Along with council candidates Toni Iseman and Melissa O'Neal,
Village Laguna endorsed Laguna Beach School Board candidates Kathryn
Turner and Betsy Jenkins.
School board incumbent Turner is seeking her third term.
"The first time I ran, I was in a position of blissful ignorance,"
Turner said. "That blissful ignorance lasted 12 hours. I was sworn in
on a Tuesday. The county went bankrupt the next morning."
Keeping the district's head above the financial waters was, of
necessity, the top priority.
"Now we are focused on the right things, on education," Tuner
said.
Turner has degrees in nursing, education and law. Candidate
Jenkins' face was a familiar one to the audience. She and her
husband, Gary, have belonged to Village Laguna since 1981. She ran
the Charm House Tour for years and currently sits on the scholarship
committee.
She has been a volunteer in the school district, serving in every
capacity from room mother, to PTA Council president. She is a member
of the Citizen's Oversight Committee for the construction of
facilities.
"I would bring a new voice and an insider's knowledge to the
board," Jenkins said.
Incumbent Whalen has served on the board for five years, starting
as an appointee.
"During those five years, the district has made a remarkable
turn-around," Whalen representative El Hathaway said. "We have built
the cash reserve from nearly zero to about $6 million, as of June."
Whalen's first term focused on the renovation of facilities and he
was a leader in the bond issues, according to Hathaway.
"If it weren't for Bob, we wouldn't have gotten that 81% vote,"
Hathaway said.
Candidate Wilson, who has been a resident of Laguna for three
years, said the district has no villains and regardless of who wins
the election, the voters can't lose. He holds a bachelor's degree in
art education, a master's degree in social science and a doctorate in
education.
Wilson is partially retired, but keeps his hand in by teaching
part time at Chapman College and Pepperdine University.
-- Barbara Diamond
Students may be denied transfers
Students who plan to attend charter schools outside the Laguna
Beach Unified School District next year may find their request
denied.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the board of education approved a
motion that approved the requests of six students to attend the
Orange County High School of the Arts with the caveat that they may
not receive an automatic approval next year due to a pending
California Senate bill. If approved, the bill in question will direct
