District Spending Misrepresented

* On Nov. 25, the Times’ Orange County edition ran a story on school construction in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Headlined “Lost State Money Sparks Rancor in Santa Ana Schools,” it charged that millions of dollars had been lost. The story did little more than present speculation as fact, and make misleading comparisons.

While we do not make it a practice to take issue with rhetoric, journalistic style and sensational headlines of newspapers, we believe the media have an ethical responsibility to be factual and contextual. Without a thorough understanding of the state school construction program, the reporter made erroneous statements that our district could have received state-matching dollars if it had acted quicker in hiring architects and lost money because of it.

For the record, I must state unequivocally that the Santa Ana Unified School District has not “lost” any money. Public schools have a No. 1 responsibility to exercise due diligence and prudence in the use of money. Having said that, I can assure our community that we are on pace to submit all paperwork in good time for the next distribution of funds. Further, this is the first distribution of funds we could have been ready for given the timing of the passage of our bond initiative (Measure C).

The pressing facilities needs in our school district weigh heavily on us, as our students return each year to inadequate and decaying school buildings. We are proceeding with modernization projects. Measure C is funding improvements at a number of campuses, including additional restrooms, roof repair and replacement, painting of portable classrooms, air-conditioning, heating systems upgrades, and installation of fire alarm and public address systems.

Our community needs to know that several months ago, the Little Hoover Commission, a bipartisan legislative oversight organization with a mission to review and report on expenditures, commended our district for its ability to manage public projects and funds.

Twice, I met with representatives from The Times to discuss the damage the story might have done in the Santa Ana community and requested a retraction. A small item, buried in Section B, under the generic heading, “For the Record,” appeared three weeks later, clarified nothing, and further obscured the facts.

I want the public to be informed about the district’s use of tax dollars to build and modernize schools. Accordingly, Cable TV Channel 55 reports daily, and we publish a monthly district newspaper which can be viewed on our Web site at https://www.sausd.k12.ca.us. Also the Board of Education has appointed an oversight committee of skilled and highly respected business leaders to oversee our stewardship of Measure C. The circumspect handling of money is indispensable to leadership and public trust. Therefore, it is important that I set the record straight with respect to our management of tax dollars.

AL MIJARES

Superintendent

Santa Ana Unified School District