Politics Behind Cuts Are Complex

What we need now is a parade. Or a march. Or at least a couple hundred yards’ worth of those cute little yellow ribbons.

Anything to bring back that glow. You know, the one that makes life (sigh) worth living.

As it is, a multitude of parents, athletes, coaches and administrators within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District are in a finger-pointing frenzy over the proposed elimination of seven varsity athletic programs--boys’ and girls’ cross-country, boys’ and girls’ tennis, water polo, golf and wrestling--from El Toro, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills high schools.

Eliminating sports?

Why would they? How could they? And does this mean we won’t be able to sink our teeth into those tax-deductible, fund-raising candy bars again?

First, the bottom line.

As do all school districts in Orange County--and the state, for that matter--Saddleback Valley Unified must make budget cuts, $4.8 million in all. At the board’s request, the athletic budget must be trimmed by $150,000.

Because most of district funding for sports goes for coaching stipends, the group of principals that made the sport-cutting recommendations says it had no choice but to cut coaching jobs. And when the coach is 86’ed, the program naturally follows.

Depending on your view, you can blame the whole mess on:

--Gov. Pete Wilson and his proposal for $2 billion in state education cuts.

--The school district and principals for recommending that entire varsity programs be dropped, rather than cutting lower-level teams.

--The athletes for existing.

You might also take a good, hard look at the political scheming going on with regard to Catholic schools joining public leagues in Orange County.

Two weeks ago, attorney David Larsen of the Costa Mesa firm Rutan & Tucker said he was representing eight Orange County school districts in their appeal to the CIF regarding the Southern Section’s decision to allow Catholic schools into public leagues.

Who paid the attorney fees, estimated to top $3,000?

Saddleback Valley.

Who has been described as the “ringleader” in the campaign to deny Catholic schools entrance to public leagues?

Saddleback Valley Supt. Peter Hartman.

Apparently, Peter not only pays the piper, he plays one, too.

That’s not all. Saddleback Valley paid a consultant $5,000 to study the feasibility of having a separate Orange County section.

Add that to the attorney fees and the school district has shelled out $8,000 or more. Expect those fees to skyrocket if the public-parochial issue goes to court. Already, the cost of Hartman’s politics could have paid a year’s worth of coaching stipends for cross-country.

Not to mention some money for academics.

The board also has considered cutting, among other educational programs, the Academic Decathlon at all four high schools. Laguna Hills is the two-time defending State champion and has finished second in the national competition the last two years. A two-time national runner-up. How many county sports teams can say that?

Not that trophies are what’s important here, though some parents might not agree.

Tuesday night, the school district’s board of education met in Mission Viejo to discuss the budget-cutting plans. A packed room of students, parents, coaches and administrators made for interesting conversation.

Those who spoke--and there were many--ranged from a senior manager of a $17-billion Fortune 50 company (he made sure we knew it) to Erin Pyka, the CIF scholar-athlete of the year from El Toro, to a kid in a black Rolling Stones T-shirt who didn’t play sports but wanted us to know he thought it was uncool to cut athletics.

From a Mission Viejo senior bound for the Air Force Academy: “Members of the board, when you eliminate a sport you eliminate a dream. . . .”

A Laguna Hills water polo player: “How can we cut $166,964 in sports when the superintendent of our school district makes nearly that or more every year?”

It went on through the night. Maybe by the end of the week, Gov. Wilson will be drowning in mail from angry parents. Or maybe some big bucks corporate type will come through with a hefty donation.

OK, maybe not. But the parade idea ought to be given some consideration.

Think of the money in T-shirt sales.