Parents Right on Stadium Stand

It was encouraging to see parents in the Oceanside Unified School District go before the school board last week to protest the planned expenditure of $420,000 for a football stadium at El Camino High School.

We have said before that we think the board was wrong to allocate so much of its $600,000 in state educational improvement funds to the stadium when the district has other needs. But when parents accuse school board members of turning their backs on the educational needs of the district, the board members had better listen.

Board President Robert Nichols passed off the criticism from the parents as a rivalry between El Camino and Oceanside high schools. But some of those present were the parents of children in the district’s 17 other schools, and they want the best possible education for their children, too.

Some of the unhappy parents have begun talking about starting a recall movement of school board members. We don’t believe public officials should have to worry about being tossed out of office every time they make an unpopular decision. But we do believe the school board in Oceanside should rethink this decision.