Schools Lining Up to Keep U.S. Funds

A rebellion may be brewing within Orange County school districts as trustees increasingly move to ensure that the county Education Department does not put a barrier in the way of federal funds for career guidance programs for students.

Mimicking steps already taken by at least five other districts, Laguna Beach Unified School District trustees tonight will consider a resolution asserting that local school boards have the right to decide which funding sources are appropriate for their educational programs.

The resolution refers to $3.5 million in federal funds available to Orange County schools for school-to-work programs, which are intended to help students gain a more in-depth look at various career options.

Some newly elected conservative board members of the county Education Department, through which the funds are funneled, oppose the program, saying it would curtail traditional academics in high schools and that, as one critic put it, “any time the federal government get involved, they screw things up.” The board has not yet voted on whether to accept the money, although it has held three hearings on the subject over the past few months.

“I think what we’re hearing is some of those folks on the radical fringe on the right that think if the feds are involved in it in any way, it is automatically suspect, and that is not true,” Laguna schools Trustee Kathryn A. Turner said. “There are also folks that think we should be teaching creationism and not evolution. But that’s not where education is these days.”

The largely conservative Orange school board last month rejected the funds.

But if some question the wisdom of accepting federal money for education, officials in the fiscally strapped Laguna schools say they are happy to have the funding, which has allowed them to provide an automotive design program for students.

“It has funded the most effective school-to-work program that we’ve offered our students to date,” acting Supt. Cheryl Baughn said Monday. “It’s a program we’re very proud of, and it has had a very positive impact on the students involved.”

Doug McPhee, county administrator for Vision 2020, Orange County’s version of the school-to-work program, said that federal funding accounts for about 8% of school funding across the nation.

The resolution before the Laguna Beach board tonight says public statements at recent county hearings imply that the county board “may attempt to block funding and obstruct or deny” local trustees the ability to control their own district’s curriculum. It asks the county board to “facilitate the acquisition, distribution and implementation” of government programs on behalf of Orange County school districts.

Trustees of the Centralia and the Huntington Beach City school districts unanimously approved similar resolutions last month. Resolutions have also been approved by the Anaheim Union High, Anaheim City and Magnolia school districts.

Ken L. Williams Jr., a county education trustee who has been the leading local critic of school-to-work programs, could not be reached for comment Monday.

Bill Habermehl, associate superintendent for the county Education Department, said the county board likely will discuss the subject again at its next meeting Thursday. Ultimately, board members could take no action, agree to continue accepting the money and funneling it to the school districts or decide to stop serving as the agency that handles the funding.

“You could always look for some other agency to play that role,” he said.

School officials say they believe the resolutions now being adopted in a growing number of school districts will carry weight with the county board.

“I think any time a body at the federal, state or county level receives this kind of information, they have to pay attention to it,” Habermehl said, “because it’s other elected officials saying something about how democracy is going to be administered in this county.”

The Laguna Beach school board meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the district headquarters boardroom at 550 Blumont St. Information: (714) 497-7700, Ext. 202.

For information about the county board meeting: (714) 966-4012.