GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL -- Educationally Speaking

Whose services cost taxpayers the most on our local high school

campuses? Is it the wizened teacher who is expected to teach her students

college-level calculus or physics in a month’s less time than East Coast

students? Is it the school psychologist whose caseload includes the

addicted, the abused and the suicidal? Is it the counselor, in charge of

ensuring that 300 kids are taking appropriate classes, as well as helping

seniors apply for college? Is it the principal, who is in charge of

personnel, premises and policy, and who is on campus from early morning

until late at night?

In schools with police officers assigned to the campus, that officer,

along with the car, radio and other equipment, costs more than any of the

people listed above. But the police officer, because of a four-day

workweek schedule, is on campus less than any of the other school

workers. The police officer is not in charge of teaching classes nor

enforcing school rules. The officer is there to be a “presence.”

I sat through the school board meetings in which two officers were

approved for Newport Beach secondary school campuses. It was not clear to

me whether we are supposed to expect a drop in crime from the deterrent

effect of an officer on campus or an increase in crimes reported on

campus because of having a police officer on the scene. Neither campus

had much reported crime before. In this age of teacher accountability, we

haven’t asked how the program is being evaluated to justify its expense.

Although statistical studies nationwide show that the DARE program is not

effective, there has been no diminution of that program. Maybe that is

why no one bothered to try to evaluate the effectiveness of the police

officers on campus.

The school district bought equipment and personnel with a

school-safety grant that federal dollars supplied as a result of the

Columbine tragedy. What happens when that grant money runs out? Do we

cover the police officer position with dollars from the general budget

without respect to whether we have to cut some teachers, counselors or

nurses to fund it?

I propose that instead of a police officer, we use fewer dollars to

fund a Dean of Rule Enforcement. Just like the city uses non-sworn

employees to enforce city codes and parking meters, the school could use

a non-sworn school employee to enforce school rules. A police officer

does not enforce school rules or classroom discipline problems, which

takes much of our administrators’ time. Let’s hire a retired police

officer or military officer to be in charge of rule violations. As a

person hired by the school district instead of the police department,

this dean could be assigned to work during school hours and be assigned

to school tasks after hours too. The dean could be trained in mediation

and be assigned to settle student disputes or work with bullies.

I asked some high school students how they would solve school

violence, and they suggested that kids should just talk to each other.

Some kids are under the mistaken impression that they don’t have anything

in common with kids of a different race, religion or economic status.

These high school students told me that once they talk to all types of

kids, they found out they really aren’t very different. They have started

a club that meets at lunch just to let kids talk to each other and get to

know one another. They don’t raise money or do planned activities. They

just talk. It isn’t costing us one tax dollar, and it will probably be

the most effective way to curb school violence yet.

Maybe we need to think outside of the box on this issue and make sure

we get more bang for our buck.

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at [email protected].