Karen Kee

This update has been very difficult to write as we mourn the sudden loss of our beloved principal, Tony Corten. Tony had a long history in Pacifica, teaching at Ortega, serving as Vice Principal at Sunset Ridge, and most recently as Principal at Ocean Shore. His passing leaves a deep void in the lives of the families he impacted. In his short time at Ocean Shore, Tony won the hearts of students, staff, and parents with his positivity, excitement, and genuine care, inspiring hope for the school’s future. The OSSPTO has sent a gift to his wife Kelley, and we encourage contributions to the GoFundMe set up in his memory. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 1 PM at Terra Nova High School Gym. All are welcome.

Legal Update

On February 20, 2025, the Ocean Shore PTO and Pacifica Citizen Alliance filed an amendment to the lawsuit against the Pacifica School District, adding eleven new complaints. The goal is to halt further harm to K-8 schools and push for a court order ensuring the district follows due process, engages with the community, and conducts necessary financial evaluations before proceeding with any more reorganization plans. On February 26, 2025, the School Board met in closed session to discuss the lawsuit and explore mediation options offered by our legal counsel. We are awaiting their decision on this. They have however removed the dumpster from OSS. The district is actively trying to curtail the use of PTO funds to challenge their illegal actions even though we are an independent organization.  Please consider donating to the legal fund to help us continue the fight.

Pacifica Citizen Alliance (PCA):

The PCA, a group of local residents, is advocating for more accountability and transparency from the school district. Visit their website for ways to get involved.

What’s New on Transition Plans

The district has formed one Visionary Team so far consisting of principals, staff, and a handful of parents selected by the principal to address transition logistics of Ocean Shore to Sunset Ridge The first meeting was held on February 25, 2025, just before Tony Corten’s passing. Jeanne Bellinger will replace Tony on this team at the next bi-weekly meeting. A separate team is expected for the transition to IBL but has not been established yet. 

The district also announced selections for the Transition Team with representative parents from all schools on February 21, 2025. This team will meet for the first time on March 19, 2025

Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.

We have a new Frequently Asked Questions page on our website: 

Catch up on what’s happening, our position, and key talking points. Also, find out more about what we are doing to protect our K-8 school. 

How You Can Help

• Support teachers and staff: Volunteer to provide general assistance to teachers over the next few weeks in case they need to step out as they continue to grieve the loss of Tony.. 
• Attend the protest: Join the protest before the next school board meeting on March 12, 2025 at 4:30pm at the District Offices on Reina Del Mar Ave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2025

Fighting for Transparency, Equity, and the Future of Our Children’s Education

PACIFICA, CA – The parents of Ocean Shore School (OSS) and Vallemar School, along with Pacifica Citizens Alliance, are taking a stand against the Pacifica School District’s (PSD) decision on January 22, 2025 to approve the dismantling and forced reconfiguration of the district’s K-8 schools. This decision, made by the PSD Board of Trustees, was rushed through despite overwhelming community opposition and without proper legal compliance. In response, on February 7, the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo seeking an injunction to halt this reckless and unlawful action. This legal challenge, led by the OSS PTO Legal Task Force and Pacifica Citizens Alliance, exposes the PSD’s violations of state law, lack of transparency, and the discriminatory reconfiguration plan that threatens the educational future of our children. Further legal developments are forthcoming, and we remain committed to holding PSD accountable through all necessary legal avenues.

“This is not just about saving one school,” said J.D. Fagan, Legal Task Force Parent Lead for OSS PTO. “This is about fighting back against a district that has deceived the public, ignored its own financial assessments, and rushed a plan that will permanently damage our community. We will not stand by while they bulldoze our children’s futures without accountability.”

Key Legal Challenges in the Lawsuit:

1. Failure to Conduct Environmental Review (CEQA Violation) – The district failed to analyze the devastating impact of consolidating schools, including traffic congestion, school overcrowding, and the loss of local community schools, falsely claiming exemptions from California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The law is clear—major changes like these require public study and review.
2. Discriminatory & Segregated Schooling – The district’s plan eliminates K-8 programs for working-class and diverse student populations while protecting Cabrillo’s K-8 model, which serves the wealthiest and whitest student body in Pacifica. This deliberate resegregation violates state and federal education equity laws.
3. Fraudulent Use of Taxpayer Dollars – The district misled voters to pass a parcel tax and bond measure, never disclosing their intention to close schools. They continue to waste public funds on construction at campuses slated for closure, violating taxpayer trust and potentially jeopardizing their tax-exempt bond status.
4. Manipulating Enrollment & Capacity Data – The district inflated school capacity numbers to justify forcing relocated students into crowded conditions. , while hiding real student load limits set by state regulators. We are demanding truthful accounting of facilities and enrollment data before any closures occur.
5. Illegal Brown Act Violations – The district conducted secretive backroom meetings, blocked parent involvement, and hid key information from the public. Their rushed decisions were made without proper public notice, input, or deliberation, violating California’s open government transparency laws.

A Fight for Transparency, Equity, and Justice

This lawsuit is not just a legal battle—it’s a movement to demand honesty, fairness, and respect from our district leadership. Parents and community members throughout Pacifica are uniting to safeguard our children’s access to a stable, high-quality K-8 education close to home.

“The district thought they could steamroll parents without consequence,” said Fagan. “But we are exercising our rights, standing up for our children, and fighting back against this abuse of power. We will not allow them to dismantle our schools through deception and unfairness. The antidote to secrecy is transparency, which we hope this lawsuit will help restore and uphold for the sake of our children, our schools, and our community.”

The lawsuit was filed on 2/7/25 with the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Mateo.

Call to Action

We urge the Pacifica community to support this fight for our schools. We are seeking an injunction to stop the school closures, and we need your help to ensure that no school is closed without full legal review, transparency, and public accountability.

To contribute to the legal fight and stay updated, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/save-ocean-shore-school-help-us-fight-for-our-future

### Media Contact:

J.D. Fagan
Legal Task Force Parent Lead, OSS PTO
vp@osspto.org

### About Ocean Shore School PTO
The Ocean Shore School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is a non-profit community organization dedicated to advocating for students, supporting educators, and protecting the integrity of public education in Pacifica.

### About Pacifica Citizens Alliance
Pacifica Citizens Alliance is a grassroots community organization committed to government accountability, transparency, and the responsible stewardship of public resources. Dedicated to advocating for ethical governance and protecting the interests of Pacifica residents, the organization works to ensure that local decisions reflect the voices and values of the community.

The OSSPTO will provide weekly updates here to keep our community informed on the latest developments from the district regarding their resolution to dismantle K-8 education in Pacifica. We have been getting organized.

Legal Update

Our legal analysis has provided a clear framework for action. Our goal at this stage is to force the district to stop further harmful action immediately. To that end, OSSPTO initiated a lawsuit against the district on February 7, 2025, against the board’s resolution on January 22, 2025. More details about the lawsuit will be forthcoming. The courts will have to decide if the case warrants a stay on further action from the district.

The legal fight is expensive. Donate to fund the legal battle. 

Your donation will go toward legal fees, ensuring we can continue this battle. We are standing together to save Ocean Shore School!

District Listening Sessions

The district has concluded listening sessions. Now, the consultant will prepare a summary and recommendations to inform the board and district. As we understand it, a detailed report will not be published publicly. The transition plan presentation provides a brief summary of the themes raised.

What’s New on Transition Plans

The district is reviewing a draft transition plan at its February 22, 2025, board meeting. It is helpful to review the plan as the district has now drawn a timeline for the moves. The district has not engaged Ocean Shore School PTO formally in drafting these plans, but they have asked for more volunteers to be part of the visionary team (staff and administrations) and the transition planning team (parents). Please remember to fill out the form if you can join the transition team. Bookmark the district’s transition plan webpage if you want to keep up with everything as it unfolds.

Budget Review with the District

Two​​ budget review meetings have been held, and one more will be held this evening (February 11, 2025) at 6 pm over Zoom. Here are some key takeaways.

• The total number of positions to be eliminated is a staggering 21. To accomplish this, our classrooms will be filled to the brim, and Ocean Shore and Sunset Ridge will likely have to share classrooms and teachers. How all this will work while preserving separate identities is hard to imagine.
• The focus of these budget meetings has been entirely on anticipated savings from the transition plan. No breakdown of associated costs or consideration for loss of revenue that might result has been offered. 
• No further insights have been gained on the faulty assumptions and incomplete decision analysis justifying the rushed decision by the Pacifica School Board to adopt the school reorganization plan on January 22, 2025.

Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.

We have a new Frequently Asked Questions page on our website: 

Catch up on what’s happening, our position, and key talking points. Also, find out more about what we are doing to protect our K-8 school. 

How You Can Help

• Join an OSS Task Force
  Come to the In-Person Only PTO Meeting Feb 13, 2025 | 7-9 pm (MPR)
  We are not accepting the school board’s decision to shut down the Ocean Shore campus. We are choosing to fight and find an alternative path to save Ocean Shore. We also need a team to work on a smooth transition plan if we cannot stop this from moving forward. 
  Breakout Task Forces: Transition for K-5, Transition for 6-8, Resistance Effort, Charter Effort.
  Teachers, staff, and alums are welcome to attend.
• Protest before School Board Meeting Feb 12, 2025 | 4:30 pm 
  Join the protest at the next Pacifica School Board Meeting. Bring your signs and noisemakers. Where: District Office at 375 Reina del Mar Ave. Pacifica, CA

It has been another difficult week for a lot of us. 

• We requested meetings with the district to better understand the finances. We have asked for detailed budget proposals for all the alternate scenarios. We have not heard back. Instead, we are left with unstructured, repetitive budget meetings that create more questions than clarity. 
• The district has also completed their “listening sessions”. We are dismayed to know the mediator will report back to the district lawyers that hired her, and that the board’s actions (if any) to this feedback are unclear. 
• We have also learned that many other members of our community are getting involved. The Gray Panthers are a multi-generational local advocacy group and will take their own course of action in the form of a tax-hold. Ocean Shore School PTO has not been part of this action. This group of seniors have previously been supportive of Bonds and Measures that benefit the students of Pacifica and they must have good reason to take this action.

I ask you to stay vigilant and unwavering in your support as we continue the journey to right this wrong in our school district.

Karen Kee, Co-President
Ocean Shore School PTO