|
Return
to Blog
Read or Post Comments
And for education, with a budget crunching state government in gridlock and a federal government arguing a pork-filled bailout/stimulus plan that seems more to do with party politics and appeasing all sides of the aisle - all of whom should be thrown out on their capitol asses - the trickle down effect means that the tap is giving drips only with little promise of more. And so the MDUSD board wants its stakeholders to consider foregoing a few lattés and issue a parcel tax that could bring about some funding to stem the bloodletting that is taking place. You can read their plea at mdusd.net and see whether you agree. Now, a year ago, no one would have agreed to a parcel tax. No one trusted McHenry's outfit to spend wisely and, given the waste that the then board minority clued us into, who could be blamed. A parcel tax then would have been questionable. Now that Treece is gone, Mayo and Allen in a less combative stance, and McHenry reigned in as much as he will be until he leaves, the issue of a parcel tax is more about delaying the Sacramento axe that is poised to fall with more cut-requirements than this district will weather, than it is about whether we like the CEO.
At the same time, let's talk about revenue generation. I maintain that schools can receive revenue spent elsewhere right now - clothing, shoes, books, supplies, food - all manner of enterprise that can constitute standards based learning and provide income. For starters - switch to school uniforms and have the school supply them. I watch free lunch kids buying $70 shoes at the mall, and clothing that is so ugly that I wouldn't dress my dog in it, and spending a ton of money (they don't reportedly have) doing so. There is nothing left to cut, so think about revenue generation. This would involve local business, neighborhoods and coordinating a stronger involvement with the schools. Schools are a place we should be proud of. School is a place students should take pride in. They do not. Schools are producing the rudest, lowest common denominators for society because there are too many legal protections that strip learning from education and protect the few from having to actually learn about earning. So now you are at crossroads. You need revenue. Parents are starting to get a clue about the state of the country and the state and the school district. The district website should be a tool for getting these people together. Stop spoon feeding bullshit about the great score gains and how we have a lot to be proud of. Right now, you have a crisis. I ran my blog as a war on education last year - but you have a war on your hands right now. It is time to make some changes in the way business is done.
It is time to pull out the carpet and change all the ground rules. It is time to start to create the next generation of education policies to ensure that our students will stand a chance. That is all you have to offer them. So forgive me for sounding brutal when I say "Screw $8.25 month. This is no Billy May infomercial." Ask for more. Ask for a lot more. Both as a parcel tax and as a contribution based on a sliding scale. Those who can pay more and those who can not pay less. I get hit up for lab donations and field trip donations and technology donations from my kids' high school - ask for something tangible. Tell us where it will go and how it will go. And collect it. There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is no free school. Freedom is not free. You get what you pay for. And one way or the other, as the recession has demonstrated, we all wind up paying, anyway. MisterWriter |
OTHER STUFF FROM
How to Double Your Child's Grades in School:
Build Brilliance and Leadership in Your Child--From Kindergarten to College--in Just 5 Minutes Per Day.
Click Here!
If you would like to learn more, click
HERE or the photo below.
|
|
|
|
||
 |
||
It
was the best of times...
um...no, it is the worst of
times, where economics have
collapsed like the hopes and
dreams of many business
owners and stockholders who
have seen their portfolios
withered into unimaginable
raisin-sized holdings.
My
only question at this point
is "Why so little?"
Board majority, it is my
prediction that the
constituents of this
district would be willing to
spend more than $100 on a
parcel tax, so long as you
have clear and concise goals
as to where it will be used
and why. You have done
a good job communicating up
through the election and you
have proved that you are
accessible and willing to
talk to just about anyone. I
say, state the case for a
decent amount that will not
just stem the flow but halt
it, at least until the state
can get its act together.
We
all know that it will never
be the same again. Our
country is now struggling to
retain its place on the
world economic stage and our
state is struggling to be
able to pay its bills
without shafting its
employees. And our school
district, besieged by one
crisis after another, is now
facing the biggest threat
yet. 
