ANAHEIM : Immigrants, School Costs: Anaheim Frets

As they return to the classroom this week, Anaheim high school teachers, students and parents are stepping into the midst of a blazing debate over billing foreign governments for the cost of educating illegal immigrants.

Most of them are barely aware of the fierce argument that has polarized community activists from across Orange County. But many of those who are paying attention agree--at least up to a point--with Anaheim Union High School District trustees who voted to bill the U.S. and foreign governments.

They shy away from immigrant-bashing rhetoric but say that beneath the politics is a real problem: classroom crowding.

“Somebody has to pay the waiter when the check comes,” said Charlie Bialowas, chairman of the math department at the district’s Oxford Academy. “I think that’s what they are sincerely trying to do. The means may not be the best, but I think the ends are fairly noble.”

The plan began with a proposal in May by board President Harald Martin to bill foreign countries for the education of illegal immigrant students. The amended measure, which also seeks reimbursement from the federal government, passed 4-1 on Aug. 19. The vote drew no reaction from teachers and comments from only a handful of students.

The proposal--which even its supporters say will have no practical effect--seeks to recover money that Martin says the school district needs to build new schools and alleviate crowding--expenses not entirely covered by state allocations. The plan calls for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to count the number of illegal immigrant students in each school and determine their countries of origin--something that INS officials say they would not do.

Most of the opposition has been voiced by Anaheim and Santa Ana activists who say they represent illegal immigrants who cannot speak for themselves. In board meetings, opponents have branded Martin and his supporters as racist.

Many of those who have spoken out in favor of the plan, equally passionate, live outside the city and are supporters of past initiatives to restrict services to illegal immigrants.

Although the battle over Martin’s resolution is over, opponents say they are not giving up. A group of activists is planning a recall drive against three trustees; others are exploring the possibility of suing the school district. Some students may boycott schools when classes begin Thursday.

Fresh Issue to Those Ending Summer Break

For all the personal attacks and impassioned rhetoric that have marked board meetings, few of those most directly affected by the debate are aware of it, district officials and teachers say.

“This issue did not come out in any significant way until school was out in June,” said George Triplett, president of the Anaheim Secondary Teachers Assn. “School hasn’t begun, and most of the kids that I’ve talked with aren’t even aware that this is going on.”

The union will not take a position, and district administrators also have vowed to stay neutral on the question.

District Superintendent Janice Billings said she is “very passionate” about not allowing the controversy to enter classrooms. Billings has instructed administrators and teachers not to discuss the issue in public.

“It hasn’t affected school and it won’t,” Billings said. “This is a political issue, this is the board’s thing. We are very firm about keeping this at the board level. We’ve got school coming up and we have a lot of work to do.”

Many who have stayed out of the debate say they see activists from outside the school system taking advantage of the issue to further their ideological causes.

“Each group seizes on what they need for their camp. As far as I’m concerned, as a teacher, we should be working to get the best of both worlds,” Bialowas said.

While they distance themselves from the politics, many teachers and parents say they sympathize with the board’s intent.

“This is about generating funds,” union President Triplett said. “The more funds we have, the higher-quality education we can have.

Critics have misunderstood the intent of the plan, Triplett said. The measure is a “fervent and desperate” way of addressing a problem that is plaguing many school districts with surging student populations, he said.

“I never thought this would have a divisive effect,” Triplett said. “The intent was not to exclude somebody from the school system. It’s designed to get more funds so we can do a better job for the entire school district.”

Nearly 5,000 of the district’s 30,000 students live in the United States illegally, officials estimate. If the district were reimbursed for the cost of educating those children, officials say, they would be able to spend $5,125 a year per student instead of the $4,205 they spend now.

Math teacher Bialowas, 57, whose first language is Polish and learned English in the first grade, said he can sympathize with the position of those who speak on behalf of illegal immigrants.

‘It Doesn’t Affect My Day,’ Teacher Says

The controversy should not affect most teachers when school begins next week, he said.

“It doesn’t affect my day,” Bialowas said. “When kids are in the classroom, they are there to learn and I am here to teach. I would rather have the people who are here illegally be educated than not. As a society, we will pay for it if we don’t educate them.”

Dottie Garbisch, the mother of a ninth-grader at Oxford Academy, said it is naive for anyone to expect foreign countries or the federal government to reimburse the school district for the money it spends on educating undocumented students.

“But it’s the first step in the process of changing the district’s budget,” she said. “The school district does not get paid for these children. By knowing how many of these children there are, the system might be able to plan better and fund the programs that are most needed. I don’t think the Anaheim school district wants to hurt kids. I think they just want to be able to plan better.”

Some teachers, parents and students are looking beyond the school district’s fiscal frustration. They fear the alienation of students and the fostering of hatred toward children who have done nothing but follow their parents to the United States. Parents say teachers tell them they worry that some students will think they are not welcome in their classrooms.

“The kids are going to feel bad and the parents also are going to feel bad,” said Candida Mendoza, the mother of a Western High School ninth-grader. “If they point out who the illegal students are, especially if the one who is pointing them out is racist, there’s going to be even more discrimination. It could create a lot of conflict with kids coming home crying and parents getting upset and possibly fighting. I think it could have grave consequences.”

Seeing Disrespect and Alienation

Patricia Valdovinos, 17, returned from vacation in her native Mexico two weeks ago to learn that her school district had made national news. The Loara High School senior was the only one in a group of five who was aware that school officials want to be reimbursed for educating some of her friends.

“Mexico doesn’t have the money to pay for such a thing,” she said. “I don’t really understand it. That’s why we come here in the first place--to get a better education.”

If the INS showed up at Loara High School to “count heads,” her friend, 16-year-old Maria Pedrosa, said she would feel disrespected.

“They would be violating my rights,” said Pedrosa, a Loara senior. “That’s not right. If they don’t want any Mexicans around here, who is going to do all the work?”

Shari Young, whose ninth-grade daughter will attend Western High School, supports the district’s efforts to raise funds but does not like the idea of INS agents visiting schools. Young said her daughter’s classes are crowded, and too much class time has been devoted to teaching immigrants English.

“I’m a registered nurse and I see all the people we give free health care to who are not here legally,” Young said. “I’m in favor of the district seeking reimbursement or some sort of a fee, but I think parents will be afraid to send their kids to school out of fear of being deported. That’s worse because the kids won’t come to school and will be hanging out on the streets. I wouldn’t do it that way.”

Bialowas, like many of those watching the fray from a distance, hopes to see the two sides find a way to work together.

“Both groups have a concern about education for our children,” he said. “If they can find the energy to get the best of both sides and put that into play, we would be better off. I’m just hoping some good can come out of this. Maybe this will make people more aware of the problems we are facing.”