Costa Mesa schools offer an education in diversity

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a letter to the Daily Pilot written by

Estancia High School graduate Bret Taboada, who now attends Philadelphia

University, in response to an article published Oct. 21 titled

“Education’s changing faces.”

Racial tension in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District is nothing

new. It has been going on for years and frankly I’m embarrassed to be

part of a community that is so blatantly racist and pro-segregation when

it comes to education.

I am an alumnus of both TeWinkle and Estancia and have experienced,

firsthand, the racist attitudes of Costa Mesa residents. Most of the kids

I grew up with in my Mesa Verde neighborhood ended up transferring to

schools in Newport Beach or neighboring districts by the time high school

approached. In fact, I can probably count on a single hand the number of

kids who graduated with me last year that have gone to school with me

with since kindergarten.

This is quite unfortunate because I had a great time in both junior high

and high school, and received a great education, to boot. The fact is,

TeWinkle and Estancia are top-notch schools. Many Mesa Verde parents

claim to have transferred their kids out of the Estancia zone because

“the schools did not offer as good an education as others around.” But

how many parents and students actually do their research? Do they visit

these schools, take a tour, talk to teachers and administrators? Take

Estancia High School for example. If parents would have done research,

they would have found that the school offers outstanding academic,

athletic, and artistic opportunities.

Instead of listening to those old rumors about “gangs running rampant at

Estancia,” parents would have found out instead that Estancia has been

declared the safest high school in the district, with far fewer incidents

than the other three high schools. They would have also found that

Estancia offers an amazing Advanced Placement program (with something

like 14 classes offered) and often boasts the highest AP exam pass rate

in the district. They would also know that the teachers are first-rate,

experienced educators. Or that Estancia is home to the finest drama

department in all of Orange County. Or that the class sizes have been

kept low, and the school is undergoing a transition to become a “digital

high school,” as declared by the state of California.

But the sad thing is that most parents don’t do their research. They

simply drive by these schools and look at its color, or base their

decisions on neighborhood gossip and myths. But how can we blame them

when the district so openly allows such segregation to take place? By

allowing intradistrict transfers, our board sends the message that some

schools are “better” than others.

If it truly stands 100% behind each school and its quality of education,

the district would reform the transfer policy and simply require students

to go to their neighborhood schools.

This whole situation is really unfortunate. All our district schools

should be equally diverse, because only then is true education received.

I’m so grateful that I went to a diverse school; it holds so many

advantages and opportunities. I’ve made friends of all different colors

and backgrounds, and isn’t it more rewarding to have a broad view on life

instead of a narrow one?

Sure, a Costa Mesa child can be transferred to Corona del Mar to “receive

a better education,” but all he’ll really learn is ignorance and

segregation.

BRET TABOADA

Philadelphia University