Past Grand Jurors Say Education Department, Chief Resist Change

In a rare display of criticism, an organization of former Orange County Grand Jury members Thursday accused the county Department of Education and longtime Supt. Robert Peterson of “being resistant to change” and of virtually ignoring “a decade of grand jury recommendations.”

The Grand Jurors Assn. called a press conference to deplore the department’s written responses to lengthy criticism issued by the 1985-86 grand jury. That grand jury, among other things, recommended that the department consider having its superintendent appointed by the five-member Board of Education rather than elected countywide.

Peterson, referring to his reelection by overwhelming margins ever since his first countywide election as superintendent in 1966, said in rebuttal: “I don’t need any personal defense because the voters for over 20 years have applauded the efforts of the county Department of Education under my leadership.”

Peterson said his department “has among the best collection of education leaders in the nation, and I would heed their advice more than the off-the-cuff recommendations of short-term experts.”

Valerie Ransom of Irvine, president of the grand jurors’ organization, acknowledged that Thursday’s press conference in Santa Ana was unusual.

“We’ve been in existence as an organization about 20 years, and this is only the second press conference we’ve held,” Ransom said. “The one we had last year was also about the county Department of Education. . . . We think this is a very important issue, and it’s going to take repetition to get the public to understand. This department is spending more money every year, and it isn’t paying any attention to grand jury criticism.”

James Gage of Newport Beach, foreman of the 1976 grand jury, told reporters: “Read our 1976 grand jury report, and you’ll see it makes the same criticism of the county Department of Education as the one last year. It’s been 10 years, and that department still hasn’t changed.”

Support of Incumbent Board

The idea of considering a change in the way the department’s superintendent is chosen won some support on the incumbent Board of Education, which in December named a seven-member blue ribbon commission to study the elective versus appointive issue. The commission, chaired by Mayor Jess F. Perez of Orange, is expected to issue its findings by March.

This action was praised Thursday by Marilyn Brewer, of Newport Beach, chair of the 1985-86 grand jury’s education committee. But Brewer criticized Peterson and the county Department of Education staff for rejecting most of the 1985-86 grand jury recommendations.

Brewer noted that the department is supervised by Peterson and that the elected board members have no direct control over the 700-employee department, which spends about $50 million a year.

Brewer said grand juries “for a full decade have made recommendations to the Department of Education, but our recommendations fall on deaf ears.”

Peterson characterized that remark as misleading. “The fact is that many grand juries have been supportive of the county Department of Education,” he said.

Brewer Thursday emphasized one recommendation made by last year’s grand jury that Peterson and the county Department of Education rejected. That recommendation was for the county department to allow only a flat fee--a per diem amount--for travel expenses of employees, rather than paying all expenses submitted by the employees. Brewer said state employees get per diem rather than what is called “actual expenses,” and she said the result is that state employees tend to be more economical.

Motel 6 vs. Hilton

“It encourages staying at something like a Motel 6 rather than at the Hilton,” she said.

In rejecting the recommendation, the county Department of Education said: “The review process for approval (of employees) to travel is thorough; expenditures are reasonable, and the reimbursement practice is consistent with other school districts in Orange County.”

Carol Barnes, of the educational consulting firm Programmetrics Ltd., also was at the grand jurors’ press conference. She defended the survey of the department made by her Huntington Beach-based company for the 1985-86 grand jury. That survey, among other things, charged that there is “universal criticism” of Peterson by the superintendents of local school districts.

Barnes said district superintendents talked candidly to her during the survey because she guaranteeded them anonymity. Asked why the superintendents wouldn’t take their criticism directly to Peterson, Barnes said: “They have to work with the county department. . . . It would be suicide for them to make public statements (of criticism).”