Trustees Can Start Anew

Hardly noticed among the heated issues of transportation funding and gay rights in last Tuesday’s elections was the dramatic shift on the Orange Unified School District board, where three incumbents were defeated and two open seats were filled. That gives the seven-member board of one of Orange County’s most troubled districts a brand new majority and a chance for a fresh start.

The 37-school district, with more than 24,000 students and 1,100 teachers, has been plagued by scandal. One of the defeated incumbents, Joe J. Cherry, and two other board members who did not seek reelection were accused by the 1986-87 county grand jury of “willful misconduct in office” for failing to perform their duties properly during the 1980s when it was alleged that $689,000 in public funds were lost through bid-rigging and kickbacks. The three accused board members face a civil trial in Superior Court.

The district had other troubles as well. Last year, teachers struck the district over pay and fringe-benefit issues. This year, classified employees are at an impasse over their new contract. These disputes undoubtedly led to the defeat of two other incumbents, Sandy Englander and Jane McCracken.

The new board was voted in with the support of the teachers’ union. All concerned now need the patience, good will and wisdom to move beyond the district’s troubled past to solve the important challenges of doing what teachers, parents, board members and administrators are there to do: educate the children.