Pomona principal has education in her blood

Jessica Garrison

COSTA MESA -- When Julie McCormick was a child, she vowed she’d never go

into education.

That’s because her mother, Marian Bergeson -- one of the country’s most

powerful women in education -- always told her she’d be a teacher.

“And I vowed I’d never, ever go into teaching,” said McCormick.

But alas, in this case, as in so many others, her mother emerged

triumphant.

McCormick became a teacher, then an assistant principal, and then a

principal.

And the whole time, her experiences in the classroom have played a role

in formulating educational policy for the entire state, according to her

mother, who was state Secretary of Education under Gov. Pete Wilson and

is now on the state Board of Education.

Therefore, starting this year Newport-Mesa will have a direct line to the

state board.

McCormick took over as principal of Pomona Elementary School this fall --

her first job in the district in which she grew up and the one that

helped launch her mother’s career. Bergeson’s first foray into education

politics was as a Newport-Mesa school board member.

“I’m so glad to be back in this district,” McCormick said.

Once McCormick came into education, she quickly moved up in the field.

A few summers after she had graduated from college, McCormick, 39, got a

job in Santa Ana schools -- and got hooked.

“I love teaching,” she said.

She stayed in Santa Ana as a bilingual teacher, assistant principal and

finally principal for 13 years.

But when a principalship opened up in Newport-Mesa, McCormick jumped at

it. Her four children, like their mother before them, attend district

schools, and McCormick wanted to be closer to them.

Her new school, which has 600 students -- the vast majority of whom are

not fluent in English -- poses particular challenges but also offers the

possibility of great rewards.

Last year, students at Pomona posted the most substantial gains on the

Stanford-9 basic skills test of any school in the district.

But the school still has a long way to go. Many, many students are still

not reading and writing at grade level.

“I want to increase achievement and literacy levels,” said McCormick.

To do this, she wants to strengthen the myriad support programs already

in place at the school and boost the already substantial parental

involvement.

She has also put in place a new reading program, “accelerated reader,”

which aims to bring all students in the school to grade-level reading by

the end of the year.

“I have a passion for children and education,” she said. “Children are

children, and they deserve adults who love them, both at home and at

school.”

McCormick, whose husband is a county public defender, said having a

mother who is famous and powerful in the field of education does not make

her job more difficult, but actually helps both mother and daughter.

“She’s a great daughter, and I’m very proud of her,” Bergeson said.The

education leader said she saw the roots of her daughter’s career as an

educator early.

“I always knew she was so great with children. Her favorite endeavor was

baby-sitting. All the women in the neighborhood loved her,” she said.

After her daughter’s first teaching job, Bergeson recalled, McCormick

came home and said “Mom, I love it. It’s just what I want to do.”

Having someone she trusts on the front lines of education has been

invaluable when it comes to formulating policy decisions,Bergeson said.

“I always seek her advice,” said Bergeson. “It’s great having someone who

is close to the classroom, because I can always find out what’s really

going on.”

For her part, McCormick said the benefits of being able to call her

mother and ask her to explain the finer points of the latest policies

coming out of Sacramento is invaluable.

And McCormick hotly disputed the charge, thrown around during Bergeson’s

confirmation hearings last month, that her mother does not support Latino

students.

“That is baloney,” said McCormick. “If you knew her legislative history,

you couldn’t say that.”

McCormick also said she had no intention of following in her mother’s

footsteps into the political arena.

“Not a chance,” she said.