Praise for Barbot’s record

There’s no doubting that Newport-Mesa Unified School District Superintendent Robert Barbot’s legacy will be lasting, indelible one.

Barbot, who last week officially announced that he will retire at the end of the school year, has taken a district that was still reeling from an embezzlement and poised it on the verge of great things, in no small part to the combined $450 million in bond money he’s helped get approved in the past five years.

The improvements also are in no small part to Barbot’s steady, careful and dedicated leadership.

Today, our schools are in far better shape than when Barbot arrived in 1998. Bathrooms that were in utter disrepair are sparkling again. Classrooms that were stuck in the 1950s are ready for the 21st century. There is money to build a sports stadium at Estancia High School and an Olympic-sized pool at Costa Mesa High School.

And there is money to do plenty more, to improve the classroom environments for students across Newport-Mesa so they can get the best education possible.

That, always, has been Barbot’s goal: giving kids the best education possible. He has done a remarkable job. Parents and students should be thankful for his leadership.

His leadership, strangely enough, is perhaps best demonstrated during one of the district’s lowest moments of his tenure: a lawsuit filed against the district claiming that English-language learners were not getting an equal opportunity to learn. The case rose to the highest levels of the country -- something no public administrator wants.

But Barbot embraced the requirements set down by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, and the district as a result quickly began solving the problem. It continues to do so.

In a time of potential crisis, Barbot did not shirk his responsibilities. He led by example and by action, and the district is the better for it.

The district, even after Barbot is gone, will continue to be the better for his tenure. There are well crafted, much debated strategic plans in place that detail how the district should grow over the next five years.

Barbot is leaving the district far stronger than when he arrived. Newport-Mesa is going to miss Barbot and his leadership. We wish him an early farewell and a happy retirement. We also remind him to keep his promise to his family and take a full six months off to start it.

He’s earned it.