SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Board Opposes School Choice Drive

Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District unanimously approved a resolution this week that states their opposition to a statewide ballot initiative on school choice.

The measure, for which a petition drive is underway, would channel state funds to any private or parochial school a student chooses to attend, schools that supporters say are now only open to the wealthy. Sponsored by the Excellence Through Choice in Education League, it would provide state scholarships or vouchers worth at least $2,500 for every school-aged child.

Members of the league contend that the measure would provide middle- and low-income families with the opportunity to send their children to private schools and would also increase the overall quality of education because it would promote competition between private and public schools.

But district Supt. James A. Fleming said passage of the initiative would have an “absolutely devastating effect” on public education. He said the plan is a “nightmare of logistics” that would mean less money for public education and would enable even public schools to “self-select” their student populations.

“Even for those who believe in private and public school competition, this is not the way to go,” Fleming said. “I’m not sure if the people of California are ready to chuck their education system down the drain just yet.”

Fleming said that even if no parents in Capistrano Unified opted to send their children to private schools, passage of the initiative would still mean an annual funding loss of $8 million to $9 million for the district.

Proponents of the measure have until early May to collect the 615,958 petition signatures needed for the initiative to qualify for the November ballot.

District trustees said they passed the resolution as a way of encouraging parents and others in the community to reject the petition drive.

“Basically, this is very poorly crafted legislation that hasn’t been thought out all the way,” said Board President Crystal Kochendorfer.