ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Irvine Families Fear for Schools’ Future : THE DUFAULTS

These are the stories of two Irvine families who have a personal stake in helping their community’s schools weather the county’s bankruptcy. They spoke with Times staff writer Ching-Ching Ni.

Beth and Chris Dufault moved here from Temecula last year so their five children could attend Irvine’s public schools.

They are troubled over Orange County’s financial debacle, but say they are willing give their time and money to keep those schools from sliding.

“I don’t mind contributing if they need supplies,” said Beth Dufault, (pronounced Doo-Foh), who was among those surveyed in the Times Orange County Poll.

“We feel so blessed to be in such a stellar school system. We’re getting the best education around. I have friends in private schools that are paying astronomical tuitions and they’re still asked to contribute. Our expenditures are so minimal compared to what the kids are getting.”

Beth Dufault put off pursuing a Ph.D. in physiology to stay home with her children. She says she runs a continuous roll call in her head--Josh, Allie, Amy, John and Austin.

The children--14, 7, 6, 5 and 2-- hovered around the family’s antique dining table on Thursday night, eager to offer their two cents’ worth on what the bankruptcy means to them.

“One teacher told us, ‘We have to tighten our belts, children,’ ” said Allie, 7. “That means we have to use what we have, and my teacher is always bringing in games from home.”

“They’ve talked a lot about not having everything we used to have before,” said Josh, 14. “My algebra teacher gives us assignments on recycled paper. The other side’s already been written on. You have to pay to volunteer to be a chaperon for the field trips. We used to be able to let them go for free.”

Beth Dufault, 35, said she is disturbed about the irresponsibility of the school district in investing so heavily with the county. But she is optimistic that Irvine parents can help preserve the schools.

“Irvine residents are extremely proactive in their children’s education,” she said. “This is a university town. We all work at home with our kids with flash cards and math. All the moms I know work in the schools at least one day a week and we compare notes on what happened in class. We’ll make sure the quality of education doesn’t suffer.”

Beth Dufault volunteers two to three hours a week, helping second-graders with their reading and grading papers at Josh’s junior high school. She also baby-sits two hours a week for other mothers so they can volunteer at the schools.

Chris Dufault, 37, said he has less time to help out, but will be at the school’s career night this week to talk about his job as an on-line information services manager.

The Dufaults say they watch their spending carefully so they can afford swimming lessons for their children, along with school supplies and fees for field trips.

“We don’t drive new cars, we don’t eat out and we don’t have cable (TV),” Chris Dufault said.

They are very concerned about the potential brain drain from Irvine schools if good teachers are laid off or choose to leave because of lack of pay increases.

“Cafeteria-style extracurricular activity I’m willing to pay for in order to keep the teachers,” Chris Dufault said.

The Dufaults are renting in Irvine’s Turtle Rock neighborhood, and say the county’s financial unrest has delayed their plans to buy a home.

“We decided to rent for another year to make sure this is exactly what we wanted,” Beth Dufault said. “We would seriously consider moving if the parental involvement spirals down. We don’t see that coming with the level of concern in the community. We just hope that won’t happen.”