Orange Schools

As a resident of Orange for over 10 years, with two children in grammar school, the Oct. 20 Orange County Voices article by John F. Rossmann piqued my interest.

It appears that Rossmann’s hypothesis is that the Orange Unified School District’s problems are reflected in a school board membership not to his liking because (among other undisclosed transgressions) a health program for children, including Latinos, was not considered appropriate for the school district to undertake.

Yet the source of the problem, we are told by Rossmann, is the school board election process itself, which he says is “unfair,” even not democratic. Simultaneously he offers a condescending slap at the constituency, Latinos, supposedly ill-served by the current board and election process. He even links property values and employee recruitment to the omnipotent school board!

Implicit in his message is that Latinos are a stupid bunch of non-voting louts, who “overwhelmingly” want the district to give them certain benefits but correspondingly take no interest in the election process itself by sponsoring candidates or, for that matter, voting. Of course, the “right-wing” Anglo voting bloc is to blame! Rossmann offers no facts to support his views, only conclusions sprinkled with discredited political name-calling.

Rossmann simply certifies his credentials as an ultra-liberal unionist out of touch with realities.

BRUCE A. WORKMAN

Orange

* As co-chair of the Council of Asian Pacific Americans, I am very disturbed by the continuing attack on the public school system by a majority of the Orange Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Specifically, I am appalled at their attempt to deny basic services that support children. Taking away counseling support, arbitrary privatization, and generally placing blame on teachers will not solve the tremendous social problems facing Orange Unified and many others throughout the country. If anything, it will make problems worse.

There are literally thousands of Orange County children from all ethnicities who need the safety net provided by public schools.

It is unfortunate that the Orange Unified school board members were not up for reelection this year. If they were, I would strongly urge that they be voted out of office. Perhaps if they received a bit of their own mean-spirited medicine and were tossed out on the streets, they might begin to become more sensitive to those who have suffered.

MICHAEL MATSUDA

Santa Ana