School Board Blocks Campuses’ Applications for U.S. Funds

With one trustee comparing the federal government to a “drug dealer,” a conservative majority on the Orange Unified School District board has refused to allow five schools to apply for a program that exposes students to the working world because the funding would come from two U.S. agencies.

The applications rejected by a 4-3 vote at Thursday’s board meeting would have provided the schools with $3,000 each to participate in a program funded by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education. Under the program, 100 county schools will link with local businesses and agencies to introduce students to careers.

But the four-member conservative majority on Orange’s board said the money is tainted because it comes from the federal government. The trustees were making good for the first time on a promise to personally review every bid for public or private grant money. “When you start playing ball with the federal government, it’s like playing with a drug dealer--the first one is always free,” Trustee Bill Lewis said.