Democratic Clubs forum will focus on education

The Democratic Clubs of Coastal Orange County will host a community forum to discuss Common Core state standards, student loan debt, the expansion of STEM studies and other topics in education.

The forum will host a panel of experts with knowledge of high school and college education in Orange County and will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 30 at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center at 1845 Park Ave.

The Democratic Clubs are a coalition of six organizations from Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo and South Orange County.

“We all feel it’s extremely valuable for a strong functioning democracy to have a well-educated populous,” Laguna Beach Democratic Club President Ari Grayson said. “When you help people recognize what’s going on, then we all understand the challenges and how to help students prepare for the future.”

Forum hosts will collect written questions from attendees for the panel discussion.

Panelists include Thomas Parham, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UCI; Lori Gentles, Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion at Cal State Fullerton; Bonnie Gray, psychologist and expert in diversity and critical thinking; Claire Cesareo, Faculty Assn. President of the South Orange County Community College District; and Mike Matsuda, superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District.

Public officials Suzanne Savary, candidate for U.S. Congress; Sharon Quirk Silva, former member of the State Assembly; Joseph Dunn, former state senator; Katrina Foley, Costa Mesa city councilwoman; and Beth Krom, Irvine city councilwoman, will participate in a meet-and-greet with community members at the beginning of the event.

“We wanted to give guests the opportunity to meet and talk with office holders or city council members because they are the people who decide what happens to the community,” Grayson said. “My hope is that people are provided with information, insight and direction.”