special study on Orange county school districts

 Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission Special Study on Orange County School Districts November 2009 The 5th Ninth grade graduating class of the Garden Grove School District taken in 1896 at the “Picnic Grounds,” an area now known as Irvine Park November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 3 BRIEF HISTORY OF CITIES & SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OC ....................................................................................................... 3 ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ................................................................................... 5 THE DISTRICTS .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 BOUNDARY CHANGES .......................................................................................................... 23 BEST PRACTICES FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS ........................................................................ 24 JOINT USE AGREEMENTS (JUAS) ................................................................................................................................. 25 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 30 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Fullerton Joint Union High School Bus circa 1920 ......................................................................... 2 Figure 2: California Counties 1860 ................................................................................................................ 3 Figure 3: Orange County School Districts ..................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4: School District Process ................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 5: Madison Elementary & Park co‐location example ....................................................................... 27 Figure 7: Godinez High School & Centennial Park ...................................................................................... 29 Figure 8: Huntington Beach High School & Worthy Park ............................................................................ 29 OC LAFCO Special Study 1 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Executive Summary This report is a brief overview of the relationship between school districts and cities within Orange County. It is intended as an informational report for the Commission as requested during LAFCO’s 2009 Strategic Planning session. Staff is recommending that the Commission receive and file the report. Although approving a change in school district boundaries is outside the authority of LAFCO, the agency has the legal authority to initiate a school district boundary change. It is NOT recommended that LAFCO initiate any changes. This report includes: •
A brief history of cities and school districts in OC. •
A description of the current boundaries between cities and school districts in OC. •
A comparison of the process of reorganizing school district boundaries with the LAFCO process. •
An overview of joint use agreements as a possible method of cost savings and opportunity for shared facilities and services among cities and school districts. Figure 1: Fullerton Joint Union High School Bus circa 1920 OC LAFCO Special Study 2 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Introduction This period of economic crisis presents an opportunity for local agencies to reevaluate opportunities for shared services and facilities, as well as, for other “out of the box” solutions to do more with less. School districts, similar to counties, are direct subdivisions of the State and as such cover 100% of California. In California the boundaries of counties, cities, and school districts are rarely in alignment. In exploring the relationship between cities and school districts in Orange County, this report discusses two main issues. The first is the boundaries between school districts and cities and the second is the efficiencies and cost‐savings that result from joint use agreements. This report does not offer recommendations, but is intended to provide local leaders with some information about the relationship between cities and school districts in the OC. Figure 2: California Counties 1860 Brief History of Cities & School Districts in OC Public education in Orange County dates back to a time prior to the County’s formation—to the public education provisions included in the 1849 California Constitution. In 1889, when Orange County officially detached from Los Angeles County, there were 32 school districts covering the entirety of the new County and only three cities (Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Orange). School districts formed earlier than most of the cities in OC to provide educational services to the children of the small communities scattered throughout the County. As cities continued to incorporate around these communities, the boundaries of the two agencies were often not in alignment. These differences in boundaries have been compounded by years of annexations as the cities have grown. As California grew, the number of school districts also increased state‐wide. By 1935, there were over 3,500 school districts in California, but the number began to decrease after 1935 through direct action of the Legislature to reduce the number of districts. Over the course of the past 120 years, Orange County has seen the existence of over 107 school districts. Some school districts, like Bay City Elementary District lasted only a few OC LAFCO Special Study 3 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS years (1906—1911), while others like Santa Ana (established 1855) were established prior to the formation of OC and evolved through annexations and unification. The State Legislature has made many attempts to reduce the number of districts and has offered economic incentives to unify or merge through annexation. 1 A 1950 law increased transportation funding for the first five years of unification, a 1951 law increased per pupil funding by $5 for the first five years in districts that merged, and a 1953 law increased funding by 5% in the first year of existence of a unified district formed by the County Committee recommendation. In 1959, the State Legislature turned from the carrot to the stick; the State Board of Education would create master plans (to consist either of a system of unified school districts or a structure represented an intermediate step to unification) for the County, unless each County Committee submitted to the State Board of Education a master plan of school district organization for its county by September 15, 1964. Additional encouragement came in 1964 with an increased $15 average daily attendance (ADA) for districts that unified and again in 1967 where the incentive increased to $20 ADA. This program was successful and State saw the drastic decrease in the number of elementary and high school districts and the increase in unified districts. 75% of the unified districts in Orange County formed during this period. 1
Unification occurs when high school districts merge with their feeder elementary school districts to form a single unified district. Annexation in the Education Code refers to the merger of two or more like districts (e.g. two or more elementary school districts) OC LAFCO Special Study 4 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Orange County School Districts Figure 3: Orange County School Districts The image above shows the cities of Orange County is various colors, the unified district boundaries in black outline and the high school districts in white dashed lines. The high school districts are highlighted to show their feeder elementary schools. Orange County Schools gained national attention in 1945 when Mexican‐American parents challenged the practice of school segregation in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. Mendez v. Westminster School District was ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The judge found OC LAFCO Special Study 5 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS segregated schools to be an unconstitutional denial of equal protection. Prior to this case, Mexican‐American students in most of the school districts in Orange County attended different schools than their Anglo peers. Orange County has four types of school districts: community college, high school, elementary school, and unified school districts. For simplicity this report is limited to the last three types depicted in figure 3. Unified districts provide K‐12 education, while elementary and high school districts are divided K‐6 and 7th grade to 12th grade respectively. The twelve unified school districts cover roughly 85% of Orange County. The remaining 15% of the county (predominantly in the northwest) is covered by the three high school districts. The three high school districts together contain 13 elementary school districts. There are a total of 28 school districts providing kindergarten through 12th grade public education services for the residents of Orange County. Type of district Unified school districts Elementary school districts High school districts Total number of districts Number of districts 12 13 3 28 Table 1: Orange County School Districts Appendix A provides additional background information for each of the school districts in the OC. OC LAFCO Special Study 6 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS The Districts The boundaries of the 28 Orange County school districts are described in the following pages. Some areas of potential study have been highlighted; however not all areas where boundaries are irregular have been included. Staff included these areas to illustrate the issue. Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) Anaheim Union serves the Cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, La Palma, Cypress, Stanton, and unincorporated Orange County. No areas of irregular boundaries were identified for this district. OC LAFCO Special Study 7 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Fullerton Joint Union High School District (FJUHSD) Fullerton Joint Union HSD serves the Cities of Fullerton, La Habra, Brea, Buena Park, and La Palma. The four elementary school districts whose students feed into the Fullerton Joint Union are highlighted above. 2 Lowell Joint Elementary School District’s boundary crosses county lines and all the students within Lowell Joint ESD transfer to Fullerton Joint Union even though the boundaries of Fullerton Joint Union do not cross the county line. The students attending Lowell Joint Elementary in LA County would attend OC high schools in Fullerton Joint Union High School District. This is the only case found in Orange County where a school district crosses the county lines and serves residents in two counties. 2
The terms “union” and “joint” have specific meaning when included in school district names. Union indicates that it contains elementary school districts and is the district all students would transfer to as they advance to junior and high school grade levels. Joint indicates that the district either crosses county lines or one of the other school districts associated with that district cross county lines. OC LAFCO Special Study 8 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) Huntington Beach Union HSD serves the Cities of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Westminster, Seal Beach, Santa Ana, and portions of unincorporated Orange County. No areas of irregular boundaries were identified for this district. OC LAFCO Special Study 9 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Brea­Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) Brea‐Olinda USD serves the residents of Brea, portions of Fullerton and Yorba Linda and unincorporated OC. Two areas of irregular boundaries were noted and both are located on the southern boundary of the District, adjacent to Placentia Yorba Linda Unified. The border between the two school Districts is shown as the black horizontal line. The neighborhood shown in the bottom left circle is within the City of Brea, but a portion of the housing development (top of image) is within Brea‐Olinda USD. The children of the residents either attend Brea‐Olinda Schools or have requested an interagency transfer to allow them to attend Placentia‐Yorba Linda Schools. The neighborhood in the right circle includes a dozen homes which are in the City of Yorba Linda and are accessible only through the City of Yorba Linda, but are in the boundaries of Brea‐Olinda USD. The school district boundaries actually bisect homes. OC LAFCO Special Study 10 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Capistrano Unified School District (CAPOUSD) Capistrano Unified was established in 1965 and covers San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, portions of Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, and Rancho Santa Margarita, and the unincorporated communities of Coto de Caza, Las Flores, Wagon Wheel, and Ladera Ranch. Three areas of irregular boundaries in the District were noted as part of this report. The first area, in the upper circle, is on the border between Saddleback Valley USD and Capistrano USD. There are a few houses located within the City of Laguna Hills, but OC LAFCO Special Study 11 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS in Capistrano USD. The area is only accessible from the north with the crest of a hill to the south through Laguna Hills. The second area is located in the City of Laguna Beach and is divided between Laguna Beach USD and Capistrano USD. There are two homes accessible only from Laguna Beach, but located within the Capistrano USD. The third area is adjacent to the City of San Clemente and located within San Diego County. The residents are within the Fallbrook Elementary and High School Districts. There is a specific education code section (ED §46610) which allows the children of the area to attend Capistrano USD schools without an interagency transfer. The closest Fallbrook schools are to the south below San Onofre Power Plant and the residents are much closer to the facilities within Capistrano USD. Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) Garden Grove USD serves portions of the cities of Garden Grove, Stanton, Cypress, Westminster, Fountain Valley, and Santa Ana. No irregular boundaries were identified as part of this report. OC LAFCO Special Study 12 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) Irvine USD serves the residents of Irvine. No irregular boundaries were identified as part of this report. OC LAFCO Special Study 13 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Laguna Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) Laguna Beach USD serves the cities of Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and a portion of Aliso Viejo, as well as the unincorporated community of Emerald Bay. No areas of irregular boundaries were identified as part of this report. OC LAFCO Special Study 14 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Los Alamitos Unified School District (LAUSD) The Los Alamitos USD serves the Cities of Los Alamitos and Seal Beach as well as portions of the City of Cypress. The area identified in this district also appeared in the LA/Orange County Boundary Report produced by this Commission in 2008. The county boundary along with the boundary of Los Alamitos bisects a neighborhood leaving cul‐de‐sacs in Orange County OC LAFCO Special Study 15 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS which are accessible only through LA County. Similar to previous examples, the school district boundaries divide current neighborhoods. Newport­Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) The District serves the Cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach as well as unincorporated portions of Orange County adjacent to the cities. One irregular boundary is located in the southeast corner of the District. The borders of Newport‐Mesa Unified and Laguna Beach OC LAFCO Special Study 16 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Unified bisect a neighborhood in the Newport Coast area of Newport Beach. Residents in the same neighborhoods are divided between the two districts and must obtain inter‐district transfers or go to different schools. Orange Unified School District (OUSD) The District serves the Cities of Orange and Villa Park, portions of Anaheim and Santa Ana, as well as unincorporated communities in North Tustin and Orange. No areas of irregular boundaries were identified in this report. OC LAFCO Special Study 17 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Placentia­Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) The District serves the Cities of Placentia and Yorba Linda, portions of Anaheim, Fullerton, Brea, and unincorporated Orange County. There are two areas with odd boundaries identified in the image above. The first example, at the top, shows a mobile home park divided between the Placentia‐Yorba Linda USD and Brea‐Olinda USD. The second, at the bottom, shows a single home carved out of a neighborhood, in the Placentia‐Yorba Linda USD and segregated from the rest of the neighborhood which is located in the Fullerton High School District. OC LAFCO Special Study 18 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Saddleback Valley Unified School District (USD) Saddleback Valley Unified serves the City of Lake Forest, portions of Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, and Irvine as well as unincorporated Orange County. Two areas have been highlighed on the map above. The image on the left shows the boundaries of Saddleback and Capistrano school Districts bisecting a subdivision just south of Dove Canyon. The second area on the right shows two cul‐de‐sacs divided by the two Districts, placing the northern portions of the streets in Saddlbeack Valley USD and the dead ends of the cul‐de‐sacs in Capistrano Unified. OC LAFCO Special Study 19 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) OC LAFCO Special Study 20 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS The Santa Ana USD covers the City of Santa Ana as well as portions of the cities of Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa. The two areas noted are depticted in the map on the preceding page. The first is the Villa Santana Apartments which are located north of 17th street and east of the Santa Ana River flood control channel. The apartment complex is in Santa Ana, but within the Garden Grove Unified District. The second example is also located east of the flood control channel and depicts two communities which are on either side of Fairview and are oddly carved out of Santa Ana Unified within Garden Grove Unified. The border of the two Districts runs along property lines and as in previous examples, places one neighbor in Garden Grove USD and the adjacent neighbor in Santa Ana USD. OC LAFCO Special Study 21 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Tustin Unified School District (USD) Tustin USD services portions of the cities of Tustin, Santa Ana, Irvine, and unincorporated Orange County. Two areas of irregular boundaries are highlighted in the image above. The first area is located within unincorporated North Tustin and shows the boundaries of Tustin and Orange Unified School Districts dividing the gated communtiy of Rocking Horse Ridge. There is an informal arrangement in place which allows students from the community to attend Tustin Unified schools. OC LAFCO Special Study 22 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS The second area is located in the City of Tustin west of Jamboree and the City of Irvine. Similar to many of the example cited so far, the borders of school Districts divide the neighborhood leaving the end of a cul‐de‐sac in the adjacent District, dividing neighbors and bisecting parcels. Boundary Changes The process for adjusting the boundaries of school districts seems similar to the LAFCO process (Figure 4). The process of reorganizing school district boundaries (Education Code sections 35700 & 35721) is defined as “an action to form, dissolve, or lapse a school district; to annex all or part of the territory of one district to another district; to transfer all or part of one district to another district; to unify or deunify a school district; to otherwise alter the boundaries of a Figure 4: School District Process school district; or any combination of these actions” (ED §35511). There are four ways school district boundaries can be initiated: (1) transfer between district initiated by property owners (of uninhabited territory) or by school district boards; (2) transfer initiated by a 10% petition of residents or by certain agencies (i.e. county board of supervisors, LAFCO, city council,); (3) unification initiated by property owners, by petition of residents, or by school district boards; and (4) unifications initiated by a petition of residents, by the same agencies a county committee, or a 5% petition of residents (in districts with over 200,000 average daily attendance). When compared with the school district process a number of similarities and differences to the LAFCO process emerge. Similarities OC LAFCO Special Study 23 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Both processes encourage public participation through public hearings and through protest. The processes also have the same distinction between inhabited and uninhabited territory in the determination of registered voter support or opposition to a proposal. There are also reciprocal noticing requirements in both the Government Code and the Education Code of California State law. Education Code (§§ 35700.5 & 35721.5) requires the County Committee on School District Organization CCSDO “to provide written notice of the proposed action” to the LAFCO within the County. Similarly, Government Code (§56658(b) (1)) states that the Executive Officer of the Commission shall provide written notice to the CCSDO and each of the school district superintendents within the affected territory. Differences While the two processes—for LAFCO and for school districts‐‐ appear similar, there are differences. As an extension of the state legislature, LAFCOs are quasi‐legislative and the changes of organization overseen by LAFCO have no appeal but to the Courts. In contrast to the LAFCO process, school district reorganizations are managed by the Department of Education within each County through the County Committee on School District Organization (CCSDO). The decisions made by the CCSDO can be appealed to the State Board of Education (SBE). The SBE is the governing and policy‐making body of the California Department of Education. The processes also differ in the ability given to the agency losing territory to end the transfer. The school district process allows a school district losing territory to veto the proposed change. Due to the ability for a school district to veto changes in their boundaries, few have been approved. Since 1966, the Orange County Department of Education has approved 19 transfers of territory. In contrast, Orange County LAFCO has processed over 3,300 changes of organization among the OC’s cities and special districts. The next section highlights methods that schools and cities have used to work together to save money and provide increased levels of service. Best Practices from School Districts The boundary irregularities noted in the preceding sections stem from the population growth and development of cities in Orange County. School districts also have been innovative and, in particular, have used Joint Use Agreements (JUAs) to create opportunities for sharing of facilities and services. This portion of the report will focus on these creative ways to stretch dollars and form communities of interest with local agencies. OC LAFCO Special Study 24 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Joint Use Agreements (JUAs) The State Legislature has determined that “there is a civic center at each and every public school facility and grounds within the state” and that the “governing board of any school district may grant the use of school facilities or grounds as a civic center upon terms and conditions the boards deems proper.” EC §38131 offers examples of additional education code sections which speak to the ability of school districts and cities to enter into joint use agreements. A JUA is a formal agreement between separate government entities—sometimes a school district and a city or county—which can allow for the shared use of public property, services, and/or facilities. JUAs can be tailored to fit the unique needs and concerns of the agencies involved as well as those of the public. Some potential benefits and constraints are identified below. Benefits Constraints Efficient use of space Potential cost savings Conflicting goals of partnering agencies Regulatory constraints Increased recreational services Improved school facilities Ambiguity in local policies Ambiguity in jurisdictional responsibilities Types of JUAs There are many types of JUAs currently used. The table on the next page provides examples and descriptions of common joint use agreements and identifies specific examples within Orange County and the rest of California. Types of Agreement Brief Description Administrative Buildings Co‐location Community Schools School District and other agency share administrative buildings. This involves the planning and construction of facilities on adjacent properties. Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone – all day, every day, evenings and weekends. OC LAFCO Special Study OC Examples City of Santa Ana & Santa Ana Unified School District. 25 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Gymnasium Joint construction and utilization of gymnasium facilities. Libraries Joint construction and utilization of library facilities. Maintenance Yards Parks & Recreation Joint construction and utilization of maintenance yards. City and school district agree to share facilities within their shared boundaries to increase access. Joint Bidding, Purchasing, and/or Contracting Agreement Performing Arts Centers Sports Fields/Sports Complex Swimming Pools Staff from School District work collaboratively with staff from partnering agency to determine potential joint purchases and bidding for contracting jobs. City and District share utilization of performing arts centers located either on school grounds or city owned property. City and District share utilization of sports fields or complexes located either on school grounds or city owned property. City & District share utilization of swimming pools located either on school grounds or city owned property. Buena Park Elementary District & City of Buena Park Santa Ana Unified School District & City of Santa Ana – Godinez High School Orange County Public Libraries & Capistrano Unified – Unincorporated Ladera Ranch Santa Ana Unified & City of Santa Ana Capistrano Unified & Merit Property Management City of Claremont and the Claremont Unified School District Santa Ana Unified & City of Santa Ana – Willard Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, & Newport Mesa Unified Capistrano Unified School Districts & City of Laguna Niguel City of Huntington Beach and Huntington Beach Union High School District Each of the JUAs in use by Orange County agencies will be described in additional detail below. Park & Recreation Agreements Park and recreation agreements are one of the most common JUAs found throughout California. The City of Santa Ana has had an agreement with Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) for the past 30 years to provide park services. The City of Santa Ana incorporated in 1886 and over the years has become very urban with a population over 355,000. The City is built out and has found it difficult to accommodate the increased needs of school and public recreation facilities. To overcome this, the City has utilized JUAs to use the public space of schools to provide sufficient park and recreation facilities for its residents. OC LAFCO Special Study 26 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS A similar type of agreement known commonly as Co‐location has proven effective and popular between the City of Santa Ana and SAUSD is described below. Co‐location Agreements Another popular type of agreement is for a school district to coordinate the construction of school sites with the city and build the schools next to parks. Madison Elementary and Madison Park are an example of this type of agreement. The City of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Unified School District entered into an agreement for the City to install lights on the school fields and as a result the City programs activities for the school baseball diamond during non‐school hours. Another example of a co‐location agreement is depicted in Figure 7 which shows Godinez High School and Centennial Park. This example is described in additional detail under the discussion of joint use agreements for performing arts Figure 5: Madison Elementary & Park co‐location example centers. The City and District have similar joint use agreements in place for Monte Vista Elementary School, Monroe Elementary School, and Spurgeon Intermediate School. The recreation activities for these sites are typically administered through the City’s Park & Recreation Department. The Park & Recreation Department is responsible for issuing permits and the facilities are patrolled by Park Rangers after school hours OC LAFCO Special Study 27 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Sports Fields/Sports Complexes These types of agreements are similar in structure to the park & recreation agreements described above. Examples in Orange County include the City of Costa Mesa and Newport‐
Mesa Unified School District and the City of Laguna Niguel and the Capistrano Unified School District. Gymnasium Agreements Similar to co‐location and park & recreation agreements, gymnasium agreements share the costs of construction as well as the recreational benefits of the new facility. The City of Buena Park and the Buena Park Elementary District have entered into a joint use agreement for the construction and future joint use of a gymnasium. In 2006, the City of Buena Park and the Buena Park Elementary School District entered into a joint use Buena Park Junior High School Gymnasium agreement which outlined the details for coordinated funding for the Buena Park Junior High School Gymnasium/Locker Building and its uses. The basis for this type of agreement is articulated in Buena Park’s Open Space Element of the City’s General Plan. The third goal of the Open Space Element states, “The City will maintain existing agreements and explore new opportunities for the cooperative joint use of public and quasi‐public open space and recreation facilities as a means of furthering recreational and open space opportunities in the City.” These types of arrangements provide a foundation for the sharing of facilities and resources in addition to the stated goal of furthering recreational opportunities for the residents and Buena Park Junior High School Gym students. Library Agreements The joint use of library facilities has been in place in the unincorporated community of Ladera for over six years. In 2003, the Orange County Public Library and the Capistrano Unified School District entered into agreement for the construction and ongoing utilization of a library on school grounds to be used during the day for Ladera Ranch Public Library OC LAFCO Special Study 28 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS students and after school hours for students and the general public. The agreement has resulted in the establishment of a regional library on school grounds available to students and the general public. Performing Arts Centers Performing arts centers represent another opportunity for joint use agreements. As previously mentioned, the types of agreements described in this section can be arranged to fit the specific needs of the community. The City of Santa Ana and SAUSD have entered into a unique arrangement for Godinez High School. Depicted below, the High School is located adjacent to Centennial Public Park and the City Figure 6: Godinez High School & Centennial Park and District have entered into an agreement where the District built the academic facilities on District owned land and the school’s recreation facilities (gymnasium, performing arts center, football/soccer and track field, 2 baseball diamonds, and outside basketball courts) on City owned park land. Swimming Pools Swimming Pool
In 2001, the City of Huntington Beach and Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSCD) approved the joint use of pools at Huntington Beach high school. The agreement provided for joint funding of the construction of a swimming pool on the Huntington Beach high school campus. The swimming pool is highlighted in the yellow circle in Figure 8. Worthy Park which is adjacent to and south of the high school was developed in 1983 under a park and recreation agreement between HBUHSCD and the City. Under the agreement, the City owns seven acres and HBUHSCD owns five acres Figure 7: Huntington Beach High School & Worthy Park OC LAFCO Special Study 29 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS of the park. Conclusion The current fiscal dilemma facing the State and our local governments is changing the way service can be provided. This report provides background information to better understand how the boundaries between schools and cities have developed over the past 120 years of Orange County history. The report also provides insight into joint use agreements as potential tools for local cities and school districts to use to save money and increase services. In highlighting the issues related to the relationships between school districts and cities in Orange County, this report is intended to provide information for decision makers. During the 2009 Strategic Planning session, this Commission directed staff to produce a generalized report on school district boundaries. Staff is recommending that the Commission receive and file this report. OC LAFCO Special Study 30 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Appendix A: Orange County School Districts District Name Anaheim Union High School District Fullerton Joint Union High School District Huntington Beach Union High School District Date Student Area Founded Pop 1898 37,000 46 Sq. Anaheim City Elementary District Buena Park School District Centralia Elementary District Cypress Elementary Magnolia Elementary District Fountain Valley Fullerton Elementary Huntington Beach Elementary La Habra Elementary Lowell Joint Elementary Magnolia Elementary Savannah Elementary Cities within district District Website Miles Anaheim, Cypress, Buena Park, La Palma & Stanton www.auhsd.k12.ca.us 1893 16,343 50 Sq. Miles La Habra, Fullerton, Buena Park, La Palma www.fjuhsd.k12.ca.us/ 1903 45 Sq.
Miles http://www.hbuhsd.org/ 1867 19,200 22 Sq. Miles Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Westminster, and unincorporated Midway City Anaheim 1890 5,431 7.2 Sq. Miles www.bpsd.k12.ca.us/ 1875 ~5,000 5.8 Sq. Miles Buena Park, La Palma, Anaheim, La Mirada, & Fullerton Buena Park, Anaheim, & La Palma 1895 4,107 6 Sq. Miles 1895 6,348 5.2 Sq. Miles Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, and Los Alamitos Anaheim, Buena Park Stanton & www.cypsd.k12.ca.us/ www.msd.k12.ca.us/ 1876 7.7 Sq. Miles Fountain Valley 1888 20 Sq. Miles Fullerton 1906 13.5 Sq. Miles Huntington Beach www.fvsd.k12.ca.us/ fsd.k12.ca.us/index.html www.hbcsd.k12.ca.us/ 1896 6,400 5 Sq. Miles La Habra 1906 9.3 Sq. Miles La Habra 1895 5.2 Sq. Miles 1904 2,400 4 Sq. Miles Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, & Stanton OC LAFCO Special Study www.acsd.k12.ca.us/ www.cesd.k12.ca.us/ www.lhcsd.k12.ca.us/ www.ljsd.org/ www.msd.k12.ca.us/ www.savsd.k12.ca.us/ 31 | P a g e November 18, 2009 SPECIAL STUDY ON ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Westminster Elementary 1872 10,000 10 Sq. Miles Brea‐Olinda Unified Capistrano Unified 1966 20.2 Sq. Miles 1965 51,000 195 Sq. Miles San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and the communities of Las Flores, Cote de Caza, Ladera Ranch, & Wagon Wheel Garden Grove Unified 1965 47,855 28 Sq. Miles www.ggusd.k12.ca.us/ Irvine Unified 1972 26,000 61 Sq. Miles Garden Grove, Anaheim, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Stanton, & Westminster Irvine Laguna Beach 1936 Unified Los Alamitos Unified 1980 Newport‐
Mesa Unified Orange Unified Placentia‐
Yorba Linda Saddleback Valley Unified Santa Ana 1966 22,477 1953 1991 1973 35,000 1961 54,580 24 Sq. Miles Santa Ana, Irvine Tustin Unified 1972 22,000 23.8 Sq. Miles Tustin, Santa Ana, unincorporated North Tustin, & Irvine http://www.sausd.k12.ca
.us/sausd/site/default.as
p
http://www.tustin.k12.ca
.us/
Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Westminster, unincorporated Midway City Brea www.wsd.k12.ca.us/ www.bousd.k12.ca.us/ capousd.ca.schoolloop.c
om/ www.iusd.org/ 24.3 Sq. Laguna Beach, Newport www.lbusd.org/index.cf
Miles Beach, and m unincorporated Emerald Bay 16.7 Sq. Los Alamitos, Seal http://www.losal.org/los
Miles Beach, and al/site/default.asp unincorporated Rossmoor 58.83 Sq Newport Beach and http://web.nmusd.us/
Miles Costa Mesa 147.6 Sq. Orange http://www.orangeusd.o
Miles rg/
39.7 Sq. Placentia and Yorba http://www.pylusd.k12.c
Miles Linda a.us/home.asp
95 Sq. http://svusd.k12.ca.us/ Miles OC LAFCO Special Study 32 | P a g e