The terror of budget cuts

Imagine not knowing if your child's elementary school program will even exist by the end of the summer.

Imagine your child not knowing what will happen to her, her classmates, and her teachers.

That's what the 50 children of the Lagunitas Elementary School Waldorf Inspired Program went through for most of the Spring months. It took many months to fight back a wrongheaded proposal to lay off two of the 3 full-time teachers in my daughter's program. Not knowing where my daughter would go to school in a couple of months time was a form of terror—a terror that our program would be axed and her education disrupted.

But we weren't alone. Others were facing draconian cuts across the District.

The Lagunitas board handed over responsibility to the superintendent and budget director to come up with an all cuts budget for 2011-2012. When the budget was proposed it included no projected revenue. What it did include were cruel cuts to special education, the elimination of the school lunch program and bus service, and classrooms bursting at the seams. The already understaffed teachers were being asked to take on more children at the same stagnant pay that has remained unchanged for years.

All of this to meet an projected budget shortfall in 3 years—if revenues remain unchanged.

This was a classic case of a manufactured crisis.
 
Not one single idea about how to increase revenues was ever seriously considered let alone proposed. Over and over again we heard about how the last parcel tax—which is a temporary regressive band aid that has already proven inadequate—barely passed. The board president even claimed that "there is no more money out there." The board members seemed to be more worried about getting re-elected than protecting the education of the children.

About a month later, after many meetings packed by angry parents—the District staff finally projected increased property tax revenues and most—but not all—the cuts were rescinded.

This experience demonstrated to me that the current president of the board lacks the ability to lead. Instead, she handed over responsibility for solving this "crisis" to the District staff—a responsibility of the board that she is supposed to be leading.

While arguing why it was her turn to be president, she had promised her colleagues last Fall that this would be a her last year on the board. She broke that promise when she announced she would run again. That's why I'm running. Its time for new leadership.

The people of the Valley have worked hard for more than 3 decades to build this model elementary school. Many of my neighbors attended our school, sent their children here, and watched their grandchildren graduate. We can't let it be dismantled because of an ideological dogma that refuses to find the needed revenues to educate our children.

I will be announcing my Save Our School—Tax the Rich plan soon. It will do exactly what the current board president refused to do—generate a long-term solution to the revenue shortfall our district faces by making the necessary changes to ensure that everyone pays their fair share. The free ride is over.