| Orange County, CA | March 7, 2000 Election |
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IMPORTANT ISSUES CONCERNING ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATIONBy Felix Rocha, Jr.Candidate for Member, County Board of Education; Trustee Area 1 |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) provides educational services to approximately 8,100 students in four continuation schools. Most of the students are there as a result of a court or a local school district action. The number of students fluctuates as individual action is taken by the courts or by local school districts. We must constantly strive to improve the Accountability and Higher Standards to each and every one of these students. We can accomplish this by providing our county students with a "Sense of Direction" in their life by using the partnerships that the OCDE has established with businesses in Orange County (School to Career, etc.) In comparison to the approximately 500,000 students in all Orange County schools, the 8,100 young people we are talking about is a relatively small number. However, if viewed from the perspective of an educator, administrator, or a concerned parent of one of these students, the number is too large, and major efforts must be made to lower this number. We can accomplish this by providing our County students with not only "Inspiration", but with a solid academic education that send them out of court/continuation schools ready to attend schools of higher learning. SPECIAL EDUCATION OPTIONS When the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was originally enactedin1975, and reauthorized in 1997, the federal government made a commitment to pay 40% of the excess costs of its special education mandate. Over the years, the federal appropriations have ranged from 7% to 12% of the total excess cost--much less than one-third of its 40% obligation. The cost of special education is rising. Each year, the Orange County Department of Education spends more and more than it receives from all sources of revenues for the special services. The federal government must be made to pay their agreed fair share of the special education mandates they have imposed on our county schools |
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: February 25, 2000 08:35
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