Trustee’s Wife Quits Teaching Job

The wife of school board member Robert W. Balen has resigned her teaching position because her employment by Santa Ana Unified School District violated a state law, officials revealed at a meeting late Tuesday.

After an inquiry by district Supt. Al Mijares, the Orange County Department of Education declared that Patricia Balen’s employment was illegal under state conflict-of-interest codes.

On Aug. 8, Patricia Balen resigned as a special-education teacher at Taft Elementary School, officials said.

After the disclosure was made at Tuesday’s board meeting, Trustee Rosemarie Avila asked whether Robert Balen could be penalized.

Ronald D. Wenkart, general counsel for the county education department, said he did not believe any sanctions were in order because there was no evidence of willful wrongdoing.

Wenkart said his office had issued the same opinion on the matter to then-Supt. Rudy Castruita in 1993. Castruita, who apparently took no action on the matter, has since taken a job with the San Diego County Department of Education and was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Mijares said he brought up the matter again two months ago after board President Sal Mendoza had asked whether his wife could be employed by the school district.

Balen did not participate in Tuesday’s discussion and excused himself from the dais when the matter came up. Balen’s attorney, Roger Grable, said Wednesday that he does not foresee any further action on the issue.

Patricia Balen “is obviously disappointed,” Grable said. “She lives in the district and was interested in teaching in the district.”