It remains a shame to this day that our public schools are so dependent on state funding for their operations. The bigger the bureaucracy gets, the less reliable and expensive it becomes.
I recently heard of a librarian with 25 years service with the Lucia Mar School District being laid off because of a lack of state funds. I guess the students will have to go to the county library for their research information?

Next we will probably see the bus drivers and shop people given their walking papers. Throw the expense on the parents. After all, it’s their tax dollars that are being misused and wasted.
A great gesture by the school board members and school district superintendent would really help at this time. Maybe they should forfeit all or part of their salaries and benefits for the duration of this economic mess. It would be a giant step in the right direction.
We’ll see if our school district’s leadership has any empathy for its employees. Anyone want to bet on the outcome?
This article appears in May 14-21, 2009.