EDWARDS TO RETAIN 2 SEATS ON BOARD.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - A Kern County committee has rejected the Muroc Joint Unified School District's proposal to reduce the number of board seats earmarked for Edwards Air Force Base residents from two to one.

The district had proposed the change because the two Edwards seats have high turnover, with few trustees able to complete a full four-year term due to frequent military transfers. But Edwards residents complained that such a change would hurt their representation on the school board.

``I think the large, sincere opposition from the local community, together with very little support for the proposal from the community, went a long way toward them making their decision,'' said Bud Burrow, Kern County Office of Education assistant superintendent and secretary to the Committee on School District Organization.

The committee voted unanimously at a meeting Wednesday night in Bakersfield to reject the district's plan to have one seat each representing the base, Boron and North Edwards, and two at-large seats.

A ballot measure approved by voters in 1990 requires that the board have two seats filled by Edwards Air Force Base residents, two by residents of Boron and one from North Edwards.

The committee held two public hearings last week to gather comments from residents. One hearing at the district office in North Edwards was attended by about 20 people, two of whom spoke out in support of the district's plan.

The second meeting at the base drew more than 175 people, most of whom opposed the plan.

``It's good that the committee listened to our arguments and came down on our side, but also it's a responsibility at the base to continue to work to keep our representatives in place as long as possible,'' said Col. Jeffrey Mayo, commander of the 95th Mission Support Group and base liaison to the district. ``We've got some challenges with the military-move cycle and residency issues. We are very committed to making sure that we get the word out and keep up the awareness with our parents.''

Mayo noted that state and congressional representatives sent letters to the committee urging the panel not to support the district's plan. Missives were sent by Rep. William M. ``Bill'' Thomas, R-Bakersfield, and Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield; and Assembly members Bill Maze, R-Visalia, and Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster.

``They came down on the side of supporting military families and keeping our representation where it is,'' Mayo said.

Mayo also suggested that legislation be considered to allow parents whose children transfer into the district from other areas, such as Lancaster, Palmdale and Rosamond, to run for the board. About 700 of the district's 2,300 students come from outside the district.

``That would address the board's desire for continuity,'' Mayo said.

Superintendent Mike Summerbell said the issue was something the board had asked him to pursue but that he respected the committee's decision.

``Some good things came out of it. It was a wake-up call about working harder together to try and interest people out on the base who are registered voters in stepping up to the plate and applying for positions and to find people who have longer tenure out there to deal with the continuity issue,'' Summerbell said. ``I think we can use this to help energize the base pool of people to get more actively involved as potential board members.''

There is frequent turnover because trustees holding the base seats are usually spouses of base personnel, who are reassigned every few years by the Air Force.

A district study found that since 1990, trustees holding the base seats have served an average of 21 months of a four-year term. And when base board members move away and their seats become vacant, there is sometimes scant interest from new applicants, and people are appointed because they are the only ones who have applied.

The committee is made up of people from throughout Kern County, some retired, some employed in various jobs, and others who serve on local school boards.

Measure F was approved by voters in 1990 to balance board representation during a time when the board majority was held by Boron business people.

In 1993, some residents tried to repeal the measure, but the county organization committee turned them down, saying the then-new system hadn't had time to prove itself.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com