Officials eyeing proposed reforms

Deirdre Newman

School District Supt. Robert Barbot said he is concerned about some

educational proposals that are part of a reportedly wide-ranging,

drastic proposal to overhaul state government: a constitutional

amendment that would eliminate county superintendents and county

boards of education and move up the enrollment deadline date for

kindergarten from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1.

These are just two of the legion of proposed reforms coming out of

the California Performance Review’s report, which will be publicly

issued next week. The review, conducted by a panel of more than 200

members created by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is designed to

streamline the bureaucratic process. It is estimated to save the

state $32 billion over the next five years, according to news

reports.

Barbot said he’s glad that state government is being closely

examined, but he hoped the final decision about the age for entering

kindergarten will be based on the long-term benefit to children as

well as the cost savings. The proposed deadline date for

kindergartners means that children entering kindergarten would have

to be 5 years old by Sept. 1 or wait until the following year to

enroll. Barbot expressed reservations about changing the date for

kindergarten enrollment, since the district operates on the

philosophy that the educational system should adjust to the needs of

its children.

“We have found in order for kids who are underachieving in our

preschool -- the sooner we can work with their families to help them

compete effectively, the better,” Barbot said. “This [recommendation]

makes an assumption that age alone will be the issue. A lot of other

models say age shouldn’t be the issue.”

Not having the county superintendent and the county Board of

Education would have an adverse effect on the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District, Barbot said. These entities are extremely important

for providing a needed layer of oversight, he added.

“The oversight to check certain budgets and books and the

financial checks and balances come from the county offices,” Barbot

said. “So you wonder, who’s going to do that? Certainly, you want,

need and should expect oversight.”

The county entities also provide teachers and programs for

students with special needs from around the county, relieving

individual districts of having to pay for and find teachers for only

a few students, Barbot added.

Republican Assemblyman John Campbell, , who represents Newport

Beach, was briefed on the scope of the study in April but hasn’t seen

the voluminous report yet. He said the overhaul is essential to a

successful future for state government.

“It is ambitious, but it is absolutely necessary because state

government has grown like the Winchester Mystery House,” Campbell

said. “It’s just been added on to and added on to and has things all

over the place that are supposed to do the same thing, but they don’t

because you can’t get from one to another.”

Campbell said the proposals in the report won’t take any funds

directly away from the recipients in the state they were intended

for-- they will just streamline the process.

One of the proposals in the report Campbell favors is having the

state budget reflect two years, instead ofone. This would enable the

assembly members, who serve two-year terms, to devote more time to

other issues, he said.

“I think it’s a good idea because it would give you a lot more

time to work on the other things -- like energy policy, business

policy, education policy, environmental policy -- during that

alternate year,” Campbell said.

Other proposals reportedly include getting rid of 118 state boards and commissions and ultimately phasing out the state air quality

board.

The report will now be the subject of five public hearings

throughout the state in the next two months, then be examined by the

Little Hoover Commission -- an independent state oversight agency --

which in turn will make the final recommendations to Schwarzenegger

and the state legislature, according to news reports.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].