By Marsha Sutton
With the appointment of The Cosca Group last week, Del Mar Union School District trustees initiated the formal search for a replacement for former district superintendent Tom Bishop.
Based in Fairfield in northern California, Cosca’s team now includes Ken Noonan, a highly respected education leader whose familiarity with San Diego’s North County schools makes him a key asset for Del Mar.
Noonan, who retired last year after successfully serving as superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School District since 1997, continues to serve on the California state board of education where he was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2005.
Hiring a search firm to find a new superintendent is a necessity. Without a superintendent, the district is rudderless, discord is polarizing factions of constituents, and unfounded rumors are fanning the flames. The Cosca Group seems an ideal choice, and Del Mar can hopefully soon appoint an outstanding leader to ease the tension, unite opposing forces, and set clear direction.
Even as the district proceeds with this step, there is another attractive, longer-term option to consider in parallel – that is, a merger with the Solana Beach School District.
Because of Del Mar’s need for a new superintendent – coupled with the district’s current, if transient, instability – a number of readers have recently suggested that the timing is right for the merger idea to be resurrected and explored.
I’ve written about a merger before, but never have the stars been so aligned.
A merger makes fiscal sense as it would solve the primary issue confronting both districts every year – a funding shortage. Less duplication of effort, administrative staff, salary and office space add up to considerably lower overhead.
This reduction in expenses represents a significant benefit, given the monumental complexity of school district funding in California. Watching the governor and the state legislature have at it every year, as they play political games with the numbers, is enough to send even the steadiest school district finance officer into a state of heightened anxiety.
My previous columns that have centered on the DMUSD’s problems frequently compared Del Mar to the Solana Beach School District – noting how Solana Beach seems to be doing things right. But Del Mar also has valuable assets to contribute to the equation.
Despite the obstacles, which should not be underestimated, uniting small school districts is unquestionably a legitimate cost-saving proposal. Other issues make this particular union appealing as well.
- The Foundation
Solana Beach’s Foundation for Learning is a reliable, well-run, respected operation that effectively funds the district’s enrichment programs without the rancor that confounds Del Mar’s foundation. Folding the two enterprises into one would pack a powerful punch that could conceivably net the united districts a bundle of charitable proceeds. And jettisoning Del Mar’s autocratic, top-down fundraising tactics in favor of adopting Solana Beach’s successful site-based, bottom-up strategy would go a long way toward improving the bottom line – not to mention softening hardened views. - Superintendent
Del Mar needs one; Solana Beach has one. And not just any one. Solana Beach has the best one money can buy. - Facilities
The Del Mar Union School District is selling off (or trying to) its district headquarters on Ninth Street, known as the Shores property. Should this encumbered deal ever be consummated, the district will need a new administrative office. Combining the two school districts offers endless possibilities for facilities use – from sharing portions of Solana Beach’s district office to utilizing unused school space. Once queerly drawn district boundaries are appropriately adjusted and students can attend their closest school or school of choice, we might expect to see attendance distribute itself more fairly, perhaps opening up space at school sites for district office needs. And if certain schools were designated for special programs, more than adequate room might remain for combined administrative/instructional use. - Community
We all live in the same neighborhoods. The boundary line between the two districts in Carmel Valley and Pacific Highlands Ranch is arbitrary and divisive. Look at Solana Beach’s newest school, Solana Pacific on Townsgate Drive, situated not far from Del Mar’s Carmel Del Mar School and configured for grades 5 and 6 only because of its close proximity to SBSD’s other two Carmel Valley schools (which were modified to become K-4 facilities). SB and DM kids belong to the same sports leagues, visit the same recreation center, patronize local restaurants and movie theaters, shop at the same stores, share park and beach time, socialize and play together. The coastal cities are similarly bound, with common interests, culture and history. The socio-economic distinctions between the two districts are negligible. We are one entwined community. - High Achievement
Both Solana Beach and Del Mar dominate the top tier of county and state rankings for student achievement and academic excellence. Curriculum – both core and enrichment – is solid in both districts. Instruction has proven effective, with stellar teachers, involved parents, motivated students and supportive staff. Shared instructional practices and cross-district collaboration would boost achievement even higher and are added bonuses of a merger. - Diversity
If Solana Beach sits slightly lower on the achievement scale than Del Mar, it is primarily due to a better mix of students. Solana Beach has a higher percentage of lower-income students than Del Mar, offering a healthy dose of much-needed diversity. To realize how much Del Mar could benefit from a more diverse mix of students, all one need do is reflect back on the vitriolic reaction to a Spanish immersion program proposed last fall for Del Mar’s Sycamore Ridge School. Diversity is good; exposure to other cultures beneficial for all kids. Solana Beach has it; Del Mar needs more of it. - Critical Mass
Fewer numbers of students can limit program offerings. Combining Del Mar’s 4,000 students with Solana Beach’s 3,000, with Del Mar’s eight schools and Solana Beach’s six, opens doors to a wide assortment of possible programming options. Gifted and talented education could be expanded, as could special education. Certain schools could be designated for foreign language; others for the arts; still others for science, technology and engineering. Magnet schools, separate K-3 and 4-6 schools, immersion schools, more looping, GATE schools, expanded field trips, same-sex classes, International Baccalaureate – with over 7,000 students, options are exciting and plentiful. - Reduced overhead
Cutting personnel is difficult. But as people retire or are encouraged to shift into other positions, the pain could be minimized. The benefits are enormous: one superintendent’s salary instead of two, only one assistant superintendent or director of curriculum and instruction, business services, human resources and facilities. Eliminating all this duplication would save the two districts hundreds of thousands of dollars annually – a quick estimate of current salaries puts the savings at close to six hundred thousand dollars. In addition, savings can be realized by combining professional development efforts, hiring practices, textbook adoptions, administrative services, classroom programs, facilities maintenance, purchasing and other areas of school district operations. - School board members
Because school boards are often stepping stones to higher office, it is unusual to find trustees happily lacking political ambition. When districts consider combining, this is often the greatest hurdle – how to deal with elected officials reluctant to give up power. But the five board members of these two districts have each, to a person, shown a remarkable, refreshing lack of interest in pursuing a career in politics, content as they are to focus on local education issues. This clears the way for a smooth transition to first combine, and then gradually reduce, their numbers on a single, united school board over time.
Support for a united Del Mar/Solana Beach school district comes from a number of prominent local politicians and education leaders, including San Diego County Board of Education president Bob Watkins, who said he would react favorably to the exploration of the idea and would endorse the concept of a merger of these two districts.
But this could not happen overnight. Besides summoning the grassroots energy to tackle such a weighty project, the other major hurdle is the time needed to accomplish the mission. According to Carole Parks, a business advisory services consultant who has worked with the San Diego County Office of Education for the past 36 years, it would take a minimum of three years, assuming everything went smoothly, before the vision could be realized. [see sidebar]
Which brings us back to Cosca and the need to find a superintendent for Del Mar.
So a merger can’t be done in the next two months. Or even two years. So, yes, Del Mar needs to find someone now to lead the district. But that fact shouldn’t stop those who believe the time is right to think creatively about our community’s schools, our finances and our children.
The merger process is daunting but not impossible. The effort will require massive amounts of hard work and dedication. But the idea is sensible and ground-breaking, and the benefits are profound.
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