W. Covina Schools ‘in Deep Trouble’

In regards to your March 24 article on the West Covina school system, the district is in deep trouble. A financial crisis, run-down buildings caused by former board members and administrators and declining enrollment are enough to shatter any district. Now there is another problem. The Edgewood Fact Finding Committee has undertaken a study of the decision to make Edgewood High School an intermediate school. With what state agency is any one of them currently registered as an expert on class capacity, building maintenance or repairs?

Unless these people have a thorough working knowledge of the state’s major building codes, they have no business even being on campuses. They seem to be unaware that school boards can appoint committees, but that the governing bodies are not obligated to rubber-stamp recommendations from those committees. In fact, they were elected to review all such information.

School board President Joe Mount and William J. Brutocao were elected to the school board by large majorities and a firm mandate to solve the financial crises. (Both Mount and Brutocao are targeted by a recall effort stemming from the decision to close Edgewood High School, Hollencrest and Willowood intermediate schools and Cortez Elementary School. They are doing exactly that. Bravo to them both.

The Edgewood people are a self-appointed, unqualified, small group who seem willing to damage the education of students of a whole district. I would ask the Edgewood people to redirect their time and zeal to help the rest of us make Edgewood Intermediate School and the entire district the finest in the state.

VIRGIL FARNSWORTH

West Covina