Attendance Boundaries
Talega parent calls ABC committee members' experience "tragic" and "an injustice"; process criticized as unproductive and mismanaged by district
Jan 08, 2008
Jessica Blischke, Sun Post
News “It came down to
the fact that these poor people had to sit there
for hours and listen to these irate citizens. It
was tragic to realize this poor committee did not
want to be there. It was truly an injustice, not
only to the people who had to sit on the
committee, but to everyone who sat there until the
bitter end.”
The committee is down to 17 members (from 24) , and the members who resigned said the process was unproductive and being poorly managed by the district. Former committee members say they are frustrated by the way their hands are tied. Given the district’s framework and deadline for finding a solution, there is no way to make a recommendation without upsetting parents, they say. Committee members and parents reported that the contentious six-hour meeting dissolved into personal attacks, name-calling and a lack of order, with one father refusing to yield the podium after his three-minute maximum time and one committee member quitting on the spot. Blischke, 34, of Talega, has a 3-year-old who would be affected by a boundary change.
The committee is down to 17 members (from 24) , and the members who resigned said the process was unproductive and being poorly managed by the district. Former committee members say they are frustrated by the way their hands are tied. Given the district’s framework and deadline for finding a solution, there is no way to make a recommendation without upsetting parents, they say. Committee members and parents reported that the contentious six-hour meeting dissolved into personal attacks, name-calling and a lack of order, with one father refusing to yield the podium after his three-minute maximum time and one committee member quitting on the spot. Blischke, 34, of Talega, has a 3-year-old who would be affected by a boundary change.
Former ABC committee member exposes flawed boundary assessment process and district's failure to take responsibility
Jan 06, 2008
Ron Frantz, The Orange County
Register, "The whole process
is flawed. The school district doesn't take
responsibility. When the heat comes, they put
parents in front to deflect the heat of something
that is truly their responsibility."
Like the parent-on-parent brawl set up by Marlene Draper and her Fleming-era trustee colleagues on December 6th over the SJHHS stadium bid issue, the trustees and their administration once again avoid responsibility by placing inexperienced parents in untenable positions, pitting parent against parent, while staying out of the line of fire. Frantz, 50, is a parent and former Attendance Boundary Committee member and parent of Mission Viejo, who resigned from the committee during last month's public hearing.
Like the parent-on-parent brawl set up by Marlene Draper and her Fleming-era trustee colleagues on December 6th over the SJHHS stadium bid issue, the trustees and their administration once again avoid responsibility by placing inexperienced parents in untenable positions, pitting parent against parent, while staying out of the line of fire. Frantz, 50, is a parent and former Attendance Boundary Committee member and parent of Mission Viejo, who resigned from the committee during last month's public hearing.
Fleming says boundaries couldn't be changed without upsetting someone
Mar 30, 2005
