Rebutting Fleming on State of School District

* Regarding “Who’s in Charge of Schooling--School Boards or Sacramento?” by James A. Fleming, Capistrano Unified School District superintendent (Orange County Voices, Sept. 5):

Try to get any information from one of the Capistrano district’s offices and you’re told that you have to request that from the communications control director. In other words, while he points the finger at state control of education, Fleming has put his own centralized control on what the public can have access to.

He notes that “according to The Times, for example, Saddleback Valley is having difficulty funding its modest 1999-2000 1% cost-of-living adjustment for employees.” What he doesn’t report is that this “difficulty” is self-imposed, as every district can decide where it wants to spend its money.

Further, the Orange County Department of Education reports it is typical for a district to have a deficit one year and a surplus the next. An example is Fleming’s own district. He sheds crocodile tears when he says “In my own district of Capistrano, our final 1999-2000 general-fund budget reflected a deficit spending level of about $5 million.” This 1999-2000 deficit is amply covered by a $5-million surplus that Capistrano district had in 1998-99.

If districts are in “dire financial straits,” it is due to reasons well beyond their control; and this is why the governor’s budget provided a $50-million subsidy for districts that can’t pay teachers more than $32,000 a year to start their careers. Fleming boasts of paying starting teachers $33,592. Why should he complain? In another year his district will qualify for a subsidy.

W.R. HOUGLAND

Cypress

* Regarding James A. Fleming’s views, my impression is that he’s more interested in the political issues surrounding education than real education in the classroom. He and the people he has hired to be on his district office staff seem to be primarily concerned with PR--a budget item that can hardly be viewed as a justifiable or even productive educational expenditure at this time of major change to improve education--not one’s public image.

In the social sciences department at Capistrano Valley High School, unannounced classroom visits would open his eyes to very strong and credible teaching, as well as pathetically weak teaching. Almost all of the newly hired teachers in social sciences are brought into a new job in dual roles as athletic coaches as well as instructors. Some of these teachers seem to put more time and energy into the highly visible and preferred activity of coaching. Considering that coaching is often a necessity to get hired and that the extra pay for two sports is at least $1,000 per school year, these dual-role teachers have little time to develop subject knowledge and techniques that are creative and effective. It’s not the teacher’s fault.

It has become standard practice to allow students to avoid state-required curriculum by taking abbreviated summer school programs in place of regular semester courses. How about learning centers? This is good rhetoric but poor schooling. Just fail a class and make it up in the learning center, where no tests (not even a final) are ever given, and you’re out in six weeks. Where is “accountability” in this approach?

Perhaps you can see why I was singled out as someone to get rid of. Fleming and those who support him have to forget the politics and get to work with the real nuts-and-bolts issues of educating today’s youth for the challenges they face. I have taught for almost 20 years and know the problems firsthand that don’t ever get addressed by those seeking job advancement instead of just doing their jobs. I am one teacher who is not only free to speak up but feels a responsibility to do so.

PAUL A. PFLUEGER III

Laguna Beach