Ocean View board appoints Aaron Baines as Westmont Elementary principal

The Ocean View School District board voted in closed session to employ Aaron Baines as principal of Westmont Elementary School. The clerk reported the motion was made by Trustee Patricia Singer and seconded by Trustee Gors; the roll-call vote was recorded as a unanimous 5–0 adoption of the appointment.

Board procedure and context: The appointment was announced after the board returned to open session at 6:00 p.m. following a closed session that cited Government Code section 54957 (matters of public employee appointment and evaluation). The clerk read the motion and recorded the votes of President Clayton Tarvin, Trustee Gors, Trustee Singer, Trustee Souers and Trustee West Morland in favor.

Incoming principal Aaron Baines, invited by Superintendent Dr. Hoffer to make brief remarks, described himself as a product of the district and said he looked forward to joining Westmont. "I am a product of Ocean View," Baines said, noting he attended College View and Spring View and that his mother had worked in the district. "I really look forward to being a member of the Westmont team." The board posed for a photo with Baines following his remarks.

What happens next: The clerk recorded the appointment publicly immediately after the closed-session action; the transcript does not specify an effective start date beyond the board’s action. Questions about contract terms or the effective date were not addressed on the record and are not specified in the meeting materials.

Provenance: The clerk’s closed-session report and the superintendent’s introduction of Baines were reported to the public during the reconvened open session.