Two O.C. districts forming committees to look at 'surplus' property

The Ocean View School District and Orange Unified School District are deciding what to do with some of their real estate and they need the public to help in the process. 

Both districts are forming what is known as a “7-11 Committee.”

These committees must be comprised of between seven and eleven district residents representing various groups such as teachers, parents, and business owners. The volunteers are tasked with holding public meetings to review district properties and ultimately determine whether to deem any of it as “surplus” that will not be needed for school purposes.

The 7-11 Committee would present its recommendations to elected board members. Once it is deemed as surplus, schools or property could be sold, leased, or repurposed with the approval of the district’s elected board. 

OVSD, a TK-8 district with schools in Huntington Beach, Westminster and Midway City, is facing declining enrollment. Its board of trustees recently passed a consolidation plan that will shutter Spring View Middle School next school year.  

On the OVSD 7-11 Committee application, the district listed around two dozen properties that the committee would review. 

Orange Unified has campuses in Orange, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Villa Park with 28,000 students. Its board recently voted to lease part of a former campus to Orange County Classical Academy, a charter school in the district which is seeking to expand, reports The Orange County Register.

The OUSD application states its 7-11 Committee’s purpose would be “to review and analyze the unused or underutilized blacktop and/or or green space portions of the properties” owned by the district.

Residents of OUSD or OVSD are being asked to apply by Feb. 23, 2024 by 4:00 p.m. 

Find the OVSD application here. Find the OUSD application here.