Board of Supervisors Declares School Choice Week
By O.C. Supervisor Todd Spitzer
Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, Board of Education President Robert M. Hammond, Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Michelle Steel, and Supervisor Andrew Do
The Board of Supervisors declared January 24-30 as School Choice Week in Orange County. In declaring School Choice Week, the Board stated the County’s belief that all children in Orange County should have access to the highest-quality education possible.
Supervisor Todd Spitzer led the Board’s presentation of the School Choice Week resolution to Orange County Board of Education President Robert Hammond, who represents the cities of Tustin and Santa Ana on the Orange County school board, along with eastern Garden Grove and northern Fountain Valley.
As President of the Orange County Board of Education, Hammond is leading Orange County’s discussion on models of education to best benefit children. Under Hammond’s leadership, the Orange County school board has approved far more charter schools than in prior years, though Orange County still lags far behind in the number of charter schools than Riverside County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County, and Los Angeles County.
The Board of Supervisors presented Hammond with the School Choice Week resolution in light of his leadership of Orange County in recognizing that “one-size-fits-all” does not work for all children.
Orange County is home to a multitude of high-quality traditional public schools, public magnet schools, public charter schools, and nonpublic schools, from which parents can choose for their children. Educational variety not only helps to diversify the economy, but also enhances the vibrancy of the community.
Orange County has many high-quality teaching professionals in traditional public schools, public magnet schools, public charter schools, and nonpublic schools who are committed to educating the children of Orange County.
The national version of School Choice Week was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate with a bipartisan set of sponsors, including California’s Dianne Feinstein. School Choice Week is celebrated across the country by millions of students, parents, educators, schools, and organizations to raise awareness of the need for effective educational options.