Orange Trustees Must Face the Music

* Re “Peace May Be At Hand for Orange Unified,” April 2:

As I read Dana Parsons’ always entertaining column, a couple of things struck me as odd.

Orange Unified School Board Trustee Terri Sargeant is a land planner, yet she voted for the pointless and costly purchase of Barham Ranch by the school district instead of selling it to the county for preservation.

Secondly, why does she think people have been so critical of her? Could it be that the board has mismanaged just about everything that has been thrown at it in the last few years?

The board may find the best way to silence their critics is to start working for a better district, not against it. Ideally, the board would resign and hope for more competent successors, but I doubt they see it quite that way.

Sargeant’s emotional pleas for peace will not silence anyone until the district starts moving in the right direction.

I’m sorry to inconvenience Sargeant, but she is accountable for what happens to the district, where teachers, students and the community are unhappy and where teachers are fleeing and lawsuits are a daily occurrence.

What does she expect?

CHRISTOPHER KOONTZ

Orange

* Re “Ball Is in Orange Trustees’ Court,” March 26 editorial:

Thank you for once again recognizing the plight of the Orange Unified School District and those of us unfortunate enough to teach there.

I enjoy my job, enjoy working with kids, and work very hard to do my best by them.

I have two master’s degrees, twice as many credentials, and relative to my professional peers, a minimum-wage job.

With prospects for any change to this status dim, it is difficult to see any future for me in Orange Unified.

JACK DETLING

Orange