Finding balance at Newport-Mesa

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT-MESA -- When Supt. Robert Barbot needs to relax, he stares

into the fishbowl on his desk for perspective. As the angel fish swim

around oblivious to the outside world, Barbot is reminded of the delicate

balance between the relaxed pace of nature and the hectic environment of

his job.

“This job can overwhelm you,” Barbot said. “I had a meeting with my

staff about maintaining balance. Otherwise you can’t make good

decisions.”

Balance is interwoven into all aspects of Barbot’s life -- balancing

the physical, spiritual and mental, balancing his job and his family, and

where the district is concerned, balance between the financial extremes

of the wealthy Newport Beach area and the working-class Costa Mesa area.

“I could be down at a shelter in Costa Mesa and then a parent from

Newport Beach calls and says, ‘We’ll send a helicopter for you,”’ Barbot

said.

But none of it alters his perspective, he said.

“I make sure we value every kid. I’m not influenced or diminished by

their wealth. I look at what’s fair for every child,” Barbot said.

Barbot’s path to superintendent has been based more on intuition than

ambition -- taking positions as they were offered based on how he could

positively contribute to the environment.

He came to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in 1998, after the

district was trying to recover millions from the Orange County bankruptcy

and an embezzler ran off with a few million more.

“A doctor doesn’t go to be a doctor where nobody needs you,” Barbot

said. “Your role is to deal with issues.”

Barbot has gone from housing projects in Los Angeles to the helm of

what is considered to be one of the most diverse districts in the nation.

His parents came to Southern California from Puerto Rico in the late

1950s, drawn by the renowned reputation of the state’s quality of

education.

They instilled the value of education in their children, he said.

Barbot and his siblings all are college graduates.

They also imbued their children with the responsibility of giving back

to society.

“To those to whom much is given, much is expected -- we heard that at

home a lot,” Barbot reminisced.

Barbot originally did not plan to go into teaching. He had wanted to

pursue a career in probation and social services, and had to take an

education class for an elective.

Not sure how much of an effect he could make on the lives of troubled

youth as an educator, Barbot visited a school, fell in love with the

field, and ended up getting a special education credential.

That was just the beginning of his educational portfolio. Barbot also

has a bachelor’s degree in math, psychology and sociology, a master’s

degree in counseling, and enough credentials to teach from kindergarten

to graduate school. He also holds a doctorate in education.

As superintendent, Barbot favors a democratic rather than dictatorial

approach.

“I’m interested in building capacity, not ego,” he said.

One of Barbot’s priorities is to make the district more accountable

academically, including improving test scores, which he says will not

happen overnight.

The goal he says is for students to learn English as quickly as

possible and to give them enough confidence to fulfill their potential.

Exposing them to higher education through the district’s college night is

key, he added.

“There’s no reason that money should be an obstacle if we show them

the right plan,” he said.

Fostering a spirit of trust among the Latino population is another

objective, especially as the district was recently found to be negligent

with its instruction and assessment of English-language learners. He said

he doesn’t want to see the district’s ethnic populations become

fractured.

“The alternatives to peace and harmony are a downhill slide,” he said.

“There’s no neutral.”

When Barbot seeks peace and harmony of his own, he usually heads up to

the Sierra Nevada mountains.

“I think it’s because they’re so natural and untouched, so pristine. I

can never find anything better than nature can create on its own” he

said.

Barbot is married to wife Janice and has two adult children.