EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENTOn school board: 2 are clear, then questions

Earlier this year, we called on members of the community to come forward and run for the elective body we believed was doing the poorest job serving Newport-Mesa. We were pleased, then, when there were competitive races in three out of four races for seats on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board. By getting into the election, the seven candidates gave their neighbors a choice and have opened up debate about how the district is performing and how well the school board is serving its constituents. The result of those discussions should be a more responsive, more open school board that better serves our children, our teachers, parents and the rest of the district’s many employees.

We believe two of those candidates deserve this community’s vote: longtime member Judy Franco in District 5 and first-time candidate Karen Yelsey in District 4.

Our pick of Franco might surprise some people — including us. Four years ago, when we also endorsed her, we wrote: “She deserves this final term to see some of her hard work achieved.” Everyone, Franco included, believed that these past four years — she has been on the board now for 26 years — would be her last. Two people in the community feel so strongly that it is time for a change that they are running against her. We disagree.

Franco impressed us as the candidate with the greatest knowledge — of education policy, of the district’s workings and of the elected officials and staff members at the state and federal level. We believe she has the background and political connections to help the district weather tough issues that are coming: amendments to the No Child Left Behind Act and possible revision to Proposition 98, which provides funding to schools. We thought she recognized that more needs to be done to bring schools in Costa Mesa, especially the Westside, up to the impressive levels enjoyed by Newport schools. She also was convincing in saying that those schools are improving their test scores, their handling of English-learner students and their reaching out to parents, including those in immigrant families. Finally, we felt that she is a member who engages her constituents, listens to their concerns and, importantly, remembers them when she votes.

Yelsey impressed us with her knowledge of the district gained by years as a PTA president, director of the Spirit Run and a member of two principal-search committees. And she showed fresh, enthusiastic thinking about how to guide the district into the 21st century, not the least by handling the spending of Measure F bond money. Her business background and promises to be a person who would question staff proposals and direction also are appealing. We believe she will be a bright, new voice for this community.

By extension, we did not find incumbent Serene Stokes, who Yelsey is running to replace, as convincing. She has struck us as being too intent on making sure the board follows the lead of district officials, including Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard, and not responsive enough to constituents. She did not sway our opinion.

That said, this community owes Stokes much gratitude for her 12 years of service. She, indeed, has helped guide the district back from low points following the county bankruptcy and the district’s 1990s embezzlement crisis. Lately, she has helped see the new Mariners Library be built and worked to get Irvine Co. support of elementary science teaching. Stokes has done a fine job. But we believe it is a job that is finished, and that now is the time for a new leader to take on the challenges that come with serving the district.

In the third race, we were not terribly impressed by either of the candidates. Both Michael Collier and Kimberly Clark sound as though their intentions on getting onto the school board are good. But we cannot endorse either. We just are not confident they are what the board needs, and we are once again saddened that Linda Sneen has chosen not to run again for her District 2 seat. She showed all the signs of leadership — knowledge, the guts to question staff, a quick mind and ability to learn — that the board needs. We hope that whoever replaces her will surprise us and do as well.

The last race, of course, is uncontested. We hope that Walt Davenport, who will win that seat, will serve this community well. As a longtime member of this community, there is reason to believe he will.