The Orange County Board of Education’s attempt to reframe a state audit as a political attack centered on charter schools is misleading. It is a textbook example of a distraction.
The op-ed titled “The Process is the Punishment: Sacramento’s War on Orange County” by Will Swaim would have readers believe this audit is about ideology. It is not. It is about accountability, specifically governance, litigation practices and the use of taxpayer dollars.
And the more the Board tries to narrow the conversation to charter schools, the clearer it becomes: they would prefer not to talk about their irresponsible and wasteful use of taxpayer money.
If the Board is confident that the audit will reveal nothing improper, then why the aggressive effort to discredit it before it even begins?
For years, the Board has engaged in a pattern of costly, often unsuccessful litigation at taxpayer expense.
In 2018, the Board sued its own County Superintendent over control of legal counsel, a dispute that dragged on for years and ultimately resulted in approximately $3 million in taxpayer-funded legal costs (Voice of OC).
In 2019, it went back to court, filing a writ of mandate against the County Superintendent and State Superintendent over authority to alter and approve the county education budget before submission to the state, a case it would ultimately lose in 2022 (OC Register).
In 2022, the pattern escalated further. The Board sued the Orange County Committee on School District Organization and the Orange County Registrar of Voters over who had authority to draw election maps, a case that was ultimately dismissed after prolonged litigation (Voice of OC). That same year, it was also sued over its decision to reappoint one of its own members after a resignation (Voice of OC).
In 2024, the Board filed yet another lawsuit against the Orange County Department of Education, seeking to compel records related to legal spending, according to Orange County Superior Court filings.
These are not isolated incidents. They are a documented pattern of decisions that expose taxpayers to unnecessary legal costs and raise serious questions about judgment and governance.
The real distraction is not the audit, but the extraordinary lengths the Board will go to avoid accountability, raising a broader question about whether public resources are being used responsibly and in the best interest of Orange County students and families.
Taxpayers deserve transparency, and an independent audit is a basic function of good government.
If there is nothing to hide, there should be nothing to fear, and the Board should welcome the audit rather than attempt to distract from it.
Tom Umberg represents California’s 34th Senate District.