Homeland security meeting tonight Assemblyman Ken Maddox...

Homeland security meeting tonight

Assemblyman Ken Maddox will host a town hall meeting tonight at

Vanguard University focusing on homeland security.

Costa Mesa Councilmen Allan Mansoor and Mike Schaefer will co-host

this security summit, which will discuss disaster preparedness and

information about what local, state and federal authorities have done

after Sept. 11 to protect the country against terrorism.

Also participating will be Costa Mesa Fire Chief Jim Ellis,

California National Guard Maj. Gen. Paul D. Monroe and

representatives from the Orange County Fire Authority, the sheriff’s

department, the California Office of Emergency Services and the

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the university’s Smith

Hall, Room 101. Vanguard University is at 55 Fair Drive in Costa

Mesa.

School board to hold special ed study session

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board of trustees will

hold a special study session today about special education.

The board will hear about and address the needs of children in

special education programs in the district. It will be open for the

public to attend.

“We’re trying to become educated on where the monies come from and

where they go,” Trustee Linda Sneen said. “I hope parents come, too,

to understand. Once you understand the budget, you understand a lot

of other things.”

Paul Goldfinger, vice president of the Sacramento consulting firm

School Services of California, will speak about special education

funding.

“Special ed is becoming a bigger and bigger portion of our

budget,” Trustee David Brooks said. “It used to be funded federally

and by the state, but now we have to pay the whole thing ourselves.

We’ll be looking to get an idea of the whole picture.”

Study sessions function similar to board meetings with time for

public comment. The board schedules them throughout the year to focus

on different agenda items that they feel need more attention.

The study session will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today in

the Roderick H. MacMillian Board Meeting Room at the District

Education Center, 2985-A Bear St., Costa Mesa.