READERS RESPOND

I sat on the Citizens Budget Advisory Council with Steve Smith for the

years 1997-1998 and 1998-1999. Smith’s attendance during 1997-1998 was

minimal. Out of 11 monthly meetings, he attended six. In 1998-1999, out

of 11 monthly meetings, he attended three and volunteered for no

subcommittee work.

Had Smith attended more meetings, in his first term he would have been

aware that the advisory council evaluated performance base budgeting and

zero base budgeting strategies. Studies were being done on subcommittees

concerning state funding, federal funding, salaries and facilities.

In the year 1998-1999, Smith attended three out of 11 meetings. There

the facilities committee expanded from the advisory council to a citizens

group drawing volunteers from all over the Newport-Mesa Unified School

District. These volunteers gathered information from the sites with the

help of an outside architect and the students and staff of each school.

Out of all of that research, came the observation that a bond may be

necessary.

Committees were established and research began. The advisory council

broke up into subcommittees and researched other districts and other

bonds. Smith’s help would have been welcomed had he come to the meetings.

Many hours in researching took place before the advisory board ever went

to the school board to advise the board of their findings.

A bit of history seems in order. It might be that Smith has lost sight

of how the advisory council came about as a group of concerned citizens.

Volunteer citizens researched the budget because they thought

discrepancies may be occurring. These citizens found embezzlement in the

making. Out of that travesty came the advisory council, the Citizens

Audit Committee, the Facilities Committee and now the Bond and Oversight

Committee. All different, caring individuals, who are willing to give

their time, even though they all have families and careers. Time given to

better our schools and to help improve the education of our children and

the betterment of our community’s future.

It is easy to sit back at a word processor and cast dispersion on a

bureaucratic institution. However, it is quite another thing to stand up

and volunteer your time to better that institution and to improve the

opportunities for all students, not just our own.

Smith sits in criticism and with some authority, yet he never bothered

to become a part of the process. That I find unfair and unjust. We have

an extraordinary community before us, one filled with many people

passionate about education. Is it so hard to become educated about this

process? Ignorance is the very foundation of prejudice. Would it not be

more responsible reporting if Smith chose to become involved whether he

agrees about this bond or not? Smith’s involvement would benefit many

more than those he stirs up with limited facts.

ANNIE YOUNGLOVE

Costa Mesa

Newport and Costa Mesa communities now face the single most important

community effort we have addressed in a long time -- the rebuilding of

our schools. Unfortunately, Steve Smith is bound and determined to

deprive the community of desperately needed school repairs.

Through his newspaper column, Smith is not just another voice in the

crowd. Smith has a microphone and he is turning the volume up louder with

every article. Smith doesn’t think the school board is capable of

handling the project. He doesn’t care that a community oversight

committee is in place to work with the board in implementing the project.

Smith doesn’t think enough planning has gone into the project, but he

doesn’t want to pay for design and implementation costs. Smith thinks the

school board should have saved $163 million and planned for maintenance

and rebuilding costs. He doesn’t care that there simply are no other

funds available for rebuilding schools. He doesn’t care that by passing

Measure A our district will qualify for $53 million in matching state

funds.

If Measure A fails, the state funds (our tax dollars) will go to other

districts to repair their schools. Smith doesn’t care that California

per-student spending has eroded year after year, leaving less and less

for in classroom instruction, and woefully inadequate budgets for capital

maintenance and improvements. Thirty years ago, California ranked in the

top 5 states in per-student spending. Today, even though California ranks

as one of the wealthiest states, we spend far less than the average state

on our students.

Smith doesn’t care that Measure A is our opportunity to provide the

very foundation of education equitably, to all students in the

Newport-Mesa community. He doesn’t care that there is no alternative.

Measure A is far from a perfect plan. We would all prefer to avoid

additional taxes. Unfortunately, we cannot afford the alternative.

Please, do not let Smith derail the rebuilding of our schools.

KIM PAWELL

Newport Beach