These are rough
times in schools and for elected school boards.
Teachers , and incumbent school board members, are the subject of a
campaign heavily funded and driven from the top down to take a profession that
has long been respected by the public at large and make the people in the
profession villains. The goal is
to drive down the pestige and working conditions of people working in the
professions. (for example, the film Won’t
Back Down).
Natomas district is under funded as are almost
all schools districts in the state. The district was
forced to cut over
$31 million in prior
years. These cuts were
imposed upon the district by the economic crisis and the failure of the
legislature to respond to the needs of all the schools. The result is almost $525 per child less money for the district.
This makes California rank 47th. out of the 50 states in per pupil
spending.
In this time of very difficult budget
decisions, districts benefit from
a well informed school board, one that looks at the entire budget and makes the
necessary decisions. Well informed
board members are an asset in these difficult times. Recognizing this value of experience and professional preparation, the Sacramento Progressive Alliance endorses Dr. Sue Heredia for re-election.
During this crisis, the teachers and the board
in Natomas have increased
graduation rates, re-lowered class size, decreased drop-out rates, and instituted new fiscal accountability
procedures, to establish a
district that is financially stable.
The Progressive Alliance
takes the position that all
children need a good education to participate in our democracy and prepare
for life in the rapidly changing
economy. Making schooling valuable and useful is vital to prosperity for all. Lack of education is a ticket to
economic hardship. When we fail to
educate all of our children, the high costs of this failure come back to hurt
us in unemployment, drugs, crime, incarceration, violence and social conflict.
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