Miller and Larner Merit Censure

* What can we do when two of our Ventura County school board members “act up” and set such a bad example?

On May 2, our county office of superintendent of schools had arranged a health teachers’ training workshop for Ventura County teachers. Our teachers had done their lesson plans, gotten subs to cover their classes for them, obtained permission from their respective schools and paid for their individual registrations.

In the midst of the morning-long workshop came two uninvited county school board trustees, Wendy Larner and Angela Miller, to do their mightiest to interfere, disrupt and intimidate. Our teachers and the folks putting on the various workshops were rudely and insultingly interrupted all through the program by Larner and Miller.

Here’s what I think should be done: First, the Ventura County school board must refer to whatever guidelines exist for public behavior by its trustees and censure these truant trustees accordingly. If no guidelines exist, it is time that they be established.

Secondly, nothing less than a public apology to the teachers of Ventura County must be immediately forthcoming from Larner and Miller, who are responsible for their own outrageous behavior. They should also apologize to the parties who presented the workshop’s programs.

Lastly, we, the voters of Ventura County, can inform ourselves better and earlier, so that we can attend candidates’ forums, armed with good questions aimed at ferreting out ideologues before they are in office.

Let’s do our own homework, just like we tell our children.

THEODORA DAVITT-CORNYN

Thousand Oaks