Two for the School Board

Many voters know entirely too little about the Orange County Board of Education or about the five candidates seeking election to two board seats on the June 7 ballot.

Fortunately, all of the candidates have backgrounds in education and enough understanding of how the school board should work that the public should be well served no matter who is elected.

The two best qualified and most experienced candidates, however, are the incumbents, Dean McCormick in Trustee Area 4 and Sheila Meyers in Trustee Area 2, and we urge their election.

Meyers, who was first elected to the county school board in 1980 after serving 13 years on the Fountain Valley School Board, is running for election as an appointed incumbent because in 1986, about two years into her second term, she resigned when she moved out of the state. Meyers moved back into the county in April, 1987, and was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Trustee Frances B. Murphy, who died last year. She was selected by the county Board of Trustees after they were unable to find what they considered a qualified replacement for Murphy from a field of applicants who had applied for the appointment.

The decision to select Meyers was understandable, considering her leadership qualities and experience. Back just one year, she now serves as the board president, is highly regarded in education circles and is a recipient of the Marian Bergeson award given annually by the Orange County School Board Assn. to the outstanding board member.

Meyers has displayed a sound knowledge of the district’s budget needs and has supported programs like the child-care centers operated for lower-income parents, gang-diversion efforts and continuing education for dropouts.

McCormick is the senior member of the county school board. He is now finishing his third four-year term. Before that he served 17 years on school boards in Tustin. McCormick is also a winner of the Bergeson award and has been active in both county, state and national school board association work.

When no challenger is more qualified, and an incumbent has served well, we think that the incumbent deserves to be retained. That is the case with both Meyers and McCormick. It would be a mistake to lose their invaluable experience and proven record of diligent and informed service on the county school board.

There is one thing that does need changing, but it pertains to the county Board of Education as a whole rather than any of its individual members.

Unlike some other county boards in the state--San Diego and Los Angeles, to name two--the Orange County school board is not noticeably active in speaking out and taking positions on state educational issues that affect all the school districts in the county. As the only countywide school board, trustees of the Orange County Board of Education could--and should--be the county leader in the forefront of the broader issues before the Legislature and in the state Department of Education.

If the trustees assume that more active role, the experience and contacts of Sheila Meyers and Dean McCormick could be invaluable, and we urge their election to the county Board of Education.