LOS ALAMITOS : Compromise Reached on School Boundaries

A compromise has been reached in the controversy over attendance boundaries for McAuliffe and Oak middle schools in the Los Alamitos Unified School District.

After meeting for two days last week, a panel of parents, trustees and administrators decided to recommend to the school board new boundaries significantly different from the ones adopted last month.

The panel is recommending that students from two Seal Beach neighborhoods be allowed to choose which school to attend. In addition, students from two Los Alamitos neighborhoods would go to Oak instead of McAuliffe, as required under the original boundaries.

The school district serves Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and Rossmoor. Last month, trustees decided to use Los Alamitos Boulevard/Seal Beach Boulevard as the boundary for the two schools because the thoroughfare splits the district in half.

Students living east of the boulevard would attend McAuliffe, and those living west of the roadway would go to Oak.

But at a March 6 school board meeting, parents demanded a change, noting that students from the affluent Marina Hill neighborhood in Seal Beach would all go to Oak, depriving McAuliffe of some strong parental support that has helped make the school successful.

The panel’s recommendation will come before the board Monday.

Under the recommendation, students from Old Town Seal Beach and Marina Hill would be able to choose which school to attend. Students from College Park East would attend McAuliffe but could request to enroll at Oak if space is available.

Students from Rossmoor Highlands and those living west of Bloomfield Street and south of Cerritos Avenue in Los Alamitos would attend Oak.