Mailbag: Accusations made against district are no surprise

The recent claims made by former Newport-Mesa Unified School District Human Resources Director John Caldecott regarding Supt. Fred Navarro and the members of the board of education clearly resonated with me (“Fired schools official questions pension data,” Feb. 19).

I was one of the main players in the Corona del Mar High School cheating scandal. In fact, I resigned because the superintendent and board ignored every attempt I made to ask for an investigation instead of continuing with the mob attack on 11 students. The district had no proof of any involvement, culpability or guilt on the part of these students.

Caldecott and I were both longtime employees with good reputations and a solid work ethic. We were both aware that something was wrong, and we were both ignored multiple times by the superintendent and board members.

I never said that cheating was OK. I never said cheaters should not be punished. I never said that any or all of the 11 students were innocent. I simply said that we never did an investigation. I went public with my letter to the board after being ignored by all of the members.

Like Caldecott, I invoked the Whistleblower Protection Act in my letter. Caldecott is asking the exact same thing: Where is the investigation?

I applaud his strength. I resigned before being fired. I was over retirement age and thought I could help the students better as an outsider.

Is this a new type of management style? Ignore your faithful longtime employees for a fresh face with no history? Put your head in the sand when faced with a problem?

Are the current board of education members past their prime? Do they not care about right and wrong? Or are they simply not very smart?

When no one runs against the current board members, they take it as empowerment, proof that the people think they are doing a great job. In reality we all know it is simply apathy; very few people care about being on the board of education.

Not one member of the board has a child in the district. The members have no vested interest aside from their egos. Parents, it is time to stand up. It is time to take back control of your school district. It is time to do what is right for your children and your tax dollars.

Jane Garland

San Clemente

The writer is the former director of student services at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

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Columnist gets it right on councilman

Re. “Venezia: Peotter brings an unpleasantness to Newport government,” (Feb. 20): I agree completely with Barbara Venezia’s column.

Newport Beach Councilman Scott Peotter, in addition to his continued silly fixation on bunnies and the “Taj Mahal” Civic Center, seems eager to annoy and confront his constituents and his colleagues on the City Council. What point is he continually trying to make?

What does he hope will come of all this nonsense? Among other things, many of us are now wondering why we voted for the slate known as Team Newport if this is how our city government will function over the next few years.

Dr. Robert R. Young

Corona del Mar