Dear Editor,
Nationwide, a small, radical but very vocal minority has set their goal to take over school board to promote their far-right agenda. Demonization, name calling, berating, intimidation and even physical threats are being used to push their goals forward. One only has to look as far as the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District to see the results: a radical board banning books and subjects being taught that benefit ALL students to meet their narrow and minority view of education. And all funded by and supported by the charter school industry. The initial result in Placentia-Yorba Linda? California State Fullerton has pulled their student teachers from the district based upon the school board’s actions. The question is: Will Los Alamitos USD be next?
We really don’t have to look very far for an answer. Rossmoor’s own Mari Barke, currently on the Orange County School Board and a champion of and funded by the charter school industry, has been holding seminars in Southern California on how to take over school boards. Her husband, Jeff, currently runs a charter school in the Orange Unified School District. While the charter school was initially turned down, the school board was overruled by an even more radical Orange County School Board. She was also instrumental in choosing the two candidates now running against the incumbents on the school board (and, for disclosure’s sake, my wife, Marlys, is one of them).
So here is what I fear will happen if the Los Alamitos School Board were to be taken over: First, the superintendents would be fired, followed by principals that don’t “toe their line”. Next, classes and curriculum will be changed and dropped. Teachers will be fired. Student enrollment will decrease, dropping state funding for the district, and classrooms-their penultimate goal-will become available. Finally, state law says that if there are three classrooms available and a charter school wants to use them, they must be given permission. This is their ultimate goal.
So, will Los Al be next? Do we want or even need a charter school on our campuses? Will of the universities stop sending their teacher candidates to our district because of its radicalized
board? Will the high standards of the schools in our district suffer? Will real estate values-that are supported by our stellar school district-fall in reaction to a small, radical group with an even more radical agenda? Is this what the majority of us want for our children and community?
It’s up to you.
VOTE
Stan Davidson
Los Alamitos
