Speakers Urge Attendees to Get Involved at Education Forum

Get involved. 

That was the message from local educators, politicians, and policymakers to attendees at a September 6 event in Rossmoor focusing on the current pressures facing the public school system in Orange County and California.

The Public Education Forum held at Rush Park was organized by Rossmoor resident Joel Block, a lawyer and activist. It brought together about 100 people including parents, educators, and elected officials to “have a conversation” about how major priority shifts in Washington, D.C. and declining student enrollment are impacting schools.

“The state is under assault,” said California Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat representing the 69th District. “The future of our children’s education is at stake,” he said. Lowenthal, a former teacher and parent of public school students, was one of six speakers on a panel at the event, which also featured break-out sessions and opportunities for networking. 

“California is in a tough place financially,” said Lowenthal, “A lot of that has to do with the federal government,” he said, citing cuts to programs and grants to California’s universities. 

In late June, the Trump Administration froze hundreds of millions of dollars in Congressionally appropriated money for education in California. The freeze was part of an ongoing review to ensure that taxpayer dollars were spent in alignment with the administration’s priorities, Chalkbeat reported.

In response to the funding freeze, California filed a lawsuit with other states. Some of the funds were released, and according to an August 25 press release, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the rest of the money is expected to be disbursed by October 3.

Lowenthal said he thinks that financial stability will come to the state’s educational system in three years. “We expect it to be a lot better,” he said 

Lowenthal said he’s optimistic, in part, because he is able to work with fellow state lawmakers representing the area including Assemblymember Tri Ta, representing the 70th District, and Assemblymember Diane Dixon, representing the 72nd District. Both are Republicans. “They are hardworking and collaborative” on education issues, Lowenthal said.

Like others on the panel, he urged parents to get involved in their children’s education.

“Ask questions, push for transparency and find out how funding decisions are made,” said Lowenthal. “Be unafraid to speak up, despite the noise, because there’s this vast swath of people in the middle who make a difference,” he said. 

Marlys Davidson, a retired teacher who is now President of the Los Alamitos Unified School District’s Board of Education, also promoted more civic engagement, saying it was always at the core of her time in the classroom. 

“For more than two decades, I carried on powerful conversations about how important civic engagement is to our democracy,” said Davidson. 

“It was never about who you should vote for or what you should decide to support our freedoms, but rather why your voice matters,” she said. 

“I share that in my heart of heart, I truly believe that being a citizen in a democracy is not a right, but a responsibility,” she said to attendees. “You have joined us today because you care, you are concerned and you choose to be engaged,” said Davidson. 

Davidson explained that local school districts receive the bulk of their funding from the state using a formula of Average Daily Attendance (ADA). “We only get paid when a student is at school,” she said.

She said formulas are different, explaining also that while Los Alamitos Unified gets approximately $12,000 per student per year, Laguna Beach Unified School District receives $26,000 per student. Laguna Beach USD is one of three districts in Orange County that is not funded based on attendance, but rather, gets funding through local property taxes that exceed the state’s target funding formula based on attendance. 

“Think about that,” she said. “We (Los Al Unified School District) will receive approximately $103 million in school funding for this year,” Davidson told the crowd. 

“That sounds like a fair amount of money; however, like most other districts, 80 to 85% of that money goes to paying salaries and benefits to our employees, leaving 15 to 20% to take care of everything else,” she said.

“I encourage you to stay informed,” said Davidson. “Contact your local and state representatives and let them know what matters to you and where you stand on issues,” she said. 

Former California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, who is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, also spoke about the power of public involvement, namely, to continue conversations like the one that the panel was built around. 

“The history of the American political system indicates changes happen in very real ways, and they happen through conversations such as these,” said Rendon, especially those between “elected officials and people in the real community.” 

Anna Ortiz, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Education at California State University Long Beach, said that educators must act in ways to regain public trust. 

“The biggest issue in education right now is all of the rhetoric around how we lost the public’s trust,” said Dr. Ortiz. “I think meeting the moment is really how we make sure all of you know what we do so that we can gain, earn, and keep your trust,” she said. 

Dr. Ortiz noted that efforts from the Trump administration to remove programs focused on "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" arguing they are discriminatory, affects higher education more than K-12 educators. 

“I think there is a giant subtext of reversing all of the gains that nonwhite people in our country have experienced over the last 40 and 50 years,” said Dr. Ortiz.

“And when I think about the role of higher education and social mobility and what it has done for people and families like mine…I'm a daughter of an immigrant who earned a doctorate at the University of California and became a professor and a nationally known scholar in my field,” she said. “Now I'm Dean of the College of Education at a large university. That is an immigrant’s dream.”

Drew Sells, a biology teacher at Los Alamitos High School, said there is a direct connection between education and democracy.

“Just as biodiversity strengthens an ecosystem, human diversity strengthens our democracy. An educated electorate is the foundation of self-governance,” said Sells.“If we want a democracy that is stable enough to ride out the tough times, then we must consistently invest in and defend the foundation of our democracy, that is public education,” he added later. 

The panel also had the perspective of a student. Myles Agatep, a senior at Los Alamitos High School, said he sees safe spaces in education as becoming more critical.

“One of the most beautiful things I find about public schooling is that we get to see students and teachers from all walks of life and stages of their lives,” Myles said. 

“I'm a queer and trans student at the school, so it is a unique experience, and we need to learn to work with people,” Myles shared. “We need to see diversity regardless of how we feel about them in schools.”