Fullerton Union District Rejects Proposed O.C. Section

The Fullerton Union High School District would not join an Orange County athletic section, Superintendent Kenneth Jones said Wednesday.

In a memo sent to the State Federated Council, State Commissioner Tom Byrnes and the commissioners of California’s 10 sections, Fullerton officials said there was “no compelling” reasons to join a new section. It said that, with the current information, the district’s six high schools--Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, Sonora, Sunny Hills and Troy--would remain in the Southern Section.

“Our principals are unanimously against it and so are our athletic directors,” Jones said. “At this time it is not possible for Fullerton to become part of the proposed section.”

The State Federated Council will take action on a proposal Friday that would allow the county’s 75 schools to break from the Southern Section.

The memo was sent Wednesday and came from a staff report, which Jones requested. The report expressed concerns about the lack of information regarding playoff formats, competitive equity, administration and finances. Jones said in the memo “the disadvantages outweighed potential benefits.”

The Fullerton schools are the latest defection and the most significant.

The county’s 15 small private schools already have chosen to remain in the Southern Section. An official at a Catholic high school said Mater Dei, the county’s largest Catholic school, will stay with the Southern Section. Mater Dei officials deny a decision has been made.

But the loss of the Fullerton schools would be more devastating because it involves public schools. It would leave an Orange County section with 54 schools, and damages the united front of county superintendents.

Orange County superintendents will meet Friday to review the situation.

Thirteen of the county’s 15 public school districts have passed resolutions supporting a county section. Fullerton and Anaheim, which has eight schools, did not.

Cynthia Grennan, Anaheim superintendent, and Jones sent out a joint memo to the Federated Council three weeks ago asking that the state take action on its strategic plan before making any changes.

The state strategic planning committee has yet to release its report. It is not expected to contain criteria for the formation of sections, Jones said.

The Fullerton announcement comes at a time when supporters of the proposal are attempting to gather support for Friday’s vote.

The Southern Section Council, which has 26 of the 104 votes on the State Federated Council, voted overwhelmingly last week not to support the proposal.

Los Angeles Section and Sacramento-San Joaquin Section officials have indicated they would support an Orange County section. The Northern Section is leaning in favor of supporting the proposal. The North Coast Section has indicated it would vote against the motion.

That leaves the proposal down 10 votes, 37-27, with 40 undecided votes.