Letter to the Editor: School Districts Ask Parents to Front the Costs

 

(Response to California Schools Are Going Broke -- No Surprise There!)

Mr Schaper-

I read your article on California school financing today. and based on the content I felt I should share a couple of anecdotes from my past (although you may already be familiar with both these examples)-

My daughter attended the Palos Verdes School district for 11 years and graduated from Pennisula High in 2016. During that time I had two interactions with the district that clearly defined the district's overall priorities.

The first occurred when I called the District office to register my daughter as a new student. After a couple rings, the automated "phone tree" offered several options to choose from. The first option stated "If you are a teacher with a payroll issue, please press 1." I found it quite telling that the number one district phone priority was staff payroll issues.

The second occurred anytime my wife or I called my daughter's school to report her absent due to illness. Each time the answering machine provided directions on how to properly report our child's abscence, including a requst that we write a check to cover the lost revenue related to our childs abscence. I forget the exact amount but it was around $90 a day. I always laughed at this silly request, but once again it demonstrated the district priorities regarding my daughter's education.

As I said, you may have already heard these stories, but if not I thought it was worth my time to share these real world examples of California school district policies.

Thank you,

Dave Skinner

----------

Mr. Skinner:

Thank you so much for your letter.

The phone tree anecdote I have never heard before. It sounds par for the course, sadly.

Teachers' unions hold incredible political sway over school districts, which is a crime, since most of the teachers don't live in the district; therefore, it's not their taxes paying for the schools!

Regarding the school's arrogant request that you compensate them for your daughter's absence, I have heard similar stories, and they all need to be reported.

Of course, the wealthier, higher-performing school districts like Palos Verdes USD are getting the shaft when it comes to state funding, so of course the district has to ask parents to chip in. I live in the South Bay (Torrance!), so I am all too aware of the Ed Foundations needed to help districts cover costs.

It's so unfair!

Arthur Schaper

Illinois Legislature Set to Override Governor's Veto UPDATE: Override Passes, Bankruptcy Looms

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has nerves and backbone of steel.

He has resisted allowing the Democratically-controlled legislature to raising taxes and spending on Illinois residents, property owners, and businesses.

For three years in a row, the state of Illinois has operated without a budget.

Private vendors are pulling out of the state. Some vendors are going to wait 6 months before they get paid anything.

If a budget is not passed in the next week, then schools will close, and 911 responders will not get paid.

It will be total bedlam in Illinois, and the state's bond rating will go down to junk bond status.

Terrible.

Rauner stood his ground against the latest budget, which includes taxes and fees. The budget passed with Republican voters in both chambers.

Rauner vetoed it.

The Budget bills, specifically SB 6 and SB 9, passed in the state senate during an extraordinary session on July 4th! Independence Day, and the Illinois state senate convened to pass a bloated budget with more taxes and fees.

The Illinois Republican Party and the Governor are working hard to ensure that the General Assembly does not cave and override the veto. 15 Republicans had crossed over during the first vote.

Will they end up holding together against the governor of voting for the next budget? The minority leader Michael Unes has caved. will other members stand for what is right?

UPDATE:

The General Assembly has voted to override the Governor's veto.

Illinois has a $36 billion budget with an increase in income and corporate taxes.

The end is coming, and some of the lawmakers actually think that this temporal staving-off of the inevitable will work out in the long-term.

NOPE. Not a chance. Watch the state's bond status decline in the next month or two as the state coffers still struggle for money to pay off the bills, especially the massive, unconscionable pension costs.