Ball Is in Orange Trustees’ Court

The Orange Unified School District has displayed a penchant for attracting controversy, even when a resolution of conflict might be obvious. Having had its policy on a gay-straight club overturned in court, the district recently plunged deeper into controversy by imposing a contract on its teachers union. That decision has aggravated already strained relations.

The district says it wants to focus on education, which is good. But somehow, the leadership must begin fundamentally altering the entire tone of life in the district. There are relationships that need mending. Atmosphere is something intangible, but in the day-to-day goings on in this district, it is an especially important quality in need of attention.

The imposition of terms is something that any district should consider only after all avenues of negotiation have been exhausted. The board’s recent decision seemed puzzling, because it followed a retreat from previous demands to buy out teachers’ lifetime medical benefits. That gesture might have provided the impetus for the sides to remain at the table.

There obviously is some political grandstanding on all sides. The district argues that its imposition of terms came not at midstream, but only after it already exhausted efforts to continue negotiations. But in its determination to get on with business, and specifically to move forward with plans to hire new instructors, it also has left teachers with the signal that nothing further is negotiable. By acting unilaterally, the district won a round, but it left itself with the difficult task of repairing relations with a highly political union.

The district seems to want to get on with education, but it needs to find some ways to clear the air on the contract front and on the separate matter of the gay-support club.

A recent board meeting was interrupted by a ruckus between school administrators and masked protesters who support the Gay-Straight Alliance club at El Modena High School. The club is currently meeting under protection of a federal judge’s order until a student lawsuit can be heard later this year.

The board is right to want its meetings conducted in a calm atmosphere, free of intimidation, and for residents to feel safe. But it has contributed to the unstable atmosphere by its handling of this issue. It has ample evidence from elsewhere that districts that have such clubs can allow them to operate without fanfare. It ought to back off. The ball is in the board’s court to clear the air. Finally, the board needs to make a stronger statement about a commitment to public education, and it should affirm that it won’t let ideology get in the way. It can begin by making gestures of good faith.