A parent's view of the education budget

Erin Shachory, a parent at Riverside Elementary School in Sherman Oaks, writes:

Another day, another dollar -- or thousands. And I'm not talking about a windfall, my friends; I'm feeling concerned about the state budget cuts for our schools, particularly our beloved Riverside Elementary.

A few dedicated parents are gathering ideas about how we can band together and make a big impact on our legislators and governor. One mom is creating a sample letter that parents can send to Gov. Schwarzenegger and our Legislature, and we will mount an aggressive campaign to get this letter into our parents’ hands through backpack distribution, e-mail blasts and volunteers who can have the letters at the school gate during dropoff and pickup times.

According to one parent who is a member of Riverside's School Site Council, here's how the proposed state budget cuts might affect our school: In addition to the district cuts, which could potentially affect staffing and facilities (these are district expenses), we have about $27,000 in school-based funding on the table. 

For us, as a non-Title 1 school, this is big news -- this money is a big chunk of the total that we receive and basically pays for one of our three copiers and two of our aides (both of whom sent their kids and one grandkid to our school and have worked here for so long that they are practically a part of the cultural brick and mortar).

Perhaps three years ago I naively assumed that sending my daughters to public school would be “free,” but now I can assure you that it is not. Parents are asked to bridge the gap between what LAUSD can provide to our school and what we desire for enrichment for our kids. 

That means that we do a whole heck of a lot of fundraising. I tell friends with preschoolers that they should continue to write out a check in the amount of their monthly preschool tuition after their child begins kindergarten in a public school and just hand it over to the school’s fundraising group. 

And I’m only half-joking. Without tireless efforts from our fundraising group, our kids would not have a state-of-the-art computer lab (completely renovated this year), a computer and technology instructor, a music teacher, a PE program, a copier (as well as the copy aide to run it) and numerous classroom supplies.

This is why LAUSD Board of Education member (and Riverside parent) Tamar Galatzan will be speaking at our PTA meeting Wednesday night, to help educate our parent community about her findings with her Middle Class School Task Force.  With a kindergartner of her own, I know that she has a personal stake in creating a solution for this budget crisis.

And that, my friends, is all the hubbub.

Comments

[7 years in public school]

Our school is also a non-title 1 school! I get so mad that 60% of the kids that attend the local school are permitted in yet our school doesn't get the same money as title one school! LAUSD is a joke!

[Donny Chamola]

I totally agree with what's been said here. The budget is in shambles.

I feel like I'm being nickel and dimed to death every time I unpack my son's backpack full of school notices. But I know that if I don't write that check, our school suffers, so what else can I do? It's a disgrace.