Stories, Water District, Firm in Line of Fire

If Mssrs. Lord and Knitz are found guilty of “feeding at the public trough,” their community service should be in one of Orange County’s public schools. In fact, they both could trade places with any of the teachers at the high school where I teach. The public would surely get its money back. Let me explain.

For starters, they would eat in the school cafeteria. They would naturally have to pay out of their own pocket. Also, they would only have 25 to 30 minutes to get there, stand in line for their food, sit down on metal chairs at metal tables, eat and return to their classroom. They most likely would discuss school-related topics with the other teachers at the table, but God forbid that they try to charge their lunches to the school board of trustees!

To continue, if they chose to attend a school-related conference, they would have to pay out of their own pocket for transportation, for hotel room, for meals, for conference registration fees and for additional workshops at the conference. And, because of the disastrous effect of diminished financial support of California public schools, Lord and Knitz would also have to provide for a substitute teacher’s salary (slightly over $100 a day) by subtracting their absence from their 10-day-a-year sick leave.

If any staff member were to retire during their tenure at my school, Lord and Knitz would have to dig into their own pockets to provide for a party and a gift. Needless to say, La Ferme would be out!

Lastly, like the average teacher in California, Knitz and Lord would spend around $3,000 (!!!) a year of their own money for classroom supplies.

I could say more. . . .

FLO MARTIN

Costa Mesa