura Canzone, who was known as Laura Sacks when she served as Mariners principal last school year, left the Newport Beach campus in June and was transferred to a special assignment at Costa Mesa Middle School. According to district officials, she began using the last name Canzone because of a change in marital status.
At a school board meeting in May, Mariners teachers raised concerns about an application she filed for the statewide Gold Ribbon Award, alleging that the form included educational programs that were not fully in place at the school and practices that were never discussed with the faculty.
At a June board meeting, parents expressed unhappiness with the school climate under Canzone’s charge, calling it “awkward” and “institutional.”
Matt Broesamle, former principal of California Elementary School in Costa Mesa, replaced her.
Newport-Mesa marks 50 years
The district began celebrating its 50th anniversary this school year with plans to bury a time capsule at the district’s Costa Mesa offices and hold student research presentations with young scholars describing what it was like to be in school during each of the past five decades.
On July 1, 1966, the K-12 district formed as a product of the Costa Mesa Union School District, the Newport Beach City School District and the Newport Harbor Union High School District.
Mustangs Field opens at Costa Mesa High
Fifty-eight years after the school opened, Costa Mesa High School’s football team finally played a night game at home.
With the debut of Mustangs Field in September, the players no longer have to travel to play a home game.
Plans for the $8.5-million stadium had been in the works for almost three years, drawing the attention of Costa Mesa athletes and parents who urged additions to the 1,000 seats.
In May, district Supt. Fred Navarro asked the city of Costa Mesa to hold off, for at least a year, on its willingness to put city funds toward additional seating at the stadium and other upgrades, such as a special building for team rooms.
District open to piloting alternate math curriculum
In September, district staff and the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers announced they would collaborate to explore alternate math programs to pilot in classrooms after elementary school teachers and parents expressed frustration with the Swun Math curriculum that students have been using.
Elementary schools began using Swun Math in 2013, and teachers and parents say the materials for the curriculum are riddled with typos and other errors.
John Drake, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, said in August that after the piloting, a recommendation on which program to use could be given to the board by the end of April.
Fire closes Ensign gym; neighbors lend a hand
After a fire damaged the girls’ locker room in a gym at Ensign Intermediate School in November, the gym building was closed.
An arson investigation was begun after authorities said they found signs of forced entry and vandalism at the Newport Beach school.
The investigation by the city fire and police departments is continuing, according to Newport fire Capt. Ty Lunde.
Many students lost their gym clothes and shoes to the fire, and some classrooms on campus are serving as changing areas for girls and boys as they dress for gym class.
Shortly after hearing of the fire, Newport Harbor High School student John Lamas started a crowdfunding campaign at Gofundme.com to raise money to help buy new running shoes for students who still need them.
More than $5,000 has been raised through the online campaign and other fundraising efforts.
Twitter: @AlexandraChan10
