No on signs; they pollute landscape I...

No on signs; they

pollute landscape

I can’t get over how the “No on L” folk are so concerned with

preserving the parklands of Newport Beach, yet they have polluted

Newport Beach with their campaign signs, even going as far as placing

them in the city parks, forcing the city to take them down.

If they could do half as good a job of explaining how they propose

the park for the Marinapark site will be maintained and improved as

they do at plastering the city, they might get some votes. But they

are not making an intellectual appeal. It’s purely emotional.

Unfortunately, they may win, and then what, trailers and a rundown

park?

BILL DEAN

Corona del Mar

District needs plan for

higher expectations

In his spirited Daily Pilot article, “Facts are Westside schools

have a problem (Oct. 2),” Steve Smith presents a telling case for the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustees to “either defend years

of low Westside performance or admit there is a problem and then

offer a solution.”

Smith deserves credit for highlighting “facts,” which require

attention by the elected board members. He does not bandy words in

identifying the poor showings of schools on the Westside of Costa

Mesa. He cites the surprise of a district administrator (reported in

an earlier Pilot story) that he had found it is “hard to believe”

that freshman proficiency levels at Corona del Mar High School had

dropped from 39% to 11%.”

The implication here by Smith is that surprises of this kind did

not apply to Westside schools, since achievement levels were not

expected to rise. Further, to the need for board action, this policy

of “low expectations” for the Westside should be reviewed and, if it

exists, should be done away with.

With an election of district members in the offing, it appears

that it would be most appropriate for incumbent board members as well

as those running for office, to show some indication that they have a

plan to reverse the pattern of years of low scores on the Westside.

It would also be reassuring for the current board to inform the

public that high expectations and high standards are school-wide

policies that apply to all students.

LEFTERIS LAVRAKAS

Costa Mesa