A tale of two boards - From the Acorn...

Accusations fly at departing members' final meeting
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

The Simi Valley School Board passed formal resolutions on Tuesday recognizing the services of Carla Kurachi and Greg Stratton, but much more than thank yous were shared among the trustees.

While board members Debbie Sandland, Janet DiFatta and Rob Collins extended compliments to the two departing members, Stratton and Kurachi used the occasion to both praise and rebuke the board.

"I'm going to tell you about the good, the bad and the ugly," said Stratton, a former Simi Valley mayor.

According to Stratton, the best aspect of the district is the dedicated staff that strives on a daily basis to bring quality education to Simi's youth.

"It's not surprising that we get the best because of the high pay we offer, the low crime in Simi and the great parents that are involved in their kids' learning," Stratton said.

But both the district's efforts and its staff are often hampered by a rigid and bureaucratic culture that dominates the world of public education, Stratton said.

"I've worked at all levels of government and I can't hold a match to what I've seen in the schools," Stratton said. "There is no desire for change, the process of teaching hasn't changed since I was in grade school, and the productivity of the district has not improved."

According to Stratton, this inability to adapt to new problems will lead to disaster for the American education system. American students are quickly being outpaced by foreign learners, and few realize the drastic consequences this can have, he said.

"Not everyone recognizes the importance of education, but the problem with this is that we no longer have blue collar jobs available for these people," Stratton said.

Stratton also feels it's vital for the district to learn to become more efficient and better able to manage its funds.

"We must improve our efficiency to find more money because we won't always be able to depend on Sacramento to send more."

Stratton also called for the district to develop a plan that outlined goals and expected yearly progress, similar to the 2020 plan he created for the city of Simi Valley when he served as mayor.

For Kurachi, who's served on the board for 16 years, the problems with the district didn't lie in the board's inefficiencies, but rather with its collective personality.

"The last two years have been horrible, and I've never been on a board that is so mean-spirited," Kurachi said. "I can relate to the kid who doesn't want to go to school because of bullies. Here we are as adults and its back to the ninth grade."

According to Kurachi, she and Stratton were scorned by the other three board members because they endorsed candidates running against them in the 2004 school board election.

Kurachi also asserted that she was criticized by Sandland, the board's president, when she decided to openly embrace her religion after the passing of her husband.

"You (Sandland) speak of tolerance, but when I embraced my religion on a personal level, you said I was too religious to serve on the board," Kurachi said.

According to Kurachi, for the board to successfully operate in the future it will need to bury its egotism and vindictiveness and focus on creating a quality educational experience.

"You can't have the best interest of the kids at heart when you are too concerned with your own ego," Kurachi said.

While Collins commented that he had witnessed no divisions on the board, Kurachi was quick to point out that it was because of the quiet suffering of Stratton and herself.

"For two years, Greg and I have sucked it up. That's why you don't speak of any divisions," Kurachi said.

According to Kurachi, she is hoping that her critique of the board's operations will prompt them to start properly doing their job. In spite of the comments from

the two exiting members, Sandland said she felt there was little wrong with board.

"I hold my head high, and I'm proud of the accomplishments of this five-member board," Sandland said.