I was sick.

But my guess is that I probably didn’t miss anything. There was most likely the rubber stamping of the agenda and the minutes, followed by a few people from CdM who are dismayed at school board club’s lack of integrity in the communication on the new stadium at CdM High.

That was probably followed by rubber stamping of the calendar items with little or no discussion, followed by the reports, in which we learn about the wonderful things happening in the district, how proud they all are of the teachers (whose contract they try to keep at a bare minimum of growth each negotiating period), and about where they have been.

Nothing about the problems facing the district and no status reports on any of the issues of the past few months, such as the compensation for classrooms damaged by a firm that failed to protect school roofs during a rainstorm. How much money have we claimed and what is the status of the reimbursement?

I want to tell the folks in CdM that while it is important to let the school board club know how you feel, that they are not being picked on. The school board club has a history of poor communication and backtracking and their frustration is something many of us have felt for a long time.

As I wrote on Monday, the latest fiasco is the March 3rd closure of Costa Mesa High due to rodent infestation. The OC Register reported the high school as closed but I’m guessing it was the kitchen there. Regardless, the district did not notify parents or anyone else of this important health and safety issue, preferring, apparently, to bury it and hope that no one will notice.

Well, someone did. It just so happens that the “Weekly Restaurant Closures” column on Sundays is a favorite of mine. I will not eat at a restaurant that cannot control its sewage, hot water, cockroach infestations, or rodent infestations, which are the top reasons why restaurant permits are revoked. And I’ll bet that there are parents who would have thought twice about sending their kids to a school with a rodent infestation so bad that their permit to operate (a kitchen, presumably), was revoked.

But, parents never got that chance because Superintendent Frederick Navarro, who is ultimately responsible for everything that happens in the district, (regardless of whether he likes that concept) decided that he knows what’s best for their kids.

So, CdM, welcome to the world of obfuscation, irresponsibility, and double-talk.

Steve Smith