Only one challenger in run for school board

Jennifer Kho

NEWPORT-MESA -- Although three school board members are up for

reelection, only one faces a challenger on the November ballot.

Martha Fluor, who is running for her third term on the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District Board of Education, will face off against Ila

Johnson, a dental health educator from Costa Mesa.

The deadline to file for candidacy was Friday, but a computer crash

prevented the county Registrar of Voters from releasing results until

Monday.

Johnson could not be reached Monday for comment.

Fluor said she looks forward to serving on the board for another four

years.

“I’d always wanted to continue on until I could see one class that

started in kindergarten go all the way through 12th grade and graduation

so I personally could see what difference I’ve made in the lives of

children,� Fluor said. “I want to watch them and see how much they have

improved in their educational experience. And I still feel that I have a

lot to contribute to the district.�

Incumbents Dana Black and David Brooks are expected to simply be

reappointed because no one in their districts filed to run against them.

Black said she thought hard before deciding to run for her second term

because her youngest child, Brandon, graduated from Newport Harbor High

School in June.

However, she said that once she made up her mind to run, she has had

no doubts about serving on the board.

“I’ve enjoyed working with our new team,� Black said. “It’s been a

really rewarding experience to be moving forward and having education

receive a lot of support. I love the fact that a lot of things we started

when I came on board are coming to fruition. There’s been a lot of hard

work and a lot left to be done.�

Brooks could not be reached Monday for comment.