Is District’s Billing Action Based on Race?

* Regarding the Anaheim Union High School District’s action on illegal immigrants:

I do not see what the dilemma is.

The word “illegal” is very clear. For those who do not understand, it can be found in Webster’s dictionary.

Its description is “unlawful, criminal, illegitimate, illicit, forbidden and wrongful.” It can’t be any clearer than that.

If Anaheim school administrators or the Immigration and Naturalization Service can identify the illegal immigrants clearly enough to bill their country of origin, they should be deported as fast as the INS vans can carry them away.

Contrary to what illegal-immigrant supporters think, they are breaking our federal immigration laws, and our government has every right to and should deal with this problem as quickly as it would any other type of criminal activity.

The quality of our educational system and health care system in this country is diminishing at a rapid rate because of this very correctable situation.

Using the term “undocumented” does not make these people any less illegal. I do not see why any person should be classified as a racist for demanding that our laws be enforced.

In this case, the term “racist” is being cleverly used to scare honest and concerned citizens away from dealing with the problem.

STEVE LEE

Pomona

* Your Sept. 7 article describes the dilemma of the Anaheim Union High School board, faced with exploding population of non-English-speaking children of illegal immigrants.

One student said, “If they don’t want any Mexicans around here, who is going to do all the work?”

My answer is the same people who did the work before: Americans (of all races) who needed the jobs and now cannot get them because those jobs are filled by illegal immigrants.

Regarding the school board’s attempt to be reimbursed by the patron nations of these illegals, primarily Mexico, what is fair is fair.

If Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo wants to manipulate politics in this state, then he should be willing to pay the price.

“No representation without taxation!” should be the Anaheim school district’s rallying cry.

DOUGLAS H. McBRATNEY

Tustin

* The quixotic attempt by the Anaheim Union High School District to bill foreign governments or the federal government for the education of students they think may have come to the United States illegally is fueled by misunderstanding and misconceptions of school finance and the constitutional requirement to provide free education to all students, not just some students, from age 6 to 18.

The opinion expressed by some parents that the state does not pay for students who are not citizens is simply wrong.

The school district loses no money because of the immigration status of its students.

School district finance is controlled by the state, but, to oversimplify a complex system, a district’s income depends primarily on how many students it has.

Proposition 13 eliminated the possibility of raising additional property tax for general school support, and the courts have declared that fees may not be charged for any school-related activities except home-to-school busing.

Public education is supported by state revenues, mostly sales and income taxes, supplemented with property taxes, federal money, developer fees, contributions from businesses and community members and the lottery.

All of us, however we came to this country, pay sales and income taxes, pay property taxes either directly or through our rents, and may buy lottery tickets.

Many of us think that school districts are overcrowded and underfunded. It would help if [the laws were amended so] we could pass local school construction bonds with a majority, rather than a two-thirds, vote.

It would help if businesses, which benefit from a well-educated work force, would “adopt” schools in their area and make contributions to special programs to enrich the learning experience.

It is not helpful to blame one category of students for a school’s fiscal problems, set up a plan that neither the Immigration and Naturalization Service nor foreign governments would comply with, and then wonder why some view it as both divisive and racist.

JOAN K. RIDDLE

Garden Grove