Pg. 125-136
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- Category: The History
- Published on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 23:45
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election. The election was held on May 20, 1955. The incumbents were successful in retaining their seats on the board.
H. Chauncey 465
H. Orady 334
D. Rung 430
R. Wood 309
Incumbents received no more organized opposition at their elections until the time when the school bonds failed in 1957. Mr. Robert Larson, the Del AIre Improvement Association candidate , defeated Mrs. Ellen Shultz, the incumbent. Mr. Larson campaigned upon the issue that the school bonds were not needed. The election was held on May 17, 1957. This election marked the first time in the history of the district that in incumbent had been defeated by organized opposition.
Dao 1
Mrs. Ellen Shultz 649
Mr. Robert Larson 883
Total votes 1,533
On January 7, 1953, the board presented a resolution to the Redondo Beach City Council protesting the city's proposal to annex property belonging to the Wiseburn School District. The resolution to Redondo Beach, stated that the fifteen-acre school at Aviation Boulevard, known as the Dana School, and the ten-acre school on the north side of 135th Street and Anza, known as the Cabrillo School, were essential to the operation of the Wiseburn School District.
The Building Program
After the Anza School was completed, the district would still be on double session in eighteen classrooms due to the increase in population. Mr. Smith proposed on December 12, 1945, that four or five more classrooms be built at the Anza School as well as consummation of the plans made for the Wiseburn School in 1942. (This project included the addition of the present Rooms 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9, and the rehabilitation of Room 10. In addition to the classrooms, offices for administrators and a nurses quarters were planned.)
It would cost the district $130,000 for the rehabilitation of Wiseburn School and the addition of classrooms. An additional $70,000 would be needed for the classrooms on the Anza site.
It was suggested that Mr. Smith investigate prefabricated classrooms. In June, 1946, he was authorized to travel to Sacramento to see examples of these erected buildings.
Bond elections
Several bond issues were passed during this time. The first one was held on March 5, 1946. This bond was for $200,000 and was held to cover the expenses of four or five classrooms at the Anza School, and to complete the 1942 plans for the Wiseburn School additions. The bonds passed and the voters passed and the voters were canvassed on March 12, 1946.
Yes 60
No 0
Total votes 60
Another bond issue was held on February 10, 1948, for $375,000. The bonds again were approved.
Yes 184
No 2
Total votes 186
In order to accept and expend apportionment form the state, the district had to be bonded to 95 per cent of capacity. The additional bonding capacity was set at $161,000.
On May 25, 1951, abound election was held for $161,000, known as proposition number two was for authorization to accept state moony. Both issues passed. The results of the election are as follows:
Proposition #1
Yes 196
No 18
Total votes 214
Proposition #2
Yes 194
No 15
Total votes 209
In July, the bonds were sold at a premium of $1,172 at 3 per cent interest. Mr. Smith thought it would be bent to use the bond money exclusively for the construction of classrooms, and that a tax override or $1.35 should be used for the purchase of land.
On November 19, 1952, the board decided to bond to capacity again and build . A lay advisory committee was formed to gain a community reaction to the proposal of bonding to capacity. On February 4, 1953, the Lay Advisory Committee, made up of representatives from various groups and organizations in the district started to hold meetings to discuss the bond measure with the board. On March 4, the advisory group reported back to the board with a recommendation that the district bond to 95 per cent of its capacity. If a bond election was held in 1953, then no bond would be necessary in 1954.The maximum unused bonding capacity of the district was $389,000, 95 per cent of that figure would be $369,550. If the district gained two million dollars in valuation, and wish the retirement of bonds, the district would have $545,000 for bonding purposes. The bond election, for $545,000, and held in May, 1953, was approved by the voters.
Yes 447
No 51
Total votes 746
It was the plan of the board to sell the bonds in October or November, 1953, at 95 per cent of the bonding capacity.
The district held another bond election in May, 1954, for $548,000, which also passed,
Yes 695
No 51
Total votes 746
The year 1957 marked the first of a series of bond failures for the district. On May 17, 1957, a bond election for $700,000 was held. The bonds as well as a one dollar tax override failed.
Yes 685
No 922
Total votes 1,607
The Richard Henry David Dana School
On August 1, 1947, the board decided that the 1925 auditorium building should be inspected for safety and should not be used for instructional purposes until approved by engineers. That month the building was declared unsafe for the housing of children. The sanitary facilities at the east end of the building, however, were allowed to be used.
Preliminary plans for additions to the school were approved on October 6, 1947. A of $109,740 was accepted for the construction of the additions in June, 1948. The project included constructing Rooms 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, office space, storage, nurses' quarters, and the rehabilitation of Room 10. The construction of the buildings and the installation of the plumbing was completed by March 1, 1948, at a cost of $110,963.96 (see figure 9).
Before the construction was finished, the board decided to change the name of the school. By January, 1948, the board expressed the opinion that the name Wiseburn should not be applied to just one of the two schools 
in the district. Richard Henry Dana was selected as the future name of the Wiseburn School.
On March 10, 1948, it was decided to acquire five more acres for the Dana School. The Johnson Land Company informed the board that $5,000 per store was the price of the land. The board hired its own appraiser. In January, 1949, the board offered the Johnson Land Company $2,000 an acre, and in March, the firm presented a counter offer of $2,500. After another offer of $2,500 and acre on December 26, 1949.
The need for an auditorium and cafeteria was expressed by the board. The trustees decided to start on the project in May, 1953. A new school could not be started at this time because the land has not yet been acquired from Mr. Leuzinger for the construction of the forth school.
The construction at the Dana School would include a cafetorium, one industrial arts room, one homemaking room, two conference rooms, teachers' room, two classrooms, and toilet facilities ( see figure 10). The money for the construction and demolition of the old auditorium amounted to $239,337.64. The contract was let in April, 1954, to the A. and M. Construction Company for $236,989. The buildings were completed in November, 1956.
The Juan de Anza School
The money that was available for the new school construction amounted to $91,960. A bid was accepted from Brunsell for the construction of the district's second school for $89,424 on July 6, 1945.
The name of the new school was quite a concern to the board. Mr. Smith felt that another name should be selected in place of North School, as this project had long been referred to. Juan de Ana suggested, with the hope that the name would not degenerate into the Anza Street School. The board considered the name Juan de Anza to be both properly historican and literal.
On October 31, 1946, the Anza School was completed ( see Figure 11). This provided eight classrooms and one kindergarten room. The district now had two schools: one at the north end of the district, and one at the south end. The Anza project had been completed by district funds from the 1942 bond election and grants from the Federal Government under the Lanham Act of 1941.
More land at the Anza School site was considered necessary by the board on November 10, 1948. In January, 1959, it was felt that five acres should be added and by May, the district was considering the purchase of approximately 2.9 acres.
