School improvement details wrapping up

News from the Feb. 8 Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of

Education meeting:

The board is wrapping up final details on a $46-million capital

improvement program to repair and improve the district’s campuses.

The board accepted a final settlement of $793,750 with PJHM

Architects that will enable the district to repair a cracked

retaining wall at El Morro Elementary School. The block retaining

wall was built at the school’s entrance as part of the capital

improvement program. The wall cracked when it was originally built

and the settlement will remedy the damage.

The board also approved a motion to disband the independent

citizen oversight committee. The committee -- formed to oversee the

$39 million in proceeds from Measure R General Obligation Bonds,

which provided the bulk of funding for the capital improvements --

has fulfilled its duty.

Asst. Supt. Steven Keller showed off the framed letter of

compliance he received from the California Department of Education

for remedying all noncompliant issues during the recently completed

school repair and construction program.

Construction project administrator Carl Neuhausen spoke about a

new problem with Laguna Beach High School’s baseball field.

An ongoing point of contention has been about the baseball field’s

fence height.

Now there are problems with the field itself. Neuhausen said the

grade of the field is rolling and will require more sanding to make

it level.

Board member Bob Whalen said that there has been a lot of finger

pointing between the firm that designed the field, LA Engineering,

and the company that installed the sod.

Neuhausen said he believes it is LA Engineering’s responsibility

to remedy the issue.

Board member El Hathaway said the fact that baseball season is

starting shortly lends urgency to resolving the issue.

The board also moved to add conditions to Laguna Beach High

School’s off campus lunch policy. Currently juniors and seniors are

allowed to leave the campus during lunchtime with written parent

permission on a specific form. Sophomores and freshman are not

allowed to leave campus for lunch.

High School Principal Nancy Blade wants to add a “contract”

component and have freshman and sophomore parents acknowledge,

receive and sign a copy of the policy.