Foothills Sentry - January 2024

Foothills Sentry Page 6 January 2024 Family. Friends. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1801073 Ron Esparza, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C79663 827 S. Tustin Ave Orange, CA 92866 Bus: 714-505-3400 ron@ronesparza.com Learn more at eocwd.com SAVE WATER Esplanade Elementary students are primarily Hispanic. A fixture in the neighborhood for six de- cades, several speakers noted that generations of their families had gone there. Esplanade is also a California Community School, which offers programs, resources and food banks for the neighbors it serves. In addition to addressing the board with public comments, the Esplanade community held a pro- test in the district office parking lot, concurrent with the special meeting. Univision, the Spanish- language network, covered it. The broadcast aired that night, with interviews of students and parents who believed OUSD was pushing them aside. Full House Esplanade also offers a singu- lar program for special needs stu- dents. Children who don’t do well in full classrooms are taught in smaller groups of seven to eight. Because of that limited classroom size, the ratio of students to class- rooms is less than that of other OUSD elementary schools. It could appear to be “underused.” Several parents of special needs students emphasized the impor- tance of that program and that small classroom size didn’t make Esplanade “underused.” When rumors of OCCA’s ex- pansion plans surfaced several months ago, Esplanade parents flocked to board meetings to pro- test. Many waited until well after midnight to address the board and plead (often in Spanish) for the school’s survival. At that time, Rick Ledesma as- sured those parents that, “We are not going to close Esplanade.” OCCA, however, has pre- sented the school district with a multi-year plan, over which time it would “share” space with Es- "OUSD Board" continued from page 1 planade. For the 2024-25 school year, it would expand into six classrooms and two offices, grow- ing incrementally until 2027-34 when it would use 24 classrooms and eight offices. It would also require exclusive use of the main office, staff workroom, health room, storage areas, restrooms and sports field. It would “share” the library and locker rooms with Esplanade. A classroom utilization re- port presented to the board, Oct. 19, showed that Esplanade’s 26 teaching stations/classrooms were all being used. There was no extra capacity. Whose problem is it? OCCA is not part of the Or- ange Unified School District. It was originally approved by the then-board majority in 2019. District staff had recommended denial based on a lengthy list of financial, academic, operational, governance and credentialed staff shortcomings. Approved any- way, it fell under the auspices of OUSD and was subject to over- sight by the district. Some time later, OCCA asked the County Board of Education to remove it from OUSD and place it under the county umbrella. It has, since then, been a county charter school, not an OUSD fa- cility. The Classical Academy cur- rently serves grades K-8. It wants to expand to accommodate grade 9-12 students. “Our graduating eighth graders have nowhere to go,” an OCCA staffer told the board. “They have nowhere to continue their classical educa- tion.” There is no question that OCCA meets the needs of many parents and students; its test scores rank high. Public commenters raved about the school and its staff, and noted how well their children were doing there. “No one wants to shut down Esplanade,” one said. “We’re just sharing it.” An- other suggested that the money OUSD made from leasing the site to OCCA would allow Esplanade to stay open. Different strokes OCCA students reported that they love their school, that they were getting a good education, and that it built character and taught them how to think. “The world needs students who think like I do,” an OCCA eighth grader insisted. An oft-repeated phrase was the school’s emphasis on “what is good, beautiful and true.” “The issue,” said an OUSD parent, “is not whether OCCA is a good school or not.” The is- sue, as a number of speakers saw it, was the board’s responsibility to Esplanade students and fami- lies, specifically, and its duty to OUSD schools in general. “OC- CA’s need for space to expand is not your problem,” an OUSD par- ent advised. “Leave our schools alone,” said another. Several speakers suggested that because Trustee Madison Miner’s children attend OCCA, she should recuse herself from the discussion. One read the dis- trict’s policy on conflict of inter- est aloud. “Board members,” it said, “shall abstain when they have financial, family or other personal considerations.” She has not done so. Undue process Because the meeting was closed session, board members could not address the specific ne- gotiations under consideration. Trustee Kris Erickson, however, expressed her concerns about the meeting itself. “I have a problem with the 24 hours’ notice,” she said. “Not everyone can take off work at the last minute. It sums up how Esplanade families have been treated. I don’t understand the rush. A decision is being made that changes the Esplanade we’ve known for 60 years. We have a le- gal duty to explain the possibility of doing this, and how it would work. We should hold community forums, have a frank and respon- sible conversation, prove that we respect all parents. There’s no emergency, no reason for this to be decided now.” The board adjourned to its closed session discussion to ne- gotiate the terms and price of a potential lease. When it returned, there was no action to report. When the board votes to ap- prove or deny the agreement with CCCA, it will be done at a public meeting. “I will always remember,” an Esplanade fourth grader conclud- ed, “that OCCA took my school away.” OC Dems present consultant Andre Charles The Central Orange County Democratic Cub will host politi- cal consultant Andre Charles on Wednesday, Jan. 24 for a presenta- tion and discussion of what volun- teers can do to create a blue wave in our community. What effect do postcards have in persuading voters? Whose doors should be knocked on? He’ll break down the myths and illuminate the truths of getting out the vote in these pre- carious times. Snacks and schmooz begins at 6:30 p.m., the meeting at 7 p.m. Central OC Dems includes Tus- tin, Tustin Hills, Orange and Villa Park, but all OC Democrats are welcome. Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 1221 Wass St. in Tustin. Central OC Dems is not affiliated with St. Paul’s. Questions can be sent to Cen- tralOCDems@gmail.com or visit CentralOCDems.com.