Earlier this month, Save HB Community distributed information about Don Hansen who is running for re-election to the HB City Council. Some of you responded that you did not support him because of his position on other important city issues. Save HB Community is solely focused on preserving our school sites and Don Hansen is one of the City Council members who has been supportive of our cause.
Keith Bohr is another City Council member who is seeking re-election and has been supportive of our cause and for this reason, we encourage you to consider voting for him as well.
As with any election, selecting the candidate who receives your vote is an important and personal decision involving the review and analysis of several factors unique to each individual voter. As stated in our email, Save HB Community simply wishes to encourage your consideration of candidates who has been supportive of our cause.
So much more important to our cause than the City Council race is the fact that two seats are opening on the HB City School District Board and three people are vying for the positions.
Thankfully, we have a new candidate in the race who believes in saving our school sites. Save HB Community unanimously supports Robert Schaaf for the HB City School Board and encourages you to join us as we seek to change the complexion of the board, one member at a time. As a concerned parent and citizen, Robert has worked hard to keep the four closed school campuses for the people of Huntington Beach and out of the hands of developers. As a member of the Huntington Beach Environmental Board, he has continued his work advocating passionately for the city to retain these assets for everyone. In addition to protecting our district’s assets, Robert Schaaf truly desires to elevate the performance and success of our district and the educational experience for our children. He is a dedicated individual who is open to hearing his constituents’ thoughts and opinions and taking that back to the Board to represent our community and do the right thing for our children. While we have enjoyed success in protecting some of our surplus school sites, our mission is not yet complete. The future of the LeBard and Kettler campuses remain uncertain. We must elect a new member to the board who will represent our interests and save our school sites…and that person is Robert Schaaf!
We respectfully request your vote for Mr. Robert Schaaf for the HB City School District Board.
As for the incumbents who seek re-election, we strongly encourage you NOT to vote for Catherine McGough as she has repeatedly voted against preserving the school sites, stating she would like to “divest the school district of these surplus properties”, was opposed to the lease extensions of Gisler and Burke to private Christian schools, and was not receptive to meeting with Save HB Community to understand our position. McGough has served on the Board for many years now; it’s time for us to say “Enough of McGough” and bring in someone new with fresh ideas who more closely represents our community’s interests. While we are cautiously optimistic about Mr. Rechsteiner’s continued support of saving our school sites, in light of Ms. McGough’s terrible record on the issue and in the absence of another pro-site challenger for the seat, we encourage you to vote for him.
In summary, please vote for Robert Schaaf and Brian Rechsteiner for Huntington Beach City School Board.
By voting for Robert Schaaf, we can together save our schools for our children and for generations to come. Please show your support on November 4 and forward this email onto your friends and neighbors.
THANK YOU!
Save HB Community
P.S. - If you would like to learn more about Robert Schaaf, please read below.
Robert Schaaf, in his own words:
I grew up in La Habra, the other end of Beach Blvd. I attended Ladera Palma Elementary School, Imperial Jr. High, and Sonora High School, all public schools. I graduated from USC with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After college, I went to work as a Project Manager. I have worked on multi-million dollar energy projects managing hundreds of people at a time in Africa, the Middle East, and here in California. I have also overseen the construction of schools and housing for less fortunate people in Africa as part of my company’s social projects.It was in Africa working on these social projects I realized the importance of quality education for everyone. Dictator Joseph Mobutu destroyed the education system in Zaire where I first worked overseas. He did it to protect his power and control over the country. Educated people were the biggest threat to stop his corruption. Since Mobutu was ousted from power, the people of the country have tried to rebuild their schools. They know the importance of education. I was so happy that I could be a part of that rebuilding effort. However, with Zaire’s (now Congo) limited resources, their task is near impossible.
Here in Huntington Beach we have the resources to have a top-notch educational system. Mismanagement and the “system” have prevented us from achieving this objective. Money has been squandered and issues sidestepped. Many families are sending their children to private schools or home-schooling. The result is public school attendance is dropping. We need to make our schools better to get our kids back in the public schools. Better public schools will also improve the private schools. Competition always results in better choices. Improved educational choices will be beneficial to everyone here in Huntington Beach.
We now have a unique opportunity here in Huntington Beach. There are schools that are unused. Just imagine re-opening one of the closed campuses as an Academy of Educational Excellence. It would be a school run by the parents for the students. Based on a strong curriculum where respect for family, community, and country would be paramount, we have the opportunity to do something special for our children.
Schools are an asset for the whole community. Youth sports leagues need the grounds for fun enriching activities. Other organizations use the facilities for a variety of other activities. So many others just use the grounds for a safe place to play. The schools also provide open space that we are in short supply here in Huntington Beach. During emergencies, we will need the schools for shelter. Selling our schools is unwise and short-sighted.
I am running for School Board to protect Huntington Beach’s assets and to improve significantly the educational system of our schools. I will not achieve any financial benefit from being elected, nor will my company, Aera Energy LLC.
Pease help to save our schools. Vote for me, Robert Schaaf, on Nov. 4.