Education leader’s principal battle could end

A controversial education leader could resign from office as a result of a lawsuit against her and the Ocean View School District.

Opponents of Barbara Boskovich spent nearly a year trying to recall her from the school board, but ultimately it appears that it will be her battle with Harbour View principal Roni Ellis that led to Boskovich’s downfall. The school board member is said to have agreed to resign from her post as part of a settlement agreement with Ellis.

In May, Ellis sued Boskovich, the Ocean View School District and former superintendent Jim Tarwater, alleging defamation and harassment. Ellis said she reached a settlement with Boskovich and Ocean View School District in January. Under the deal, Boskovich would agree to voluntarily resign from the school board and the school district would pay Ellis $250,000, Ellis said.

“I’ll be happy when it’s over,” Ellis said. “I think its fair and I want it to be over.”

That could be as soon as March 21 when Ellis, her attorneys, and representatives for Ocean View and Boskovich go before an Orange County judge to discuss the settlement deal. Ellis said there are some disagreements about the language of the settlement agreement and she was seeking a judge’s help to resolve the matter.

Boskovich and acting Ocean View superintendent Karen Colby would not comment on the matter.

Ellis said Boskovich was originally set to resign on March 1, but disagreements over the deal have indefinitely pushed the date back.

“It was very disappointing for my husband and myself for the date to come and go,” she said.

Boskovich was first elected to the school board in 2000, defeating incumbent Peg Edey on a platform to restore trust in the district. Boskovich was a vocal opponent to a successful attempt to convert an old district school site into a Wal-Mart and worked on initiatives to fight eminent domain in downtown Huntington Beach.

One of her most prominent accomplishments at the school board was presiding over the sale of a surplus school site on the Bolsa Chica mesa to the Wildlife Conservation Board, a move that earned her praise from environmentalists and scorn from a small cadre of political rivals.

Her 2004 re-election campaign was a particularly sordid affair, ending with her taking first place in the contest, only to be the subject of a bitter recall several weeks later in the face of mismanagement allegations. That effort was exacerbated when parents first alleged that she might have spread rumors about Ellis.

Fellow school board trustee Sharon Holland said she could not comment on the lawsuit or the resignation, but commended Boskovich’s five years of service on the school board.

“She is a wonderful school board member,” Holland said, adding that Boskovich was key in securing funding for several school projects at the district.

But for every supporter, Boskovich seemed to have an equal number of political enemies. Her disagreements with fellow school board member Debbie Cotton seemed to be worsening and criticism from individual parents was becoming bitter.

Parent Tom Overend said he and others had long opposed Boskovich for a number or reasons, most recently because of the rumor allegations involving Ellis. He said he was happy that Boskovich would be leaving the school district.

“She abused her power, so she had it coming,” he said.hbi.16-boskovich-dz-CPhotoInfoOG1OUTHM20060316iw5eejknDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / INDEPENDENT(LA)Critics of Barbara Boskovich, shown here in 2004, spent nearly a year trying to recall her from the school board.