Candidate for
Board Member; Ocean View School District

WE CAN DO BETTER

Ocean View School District of Orange County playing fields proximate to each school site are an enormous resource to the community, providing open green space for youth athletic use. Our fields are also valuable to our students during the school day for free and unfettered physical education (PE) activities. However, community members have complained about "polka-dot landscaping' due to sprinkler maintenance and water pressure, leaving vast swatches of our fields appearing poorly maintained. Administration admitted in meetings that all it takes to `green-up' a field is lots of water tempered with some care and attention. The leading example of lush, green and verdant fields can be seen at the Robinwood school site leased to Grace Lutheran Church with fields maintained by youth soccer leagues. All our OVSD fields can and should be lush, green, and verdant, but they are not. The good news is the Board nodded its collective head (without Board vote) suggesting its off-the-record approval of Administrative actions to encourage youth sports league leasees to contribute to field maintenance. Hope View school is a first example of this, where the previously `dangerous' field was closed for several weeks resulting in a field we can all truly be proud of. Administration has recently visited Marine View Middle School fields to observe the `polka-dot landscaping' and make plans to remedy bare dirt patches and dead/dying grass. Board direction via head-nodding has been unequivocal; we want lush, green and verdant fields for our students and our community.

WE CAN DO BETTER