Most Viewed Stories
Most Commented Stories
A View from Main Street: Time to rethink it
On Thursday, some local schoolteachers will take to streets to protest state budget cuts. While their frustration is understandable, it’s doubtful whether the teachers’ actions will yield results. The state is in a crisis, and cuts — however difficult — must be made.
Meanwhile, according to reliable sources, negotiations are continuing on a local level to reduce the school district’s budget and keep as many jobs as possible. In fact, the HUSD’s 74.0 FTE’s that could be cut are less than many neighboring school district, at least in relative terms. School superintendent Mark McKinney and the five-member school board deserve credit for that.
Local bodies throughout California can trace much of their predicament to the mistaken notion that the state (in a general sense) should be counted on for one’s sustenance. A not-too-lofty illustration is the classic children’s tale of “The Little Pigs.” Like others, the Hesperia Unified School District gets 70 percent of its revenue from the state of California.
Talk about building your house out of straw, our district’s destiny depends on the uninterrupted taxation of our state’s residents and California’s basic economic health. Well, California is on a respirator and can’t afford to cough up enough for municipalities and school districts to subsist.
Like most businesses are being forced to do in these challenging times, the state is cutting what it can. But hopefully the entire public education system will reassess how it derives its funds. Becoming less dependent on big government (especially one that is failing) is a start.
By reducing costs and looking at ways to raise funds locally, maybe the district can turn their house into bricks — or at least some sticks.
See archived 'Opinion' stories »
| We had many carloads of Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville Voters with our kids heading to the Adelanto Bike /Skatepark park on Saturday. Voting begains in November for Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville council seats. Council members who sit on the butts and do nothing for the youth will get the BOOT come November! |
|
| Dad - Mar 08, 2010 12:22:22 PM | Remove Comment |
| | |
| The problem is multifaceted. First, the economic conditions were not sustainable and no one believed the many warning signs. Second, the state grew at a rate equivalent to water behind a dam during a record 100 year flood. Third, for decades, Californians believed themselves to be the trend setters of the nation and were intent on passing numerous propositions that were funded by bond measures that obligated the general fund to repay the amount plus interest or were not funded at all. Fourth, the unions saw all this cash in the coffers and lobbied hard to get their share, fair or otherwise. Now we are at a point in time when all Californians will need to grab a shovel and dig ourselves out of this sink hole that we created. We cannot fix the economy over night. The reality is that the solutions will be as complex as the problem and will require pain at multiple levels. The recovery will take many years, so we need to think how we can launch our own recovery efforts. Unions will need to give back in the short term or face the prospects of increased workload, lower performing schools and all the advances of the past years that will be lost as a result. The district needs a plan to increase their reserves as the economy recovers, returning a portion to the unions via rehires and restored salaries, over time. The legislature should roll back all the unfunded obligations to sustainable levels and only entertain restoring those obligations once they have adequate reserves of their own. The people will need to consider local bond measures and propositions that provide more local control over these funding mechanisms. Yes, I said the people because it was the people who voted for these budget busting propositions. |
|
| Parent - Mar 02, 2010 08:56:56 PM | Remove Comment |
| | |
| Peter, where should school districts look for their funding if not to the agency entrusted with collecting and distributing tax money? How do you suggest school districts find this mythical, alternative funding source? If there are any private sources handing out money, please report on that ASAP. On a personal level, my state tax doubled in 2009 and my friends and family say the same. Yet we're still told that the state has no cash to distribute for basic services such as public education. As far as I can tell, it is the state's duty to distribute tax money but they are not living up to this obligation. Your analogy is correct in that the state is best represented by the big, bad wolf -- otherwise, it is quite off base. |
|
| desertmom - Mar 02, 2010 06:35:27 PM | Remove Comment |
