Team Edwards' school board representation unchanged

  • Published
  • By Christopher Ball
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  After a week of deliberation, the Kern County Committee for School Organization voted unanimously, Feb. 1, to deny a request from the Muroc Joint Unified School District to reorganize the seats on the board of trustees.

The request was to change the representation from two Edwards seats, two Boron seats and one North Edwards seat to one seat for each community and two at-large positions.

More than 200 people attended a public hearing on the issue Jan. 25, and were nearly unanimous in their support to keep the representation as it stands.

"I'm sure the outpouring of support from the Edwards community and our state and national political leaders went a long way in helping the committee make its decision," said Col. Jeffrey Mayo, 95th Mission Support Group commander. "While I'm glad they decided to keep the status quo, there's still a lot of work to be done on our part to make sure we have the right people available to fill our positions on the board."

Continuity and difficulty filling Edwards board positions for a full, four-year term were the main reasons cited for the district's request to change the seats.

Colonel Mayo, in his presentation to the committee, countered that continuity was available via the members from Boron and North Edwards, and that the Edwards members brought understanding of the special needs and educational difficulties faced by military children as they transition from one school system to another. He also discussed the fact that many military members are ineligible to serve on the board, as they don't meet the residency requirements set forth by state law, and that the typical tour of duty is two to three years, so filling a four-year term is nearly impossible from a military standpoint.

Colonel Mayo suggested a possible solution is to look for legislative changes that would allow non-residents to serve on the board where their children are attending school.

"Whether the requirements change or not, we need to keep our parents informed and involved to ensure Edwards is ful-filling its obligation to populate its seats on the board," Col. Mayo said. "That means finding the right people for the job. Our children's education is, and must remain, a top priority for us."