Pilot editorial has its school signals crossed...

Pilot editorial has its school signals crossed

Once again, it seems like your publication is unable to decide

which side of the fence it is on in regard to important and critical

education issues.

An editorial praises the Newport Mesa Unified School District

decision to shut down the preschool program at Newport Harbor High

School (“District’s decision is in students’ best interest,” Sunday).

This editorial tries to justify why closing the preschool is “the

right decision on the part of the district.”

In explaining why “it is not the district’s job to run private day

care programs,” it fails to understand that it was by no means a

day-care facility but a quality school within a school with excellent

learning standards for preschool aged children. Has the Daily Pilot

failed to remember that Newport Harbor High School is a Blue Ribbon

school?

Now, for the fence jumping, it does seem like education and

reading must be important and newsworthy with an article on the

opposite page of the aforementioned editorial “Getting them Reading

by 9.” By 9 years old, a child is in the third or fourth grade.

Any Newport-Mesa educator knows that if a child is not reading

proficiently by at least 7 years old, in the second or no later than

the third grade, the child will definitely have many problems keeping

up with the curriculum. This sounds very much like a child who will

be “left behind” to me.

Visit any Newport-Mesa elementary school kindergarten and you will

see many children enthusiastically learning the basic tools for

reading and children who have already mastered age-appropriate

reading. It is a good bet that these children who excel in reading

most definitely went to preschool. Preschool is the place where the

child starts learning the basic and foundational skills of reading.

The district and the Daily Pilot both need to fully understand and

promote quality school district preschool programs.

If a child is not reading by 9, my guess is that the child did not

go to preschool and will certainly struggle throughout his school

years.

MAXINE MACHA

Costa Mesa

Time for Greenlight across the county

The city of Newport Beach is looking to take over John Wayne

Airport. Whether that happens is something that remains to be seen.

Who knows how effective that would even be in limiting future airport

growth? The government can always override local cities when it comes

to airport regulations. (Ask the city of Burbank about that one.)

The best protection would be to limit future population growth and

the subsequent demand that comes with it. The city of Newport Beach

already has a slow-growth “Greenlight” ordinance on the books.

They should push for a similar countywide initiative. This would

be something that would not only reduce pressure for future John

Wayne expansion, but would also benefit the entire region.

REX RICKS

Huntington Beach