Whittington leaving Del Mar school district

Dena Whittington, assistant superintendent of business services, is leaving the Del Mar Union School District for the assistant superintendent position at San Ysidro School District.

At the June 23 Del Mar school district board meeting, trustees talked about how hard it will be to replace Whittington, who has been with the district for four years. Trustee Katherine White praised her flexibility in dealing with all the different groups within the district. Trustee Doug Perkins said she was very helpful in providing lessons in “Budget 101.”

“I hope she knows how much her contributions meant to the district,” Trustee Comischell Rodriguez said.

The district will post the position online and in the Association of California School Administrators’ EdCal publication’s July 2 and 9 editions. The district is setting an application deadline of Aug. 2.

Schedule returns to one meeting per month

The Del Mar Union School District Board of Trustees finalized a new meeting schedule on June 23 for the rest of 2010, returning to one meeting per month. The board will now meet the fourth Wednesday in August, September and October and the third Wednesday in November and December. The board’s next meeting will be held on July 14.

At the board’s May meeting, the board was told during public comment that it was illegal for it to change the schedule without notifying the San Diego County Office of Education. Superintendent James Peabody reviewed the process and found that while that was once the process, it no longer is. The board had hoped to go dark in July, but it will still hold the July meeting this year. Peabody suggested that the board revisit the issue again in December and amend its bylaws to no longer meet in July.

Del Mar school district to cap enrollment at Sage Canyon and Ocean Air

The Del Mar Union School District will cap enrollment this fall at Ocean Air and Sage Canyon School to avoid overcrowded campuses.

Most district schools are anticipated to have sufficient capacity to accommodate all students who reside within their attendance boundaries — except for Ocean Air and Sage Canyon, whose neighborhoods are experiencing growth due to new housing developments.

Kindergarten and second grade at Ocean Air will be capped at six sections (classes), and first and third grade capped at five. Fourth grade will be capped at four sections, and fifth and sixth grade at 3.5 sections.

Sage Canyon kindergarten, second and third grades will be capped at five sections, first grade at six sections, fourth grade at four sections, and fifth and sixth at 4.5 sections.

Students who don’t get into their school of choice will be placed at an alternate school.

“We know we are offering a wonderful education at any one of our school sites,” Trustee Katherine White said.