From Dateline (November 20, 2003)
Orange Unified School District Recall:
A Division in American Values
While the recent recall of California’s governor
is unusual, two years ago many Orange County residents got a front-row
seat to one of the most acrimonious recall battles, leading to the
ouster of three members of the Orange Unified School District School
Board. It was just one of 35 school board recalls nationally since
1995.
“Political conflict over local educational
policy is usually cultural in origin,” said Don Matthewson,
lecturer in political science. With a grant from the Center for
Public Policy, Matthewson investigated events that led up to the
2001 OUSD recall. “This type of conflict often represents
a deep division in American society about what values should be
taught in public schools.
“The conservative OUSD board sought to promote
‘family values’ over ‘community values,’”
Matthewson explained. “While parents have the right to educate
their children, this does not mean they have the right to insulate
their children from viewpoints that differ from their own. Being
a member of a democratic society is understanding and appreciating
differences.”
In the early 1990s, most residents in the OUSD defined
themselves as being “middle of the road,” noted Matthewson.
However, conservative groups were making inroads, guided by the
Education Alliance, a group founded by Ralph Reed, who spearheaded
a successful school board “overhaul” in San Diego County.
By 1993, conservatives had gained majority control
of the seven-member school board and began to diminish what they
perceived as “social engineering,” according to Matthewson.
They started by dismantling a Head Start Program at a school in
a poor neighborhood. When the principal applied for federal grants
to provide underserved children with meals and dental care, the
board immediately voted against it, stating, “taking federal
money is like taking drugs.”
The board also recommended a “back to basics”
approach. Teachers were told to stop teaching any history that was
“anti-European” and “socialist” oriented.
Teachers didn’t take kindly to these directives,
according to Matthewson, and they were vocal in response.
Because most of the faculty members were tenured,
the board couldn’t quiet them. Instead, the strategy became
one of mobilizing a coalition against the teachers and their union.
By 1997, two moderate board members were defeated by conservative
candidates. Another conservative won an open seat, and two conservatives
returned for second terms.
Teachers began leaving OUSD in record numbers and
non-credentialed teachers replaced them. Parents in more affluent
neighborhoods – who are more likely to vote – took notice,
noted the researcher.
“The board wanted tenured teachers out because
new teachers weren’t likely to cause problems,” Matthewson
explained. “What they didn’t anticipate was the parents’
alarm at the mass exodus of experienced teachers.”
A recall effort was launched and three strong candidates
emerged to challenge the board’s stance.
“It was a spontaneous emergence of the leaders,”
Matthewson said. “They were active and well connected with
their communities through their children, school activities, churches
and other organizations.”
Issues were framed differently. Instead of “teachers
versus the school board,” the candidates equated a loss of
experienced personnel with a decline in educational quality. Parents
listened – and voted – electing the three new candidates.
Were there any surprises in the actions of this recall?
“The only surprise,” Matthewson said,
“is how the facts of the recall election confirm political
science theory.”
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