Pounding the pavement is positive policing Regarding...

Pounding the pavement is positive policing

Regarding the Sunday Pilot editorial titled “Community policing a

promising change” and Dierdre Newman’s Costa Mesa article about Costa

Mesa Police Chief John Hensley’s proposed plans.

Hats off to Hensley’s change in policing policy. Few things could

make me feel more comfortable here than knowing the officers on my

beat.

As opposed to standing on my porch wondering why that patrol car

just roared down Elden Avenue doing 65 mph.

The time has come for patrol officers to get out of their cars.

MARK T. WOLFE

Costa Mesa

Regents Resort is not residents’ rival

Bravo to Christine Dabbs for her well-written, well-thought-out

letter in support of the Regent Resort that appeared in the Daily

Pilot on Saturday.

I hope many Pilot readers had an opportunity to read and consider

her position and will give the issue much thought before voting next

year.

DAVID BARTH

Corona del Mar

Westside schools are clearing difficult hurdles

I wanted to respond with applause to the letter to the editor in

Friday’s paper. Mary Cappellinni had it right -- we need to look at

all the angles and be appreciative for the many people who are doing

a wonderful job at teaching our students.

Sometimes we get carried away with looking at standardized test

scores to evaluate everything in our lives. The schools on the

Westside are doing a fantastic job and of course need to work hard

because of the children that are coming in with no English.

The people who write for the Daily Pilot sometimes have a real

warped view, which is extremely conservative, and I think you need to

maybe temper what some of them write.

SUSAN SHAW

Costa Mesa

Special education requires special dedication

The story about the special education classroom at Corona del Mar

last week highlighted some of the many challenges faced by the

special education students and staff at many facilities throughout

the county; namely, inadequate funding to provide services to one of

the neediest resources in our community.

While the story focused on the undesirable physical situation, it

fails to highlight the fact that Corona del Mar High School is

providing multiple services to dozens of children with special

educational needs through many other venues at the school.

As a parent of one of those children, I can attest that the

teachers and the members of the school administration are very

supportive of meeting the multiple needs of the children. Their daily

actions and accommodations not only make it possible for the

adolescents to learn at an appropriate pace, but they assist greatly

in molding young adults that will make productive contributions to

society.

It is a shame that these extremely dedicated special education

teachers and the rest of the faculty and administration are not only

challenged appropriately by the educational, developmental and social

needs of these children; but are hampered by funding sources that

provide inadequate resources to help them in this valiant pursuit.

GREGORY S. BUCHERT

Newport Beach

Shalimar concerned with students’ education

Mary Cappellinni was right on in her letter “Criticism of Westside

schools unfair,” published Friday.

While she listed many of the positive things being done by the

community to aid the Westside schools, there is one major effort that

wasn’t included -- the Shalimar Learning Center, which is operated by

the nonprofit group Think Together.

Hundreds of students from the schools mentioned in the letter have

been helped after school with their homework by volunteer tutors at

Shalimar Learning Center. The major financial support for this

operation has come from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

Utilizing Shalimar as a prototype, Think Together has opened a

dozen of these learning centers with volunteer tutors in needed areas

of Orange County. More are planned, and many more are needed.

Continued financial support and volunteerism for these kinds of

organizations will go a long way in helping to move these

English-learning kids into the mainstream.

RON HENDRICKSON

Newport Beach

* EDITORS NOTE: Ron Hendickson is a member of the Shalimar

Learning Center steering committee.