One-Sided Report on School-to-Job

Recently, the Orange County Grand Jury released a report, “How Orange County Youth Are Being Prepared for Work,” extolling the purported virtues of President Clinton’s school-to-work legislation.

Lamentably, the end product is nothing more than a biased, one-sided, marketing-type summary that advances the agenda of school-to-work proponents.

Unfortunately, the grand jury report deliberately omits opponents’ concerns and criticisms.

From a historical perspective, this report is a result of an original effort to study voluntary vocational education in Orange County. The grand jury decided to include in this report school-to-work because of the high level of public awareness on this issue created by Eric Woolery and myself at the Orange County Department of Education.

While most people would agree with portions of the report, overall it appears that the grand jury process as outlined in the state penal code has allowed unaccountable and unelected entities to recommend to public agencies and elected officials changes in public policy that work against the will of the people.

The county grand jury has ineptly recommended in its report a direct link between local school districts and the federal government. Fortunately, those grass-roots activists and concerned parents know that the grand jury’s hapless endorsement of school-to-work is in direct conflict with and without the consent of the governed.

KEN L. WILLIAMS JR.

Board member

O.C. Department of Education