These past two years, the School District and our reconfigured School Board have faced painful financial times.
More painful than during the dot-com bust recession and post-9/11 when last the halls of Irving Place saw masses of citizens and dDstrict employees petitioning to save positions and programs.
Two years ago, it was known financial problems were on the horizon although nobody predicted the state, national and international meltdown that has multiplied the shortfalls to the level we now must endure.
As a member of the Community Budget Advisory Committee since its inception, I know how much worse the cuts could have been had the School Board not heeded our advice and reserve funds from the few windfalls that came our way.
At least six years ago we made a number of revenue-enhancing suggestions, none of which was given much heed nor adopted.
Sacramento Is Not the Answer
It took a new Superintendent to put into place the recommended program to reduce absenteeism, which was costing the District upwards of $2 million per year.
Still looming, although very much on the backburner, is the $11.6 million unfunded retirement liability.
Personally, I hold little hope for relief from Sacramento to reverse or alter their approach to this, which will further burden not just our District, but government agencies across the state. But hope springs eternal.
Board member Steve Gourley has used the bully pulpit of his position to exclaim to all present that we must collectively raise our voices and votes to force the politicians in Sacramento to make enduring changes to fix the way schools are funded and governed.
I agree.
And a groundswell of activist citizens and parents will one day so rise. But first, we need that leadership on not just our School Board, but collectively among all school boards in California to lead the way.
Our Board can be such a catalyst if its members have the vision and courage to do so. But to the problem at hand.
Present and Future.
We need to address our current financial crises directly and creatively. The special fund established by the Education Foundation is but one example of a short- term fix, as will be a parcel tax should one be placed on the ballot and approved by our citizens.
But we need to do more in the short term. We need to have more community involvement on a volunteer basis to support all our classrooms and programs to supplement our understaffed and under- compensated teachers and staff.
This should be established at the District level with representation at all campuses involving all programs, academic and extra-curricular. This will also serve to raise the adult-to-student ratios, which improves learning opportunities and assists in providing an even safer environment for our students and staff.
But our School District needs more.
We need to create the ability to weather the whims of Sacramento and its perennial failure to fund education properly.
We need a means to ensure our teachers and staff will not be laid off to balance the budget. We need a means to insure our teachers and staff earn fair and reasonable compensation, not dependent on Cost of Living Increases (COLA) that the state giveth and taketh away. We need an endowment just as the most successful universities have, allowing them to fund academic excellence.
Twenty years from now, the School District should have an endowment funded at $25 million d or more, the interest from which will provide for many generations of great education from our publicly supported schools.
Mr. Elmont may be contacted at AElmont@ca.rr.com
