School System Shortchanges Pupils
* As a parent becoming uneasy about the increasing problems in our schools, I was astounded when I attended my first Ventura County school board meeting. I saw John McGarry, board president, deftly spare the board the inconvenience of listening to public concern about the appearance of impropriety by Supt. Charles Weiss.
Afterward, I heard Weiss confidently inform a person that the superintendent of schools is accountable to no one concerning dismissal of personnel and that people bothered by the apparent political retribution against Dan Flynn simply have incorrect information.
John McGarry and Weiss share an attitude toward the public which I am confident will be displaced as more people become aware of the education mafia that has established itself in Ventura County.
Although McGarry and Weiss are doing their part to demonstrate problems at the county level, they are only elements of a larger problem in California schools. We need to transform an education establishment that feeds on the public and shortchanges our children.
PAUL FINMAN
Newbury Park
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