Merger unified schools

Elia Powers

Decades before President George W. Bush ushered the phrase “No Child

Left Behind” into the national lexicon, a group of Orange County

citizens put the concept to practical use.

In the early 1960s, California’s state legislature aimed to

consolidate the number of school boards from 1,500 to 300, according

to former educator and local historian Hank Panian, who spoke

Wednesday at the Costa Mesa Historical Society.

Thus began an attempt to unify three separate school districts in

Newport Mesa -- Costa Mesa Elementary, Newport Beach Elementary and

Newport Harbor Union High School.

“The intention was to equalize the educational opportunity in the

area,” Panian said. “Unification was a controversial event. There was

a tremendous amount of community identity, and some were afraid of

losing that.”

Panian said Newport Beach was known for its affluence, which led

to superior school materials and educational opportunities. Costa

Mesa had a more blue-collar reputation, and some parents reported

their children were behind the learning curve.

Panian said there was little organized opposition to the

unification, though some Newport Beach school officials feared losing

autonomy.

Certain groups and individuals passionately supported the merger.

Tops on that list was the League of Women Voters of Orange Coast, who

distributed 4,000 leaflets to residents. The Orange Coast Civil Assn.

also played a role in drumming up support, Panian said.

Two board members of the Newport Harbor Union High School

District, Betty Lilly and Don Dungan, pushed hard for a “yes” vote,

as well.

Panian, who taught at Orange Coast College, said the faculty there

had a stake in the unification because the majority of the school’s

students came from schools in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. He said

instructors wanted continuity in their student’s educational

backgrounds.

After months of politicking and a series of articles written by

Daily Pilot education reporter Charles H. Loos, whom Panian credits

for explaining key issues, the unification measure went before voters

in 1965.

The vote was close, but the “yes” side won, 5,610 to 4,430. Panian

said about 800 Costa Mesa citizens voted against the measure and

about 800 Newport Beach citizens voted for it.

On July 1, 1966, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and its

new seven-member board debuted. The board was responsible for 20,000

students and had a $20 million operating budget, according to Loos’

article.

The unification meant $165,000 in new money for the Costa Mesa

elementary school system in the 1965-66 fiscal year, according to the

article. It also meant the city of Newport Beach would accept a

26-cent tax increase in the first year, and the city of Costa Mesa

would receive a 5-cent tax reduction in the same time period.

Dr. Norman Loats, the final superintendent of the Newport Harbor

Union High School District, became the assistant superintendent of

the new board. He said almost all the teachers and administrators

stayed on staff.

“I was a proponent of unification then, and I still am now,” Loats

said. “It was a way to make the school system less fragmented. And it

was the best thing for the students, which is always the most

important thing.”

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