Orange School Board Recall

Re “Orange Parents File Petitions to Recall Trustees,” Jan. 11:

The reactions of Orange Unified school board members Linda Davis and Martin Jacobson to the filing of recall petitions against them and one other board member demonstrate once again that this school board is out of touch with reality in this district.

This refusal to listen to the community is familiar to local parents, who have tried repeatedly--as individuals and in organized groups--to bring their concerns to the school board. With the exception of a few individuals with the proper ideology or from the right ZIP Codes, parents have been rebuffed or ignored.

The attitude is also familiar to our teachers, who for years have pleaded for acceptable working conditions, all to no avail.

What the recall members want is a school board that values and supports our teachers rather than driving them away to other school districts where they are paid better, given better benefits and treated with more respect.

We want a school board that is focused on the needs of our children and that will spend our tax money on education, not on useless and costly litigation.

GISELA MEIER

Orange

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It was inspiring to see that so many parents were able to gather almost 6,000 signatures more than was needed to qualify for a special election and more than double the number of signatures than citizens who turned out to vote in the 1999 Orange school board election.

The board needs a change in dynamics and direction. All too many excellent teachers, specialists and administrators have resigned to take jobs in neighboring school districts. Our children’s future, the image and well-being of our community and our property values have been affected adversely by the mismanagement of the board majority.

It will be disturbing if a small percentage of the school district’s electorate turn out for the special election. This is probably why Orange Unified finds itself in such a quandary today.

KARL BAYSINGER

Orange