Q & A

Orange Unified School District Supt. Robert L. French

“Troubled” and “dysfunctional” are the words critics use to describe the Orange Unified School District.

Scandals have plagued the 26,000-student district and its Board of Education since the 1980s. A bid- rigging scheme was followed by strikes, budget deficits, pay cuts, sexual harassment charges and a revolving door of superintendents.

Last week, the school board hired Robert L. French as the district’s first permanent superintendent in two years. French, a 63-year-old career educator, was interviewed by Times correspondent Lesley Wright.

Q: Given the district’s history, why would you want this job?

A: I always thought Orange was way beyond most (districts) in the county. They were accomplishing so much. . . . Unfortunately, they went through some scandalous times, if you want to label it that. . . . It isn’t good for the community, isn’t good for the schools, isn’t good for education. Let’s put those in the past and move ahead.

We do have an outstanding staff, a very good board (and) . . . an excellent community. Education is important to the parents in this community. That’s what makes it rewarding. I very quickly have learned that I have outstanding principals--real leaders--and teachers that are just ready to do all kinds of things. . . . That’s exciting; that’s rewarding. There are challenges here, but I’m not looking for an easy road.

Q: Morale among the teachers and staff is low. How can you address that?

A: That’s one of the major objectives (for me) personally . . . (and) the board also. We have to do something about teachers’ salaries--at least to bring them up to the county average. We’ll be able to address very soon some ways to do that. We hired some outstanding principals this year, but we lost some outstanding ones, too. And salary was (a) factor. I want to be able to encourage our teachers to stay and to attract new teachers. . . . It’s a great place to be a teacher. Salary is a negative part, and we need to address that and, hopefully, we can resolve it in a year.

Q: Do you have an educational philosophy?

A: I guess it is, basically, (that) all kids can learn.

So often I’ve used a diagram when I talk with groups--kind of an educational philosophy. It’s a triangle. I put at the base the home--that is the basis. On one side I put the community. On the other side I put the schools. Put the child in the center of the triangle--the triangle being the strongest geometric form. If any one side of that triangle is weak, the triangle will collapse, and the child is in the middle, remember. So we have to build all three.