Schools will be all right, says county superintendent

Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stanley Mantooth asked a group of Conejo Valley residents to have faith that the education system isn't broken, and is in fact "alive and well" in Ventura County.

Mantooth spoke earlier this month at the Thousand OaksWestlake Village Chamber of Commerce Education Committee's last meeting before summer break.

"Those who say 'education is broken' and that there's been no difference in 100 years are wrong," Mantooth said.

"Education is far from broken. In the '50s, one in two students dropped out of high school. Now, it's between 15 and 18 percent," he said. If you want to look at what's good and what's positive, there's a lot to celebrate."

Mantooth said about 94 percent of all students are passing the California Exit Exam in English and 93 percent in math. Ninety percent of Latinos are passing the CAHSEE in English and math.

"We aren't going to let those kids who aren't passing it fall behind, but those are good numbers," Mantooth said. "Are we getting our money's worth? It depends on which end of the telescope you're looking through."

Mantooth said rarely have critics of education spent time at the schools.

"Anyone who says education is broken or that the schools aren't doing a good job, ask those people when the last time was that they were in a classroom. In our local constituencies, the parents are saying their schools are great. There is learning going on.

"Education is alive and well, certainly in Ventura County," he added. "Education finance is a different story."

Between 1980 and 2005, California schools experienced a 50 percent increase in students, from 4.1 million to 6.3 million. During the same period, the number of English-language learners jumped 382 percent.

"The complex of our state became very, very different," Mantooth said. "That's 25 percent of all kids in schools needing help with English. Ventura County is a microcosm of the state. Latino students make up 47 percent of all students. Living in the Conejo, that may not occur to you on a daily basis.

"It's a very different world out there. That diversity can be very rich but also very challenging."

A typical U.S. school has 30 percent more teachers, 61 percent more administrators and 92 percent more counselors than schools here. California ranks in last place—50th of the 50 states—in staff-to-student ratio.

"A lot of people don't think of education as big business," Mantooth said. "If it were, we'd be the third largest (business) in the state, behind agriculture and aerospace. In Ventura County, if you put all the schools together, we'd be the largest employer with 25,000 to 30,000 employees.

"Our budget is a lot of money," he added. "If you take almost 20 percent away, there will be a problem. (But unlike business) we can't raise the cost of our product, and the kids are still coming."

Further cuts, which are expected, will devastate the county's budget.

"It's kind of like worse to worst," Mantooth said. "Our budget is inextricably tied to what happens in the economy. The (education funding) system is a house of cards. The legislature continues to prop up something that needs real reform."

Mantooth said California educators are asking the legislature to cut some of the red tape when it comes to using funds earmarked for certain programs in a more general budget.

"We are asking the legislature to pull the weeds," Mantooth said. "We're asking them, 'If you can't give us more money, then take some of the burden off of us.' Why does it make sense to be doing days of testing on secondgraders?

"Instead of looking at 60 to 70 categorical programs, what if districts could look at two or three priorities and not get caught up in all the details? This is an opportunity to erase program labels and look at what makes sense in your local districts, with the students you serve."

Mantooth also said the county has been in talks with the teachers union and has been getting "a little more cooperation." He said he'd prefer across-the-board pay cuts to the hundred of teachers being laid off.

"Why shorten the school year when we should be lengthening it?" Mantooth said, responding to the governor's propositions, which have included cutting several days off the school year. "Why not take a 5 percent pay cut? Don't watch your colleagues get laid off. Be a part of the solution."

Chamber member Jule Lucero asked about how schools becoming more environmentally conscious could help them develop and save money.

Mantooth said that schools have been energy-conscious for some time. There are often occupancy sensors on classroom lights and thermal storage systems on campuses. Mantooth also said they've discussed putting solar fans on campuses with large flat roofs.

Mantooth was hired as superintendent in September 2008 after working in the Las Virgenes and Oak Park school districts.