By Nick Diamantides
Staff Writer
Candidates for the District 4 seat of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education participated in a lively discussion at the Signal Hill Mercedes Benz Dealership community room Monday night. Incumbent board member Jon Meyer and his two challengers, Paul Crost and Karen Thomas Hilburn, each presented their reasons for seeking to occupy the 4th District seat.
About 40 people attended the standing-room-only event, which was organized by the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce and Concerned Citizens of Signal Hill. Long Beach resident and community activist Alan Tolkoff moderated the forum and read questions submitted by audience members.
Hilburn, who was first to make an opening statement, described her 39 years first as a teacher and later as an administrator in the Long Beach Unified School District. She stressed that one of her primary objectives if elected would be to make sure the school district offers more vocational education and alternative education opportunities to its students.
Crost worked as a labor employment attorney for many years, but more recently has established himself as a professional mediator who helps settle disputes between rival organizations. He said he was running because he believed his expertise would bring balance to the board and help it navigate through the many contentious issues it faces during the course of a year.
Meyer outlined his 41 years as a teacher and principal in the LBUSD. He noted that California ranks 46 out of the 50 states in per-pupil expenditures, but in spite of that standing, LBUSD students are served well. He said that student safety and student achievement were his two main priorities. He also noted that he strongly supported the recent 4.5-percent teachers’ pay hike the board approved.
The first question Tolkoff asked the candidates was whether they approved of a plan touted by some to form a separate Signal Hill school district.
Meyer, who answered first, explained that talk of forming a separate school district began years ago when relationships between Signal Hill and the LBUSD were stormy. “But since Chris Steinhauser has taken over as our superintendent and I followed Ed Eveland to the board, the relationships between our district and the City of Signal Hill have been very positive,” he said, noting that he personally knows Mayor Mike Noll and Councilman Larry Forester (who were in attendance as well as Councilemember Ellen Ward who is endorsing Karen Hillburn). Meyer noted that if the schools in Signal Hill were failing the students, it would warrant a different approach, but the schools in the city had won many awards for the programs they offer to their pupils, therefore negating the need to form a separate district.
Crost said that problems that might exist between Signal Hill parents and the LBUSD could be solved, but breaking away from the district would be a poor choice. “[It would] create more levels of bureaucracy and require another superintendent and more personnel,” he said, noting that as an employment attorney, he dealt with small school districts in Orange County and saw how they struggled with even minor increases or decreases in the student population. “A school district the size of LBUSD has the ability to absorb and respond to changes in population,” he said. “I don’t think separation is a good answer; if there is a problem, it should be addressed internally.”
Hilburn agreed that it would be best for Signal Hill to remain in the LBUSD, but she focused on why some residents would like to break away from the school district. “I don’t think that Signal Hill would even consider starting its own school district if it were treated as a full and equal partner with the LBUSD,” she said, noting that sometimes the school board makes decisions that will impact Signal Hill schools before even advising local parents that changes are in the works.
Next, Tolkoff asked the candidates to explain why District 4 residents should not vote for their opponents. Crost, who answered first, said that having professional educators–such as Meyer and Thomas Hilburn–on the board was good up to a point, but the board needed someone who can say “no” to actions recommended by school district administrators when those actions are not in the best interests of the public. “A sterling example of that is airport litigation where they spent over a million dollars in taxpayer funds in a lawsuit against the city,” he said. “And then there’s the Wilson High School gymnastics litigation–a tragedy that should never have happened.”
In her response, Hilburn first questioned whether Crost could serve as an unbiased mediator on the board in light of the fact that the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) was the single biggest contributor to his campaign fund. Then, turning her attention towards Meyer, she noted that he ran unopposed in the 2004 election and his primary concern seemed to be conducting business as usual, rather than doing something to stem the tide of “youngsters lost” –students who drop out of school because their needs are not being met.
During his turn, Meyer refused to speak negatively of his opponents. “I think you should focus on my record,” he said. “I have spent my life committed to the students and the staff of the LBUSD.”
He concluded with “beware of the interview for candidates who come for a new job. It’s easy to be a Monday-morning quarterback who completes all of his or her passes. Performace is what it’s all about, so I rest on my 41 years of performance.”
The three candidates responded to six more questions, many of which were covered in their recent interview with the Signal Tribune. At various times throughout the forum, the candidates stood up to passionately rebut their opponents’ statements.
The election for two seats (districts 2 and 4) on the board of education will take place on April 8. On that day, voters will also decide who will represent them in three of the Long Beach City Council districts. Two of the incumbents in those contests are running unopposed. In Council District 6, Ahmed Saafir is challenging incumbent Dee Andrews.
Editor’s Note: For audio coverage of this event, visit LBReport.
