New Leadership for Newport-Mesa : Parents’ Dismay With Administration Is Justified

Who can blame the parents of the Newport-Mesa Unified school district if they feel angry and in no small way betrayed?

They have been looking these recent weeks at the devastation left by the looting of their school district’s coffers, and they wonder whether it is a symptom of wider mismanagement.

These parents were students once themselves. They have learned how to put two and two together.

So they have been turning out at school board meetings. Two hundred came to one. Two hundred came to another. They demand the ouster of Supt. John W. Nicoll and some assistants. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Wagner, the district’s former top financial officer, pleaded guilty last week to embezzling more than $3.5 million from district accounts.

Even by Newport Beach’s standards of a scam, the amount is staggering. Even if some restitution is possible, as Wagner’s attorney insists, there is no escaping the psychological fallout. The district’s crisis of confidence goes beyond the allegations of theft. It calls into question the stewardship of an administration that didn’t administer properly. While their financial person was living high on the hog in a town where many live beyond their means, they stood by. The millions disappeared on their watch.

Last week, Jim de Boom stepped aside as school board president, citing the demands of his business at a time when the board needs leadership. But he remains on the board. The new acting president, Robert H. MacMillian, rejected immediately the call of some board members to begin looking for a new superintendent. Previously, the board has dismissed the demands of parents for a house-cleaning.

So where’s the real change? Those on the board who recognize the need for it clearly understand. And there can be no quarrel with the parents whose busted pact of trust cannot easily be glued together. This is not one of those factional crises in a public school system where the loudmouths try to shout down the professionals and seize control.

No, there is no cast of demagogues. These are parents who seem to have lost basic confidence in the school system.

Even if the district were to bail itself out miraculously, it would be hard to imagine business resuming as usual under the current administration. And make no mistake, whatever the shenanigans of one employee, it is the administration--and ultimately the Board of Education--that must be held responsible for this terrible abuse of trust in a proud school system.

No wonder that in recent weeks, parents have begun to act like frustrated consumers at a customer relations desk. They have been collecting signatures, and checking for themselves the numbers and fine print on district documents. Having volunteered in classrooms, served on Parent-Teacher Assn. boards, and lent to the district their professional expertise, they have a stake. They really don’t believe the answers they are getting.

So this crisis runs deep. It would be a mistake for the school board to turn a deaf ear to the serious message in those emotional cries for change. The district should have a new superintendent.

And while investigators still probe the depths of this scandal, the question remains. How could it happen in a prosperous community that prides itself upon educational excellence?

While pondering the answer, take corrective action now. The argument for new leadership to restore confidence and direction is compelling. And the hour may be later than the board recognizes.