Hermosa Beach School district to appoint Ackerman replacement
The Hermosa Beach City School District will replace former board member Patti Ackerman, who stepped down at last month, by appointment rather than by special election. The school board voted 3-1 to replace Ackerman with an appointment at a meeting last week. Board members said that while they recognized the importance of the democratic process in filling the seat, the associated costs tilted their decision. Superintendent Pat Escalante said that holding a special election would cost about $65,000. According to Angela Jones, business manager for the district, because the item was not allocated in the approved budget for this year, the cost would have to come out of reserves. Board member Monique Ehsan said that the district’s low funding allotment under the California’s Local Control Funding Formula meant that the loss of funds represented a threat to programs provided through fundraising. “In a tiny school district like ours that is so extraordinarily underfunded, I can’t justify spending $65,000 on an election. I think we will arrive at the same destination [with an appointment], just $65,000 richer,” Ehsan said. The date by which a replacement for Ackerman could be found also…
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