NEWPORT BEACH / COSTA MESA : School Board Lacks Vision, Audit Finds

A team of auditors told Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials that they lack a vision for the future and, as a result, are not educating students efficiently.

The exhaustive audit, authored by the National Curriculum Audit Center, criticized the district for not hiring enough minorities to the faculty and allowing each school to set many of its own policies. Auditors also found that faculty and parents lack confidence in the elected school board.

In the past four months, auditors have pored over documents, visited classrooms and interviewed teachers and administrators

Newport-Mesa school board members, upon hearing the assessment from lead auditor Sue Greene, told about 100 parents, teachers and principals Tuesday night that they would use the recommendations in the report.

“What the audit is really saying is that the district should have a long-term plan in place that takes into account changes in the environment and changing populations,” said Supt. Mac Bernd.

The report indicated that there is strong leadership in the superintendent’s office and that budget procedures are well run.

The audit did not attempt to spell out what should be taught in the classrooms, nor did it rank individual teachers. Rather, the report emphasized the need for a clear set of goals that define how classroom curriculum fits into a larger picture.

District officials held meetings Wednesday morning with principals and some faculty to review the report.

“We have had decentralized school district for a long time, and something could be said for that,” said Tom Jacobson, principal at Corona del Mar High School. “But (we) need some guidelines, themes, and a districtwide curriculum to provide enough glue to hold the district together.”

The auditors gave the district low marks for employing a faculty whose demographics do not come close to mirroring that of the student population.

For example, of the 711 teachers in the faculty, 97% are white, 1.4% Latino, 1.3% Asian and one African-American teacher. The student population, by contrast, is 62% white, 29% Latino, 7% Asian and 1% African-American.

The report also concluded that the district’s administrative offices are dispersed inefficiently into several locations in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Greene said that even the auditors had a difficult time keeping track of which offices housed which administrators.

“I have no doubt that people in the community are concerned about this too,” Greene said.

The report also examined school maintenance. It found that some bathrooms and classrooms were dirty and unkempt.

The district is providing copies of the report to interested parents and community members. For more information, call (714) 760-3500.