Give us the truth to deal with wrote on Feb 27, 2008 2:52 AM:District has had a freeze of 460 on Sparkman for four years. Red Hawk and Jackson had a freeze on their enrollment for at least two years.
The District opened up too many schools in their attendance boundaries'.
Mandatory transfers were given to Red Hawk families' children and to Jackson. 250 students each to open Luiseno Elementary School which never should have been built; It stood vacant for 17 months.
By building extra elementary schools District was able to make profits on the difference of their estimated construction costs of $25 million to the actual costs. They printed that Luiseno was built with hardship monies from the state of $15.9 million, but only cost $11.9 million. $25 million verses $11.9?

Dear Staff wrote on Feb 27, 2008 2:54 AM:Never give up working days or pay; You'll never get them back.
Make them give the Supplies money back. And ask them how much savings there will be when 3% Reserves are made into 1.5%

How can next year's budget be $222 million? wrote on Feb 27, 2008 2:57 AM:Dr. Leighty is finally claiming ZERO Growth. So, if this is true and budgets will be cut 10% to schools, how will we have more money than $209 million of this year?
Do the math.

Did you know? wrote on Feb 27, 2008 3:30 AM:That Jeff Okun and the Board added a new code to their facilities motions? It was in 2005 to Lease/Sell Schools. Yet, they kept building unneeded elementary schools.

Are the Administrative layoffs all at the District Office? wrote on Feb 27, 2008 3:53 AM:The Board of Trustees and Leighty just added eleven new Administrators to the District Office. Did they really pink slip all of them and additional personnel who give them support?
Did they pink slip the newly added five or six positions of Directors?
Did they pink slip two of the three Human Resource Personnel Directors since there is a hiring freeze the second time in three years?
Since you are closing schools, are you laying off your New Facility Dept. Personnel like other Districts are doing?

show me the numbers wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:00 AM:Class size reduction seems like a great thing, but is it? What do the numbers say? It's been around long enough there should be a dozen studies of its effectiveness out there. I'm not saying it SHOULD be cut, I'm asking whether it's as useful as everyone thinks and therefore worth $3 million. Or is it just there to make teachers' lives easier?

The Snark wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:04 AM:'sacrificial cow'? I've heard of sacrificial lambs and sacred cows, but never sacrifical cows. And can a cow really be the elephant in the room? (Quite the menagerie the district has.)

Wow, way to go TVUSD! wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:37 AM:Wonder who thought that one up.....it's BRILLIANT! Force the staff (underlings) to not only forgo step & column increases but to also conceed prep days to SAVE three elementary schools. That way, they look like the BAD guys (to parents) if they say NO WAY. DO Admin. make it appear they're giving up something (none of the newly created DO positions were cut?) when they really aren't because they got their sizable increases at the END OF LAST YEAR ($30K to CL, 1 year into a 3 year contract & $12.7 each to JO, CC & TR).
There's only one possible problem to this devious plan though. Does the district really believe that the public here is that STUPID? Do they think that we don't realize that part of the reason WHY enrollment at those 3 schools (that they say may have to close) is down is BECAUSE students that had attended there were shipped over to the NEW school (TLES) that opened just last year?
Wow, if that's the case, I think the TVUSD should waste no time in going after another GOB (General Obligation Bond) to help fund all of those NEW schools they claim they have to build in the "Facilities Needs Report" they just recently approved & sent to the State.

Correction wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:19 AM:TLES (Temecula Luiseno ES) opened THIS year (August of 200), not LAST year.

Excuse me but.... wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:24 AM:...what's the $222 MILLION dollar budget? Is that revenue or expense? This year's (07/08) "Board Approved Operating Budget" (per the 1st Interim Report) lists Revenue at $212.4 million and $226.4 million as expense. With ZERO groth expected, how can next year's budget be that high? I don't understand.

Additional suggestions wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:42 AM:Shouldn't we ALL have to bear the pain?
1) School Board Trustees should give up their district funded health insurance.
2) Cut administrative positions added at the District office last year.
3) District Office (& perhaps ALL) administrators should agree to roll back their salaries to what they were in 2006/07.

Why wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:57 AM:in a time of budget crises did the school district implement a new math program that seems really senseless in the first place. That program cost over 2 million to bring into the schools. Just another admin decision to boost up those scores and make them look good at the expense of our teacher and more important our kids. The good Dr.(School board pres) who gave herself a huge raise 40,000+ I believe was the number should be ashamed of herself. NO ONE gets that kind of raise after 6 months of employment. I think it is time to fire the whole school board and start fresh.

I Smell a Rat wrote on Feb 27, 2008 8:42 AM:"reduce millions out of its anticipated $222 million budget for the next year". The enrollment this year is less than last year. Since the State is cutting education to start with at 10 per cent...did they let the cat of the bag....and add on their Resolution of any/all funds from throughout this year onto next years..."Slip of the tongue, which they are famous for doing when they brag?"
$222,000,000.00 with reduced revenue of at least 10% in 2008-2009?

Did You Notice wrote on Feb 27, 2008 8:53 AM:That at the Sept. 18, 2008 Meeting New School Board Member Vincent O'Neil Abstained from voting approval for sufficient Textbooks and Class Room Supplies?
Does he know something that we ALL should know?

Dear Additional Suggestions wrote on Feb 27, 2008 8:58 AM:The Governing School Board Trustees voted themselves a raise about a year ago to have $750.00 per month, twelve months a year; raise in pay from $400.00 per month.
They also each can take over $8,000.00 per year for CAP's District Health Plan of Insurance.
Originally all of the long timers like Joan Sparkman, Dr. David Urlich, and others took only ONE DOLLAR per month.

How do they change their posted Funding Without Us Seeing IT? wrote on Feb 27, 2008 9:36 AM:Animals trust their keepers. Intellects should ask questions when
the feed is cut back.
I have followed their misdeeds since witnessing misconduct in 2000.
Our teachers are treasures and should be treated so, and rewarded
with classroom funding, etc., not to mention pay.
By resolutions is how TVUSD create numerations that are untransparent movements of their funding and by electronic transfers

to show me the numbers wrote on Feb 27, 2008 9:39 AM:You obviously don't have children. Can you even fathom sending your kindergartner into a class of 38 kids to learn to read and write and form a close bond to the teacher????? Yes, I'm sure it's just to make those lazy overpaid teacher's lives easier!!!!AND I GUARANTEE you that admin will get their step back plus retro as soon as the school board can justify voting for it. The teachers will not be so fortunate.
I LOVE how teachers are being asked to buy their own supplies, unplug refrigerators....because "every little bit helps" yet Leighty is keeping her car allowance and board members are keeping their stipend and health benefits!!!!

Dear Why Wrote wrote on Feb 27, 2008 9:44 AM:New comers to our community see the high design new schools.
We intellectuals believe without question the Governing School Board Trustees and our Administrators.
Big money should be watched; that's how you got Oakland, New York and other large school districts in huge growth density to become corrupted, as was Val Verde.
What you do not understand is that the CA State Attorney General's Offices will not prosecute them for violation CA Penal Code 115's; falsifying documentation.
And, that is why Kenneth Ray stated Dec. 2004 that all that happened to Oakland Unified was they fired their Superintendent, brought in a state one...and once the dust settled, the State Dept. of Ed. let the same abusing School Board Trustees take up new business, even though the taxpayers and their children were the victims. We have to pay for their mafia second set of book keeping.
They are building right now with a resolution 66006 and ? with NO MONIES. They declared it in Sept/Oct. No one is watching because they would never hurt us or our kids. Right.

Seriously wrote on Feb 27, 2008 9:55 AM:How many teachers serve on committees and teams voluntarily? The school board makes more than most sports or performing arts stipends...FOUR TIMES MORE!!! Plus many of them have other jobs and benefits. What a sweet deal...vote yourselves a raise but vote to cut everyone else.

Don't KID YOURSELF wrote on Feb 27, 2008 11:09 AM:A 3 day reduction IS a 1.6% decrease in salary!!!!!!!!!!

HELLO wrote on Feb 27, 2008 1:06 PM:The enrollment projection for this year, per the district, was less than 2% (1.99%). Enrollment dropped at RHES, SES & JES because students were sent to TLES. A school that administration & the school board said "we had to open." Now they are comtemplating closing three other schools? If the public buys into that baloney, they deserve the board & administrators they have. By all means, PLEASE re-elect Tooker & Morris and THANK all of you that voted to re-elected Brown & Shafer!

Obvious Choice/Solution! wrote on Feb 27, 2008 1:29 PM:Why doesn't the district just close Sparkman Elementary and sell the property. The school has been small for years and is just an overflow school for the district. It has had low test scores for years, and it is the only property on a busy street near the new hospital site and very valuable. Red Hawk and Jackson only became small schools this year due to Luiseno Elementary opening, and they are both schools filled with neighborhood kids - not bused in kids from the district overflow. Selling the Sparkman property would solve all the budget needs!!

AMCC wrote on Feb 27, 2008 1:32 PM:Does anybody have faith in God? Get down on your knees and pray that those who are employeed with TVUSD and are NOT doing there JOB be removed. Trim the FAT, BEFORE YOU TRIM THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATION! Simple! WWJD!!!

Concerned-1 wrote on Feb 27, 2008 1:32 PM:This is the same argument/conversation going on all over the state concerning our educational system. The crux of the problem is we have too many students with special needs (language) and a bureaucracy that spends more than it takes in. The California Legislature and its "mommy government" policies are to blame. What do you expect when you allow poor ignorant people to have free babies? You think our educational system is going to benefit? Sorry folks, the days of public education are over for all those who can afford it. For those who can't, good luck.

If you don't like the LAW wrote on Feb 27, 2008 3:16 PM:then work to change it or stop complaining!
Further, your ignorant comments regarding special needs students (language) are insulting to parents who have children with special needs as many our children have language issues.

Bill 1 wrote on Feb 27, 2008 4:13 PM:I agree with Concerned-1 100%. I think he has it right.

wait a minute concerned 1 wrote on Feb 27, 2008 4:53 PM:are you insinuating that poor ingnorant people are having special needs children? That's what it sounds like. It is obvious that CA needs to make some serious changes in the way things are done with our educational system, but I don't think that sterilizing part of the population is the answer.

Concerned-1 wrote on Feb 27, 2008 4:57 PM:Okay I have a thing with "special needs." It seems now days, there are a lot of special needs. When I went to school, there were no special needs. We had kids that were different, most of who made it quite fine on their own. In today's "mommy" world no one can do anything for themselves. So, when ESL kids come along demanding special treatment, I get a little irked. BTW, my father had polio and was handicapped his whole life, he also lost an eye as a teen ager. He did just fine, thank you, and I didn't know he was blind in one eye until I was 35!

Prep Teacher wrote on Feb 27, 2008 5:45 PM:Do you know what a prep teacher is and how often most schools get them? They make it sound like a helper that comes in and does stuff for the teacher. It's not that. They are a valuable part of each elemtary school. They are the librarian, PE teacher, Computer lab teacher, art or music teacher. Each school has a different kind. They teach a class their subject for 1 hour per week. So this gives the elementary teacher a whole 2 hours a week or prep time. But the important thing is that the students learn another subject from another teacher. This helps prepare them for middle school. Our elementary teachers already do crossing guard duty before and after school and playground supervision.

tvusdtrouble wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:45 PM:Closing Sparkman is not the answer. The school still has solid facilities and is actually the only school that makes sense to keep open. Jackson and Redhawk simply are no longer needed with the opening of Luiseno. They should close Jackson and RedHawk. Send those kids to either Luiseno or Sparkman. Sparkman can handle the growth, while Jackson could not. There is a glut of schools in that small area. Luiseno is brand new, so it's staying, while Sparkman is the only school that can handle the crisis of accommodating more students due to a closure. You need Sparkman.

It's a lot cheaper to educate wrote on Feb 27, 2008 6:52 PM:kids than to support them the for REST of their lives (think supported living, welfare or PRISON).
Go look up the studies regarding all the LD & illiterate people in prison. Hello, you don't want to pay to educate them & then you COMPLAIN about supporting them later on. Did you know it cost about $40k a year to keep someone in prison.
Please THINK before you comment.

Coastal Eddy wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:06 PM:A user fee of about $500 per student would solve most of the district's problems. If parents want everything to stay the same, they should be willing to pay this small fee.

The TVUSD has an Academic Foundation wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:13 PM:if people want to donate money. I won't donate to that because I've seen the waste. I prefer to buy the supplies & give them directly to the teachers or the school.

Wendy wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:26 PM:In response to tvusd-Actually JES is a larger school than Sparkman and can handle the growth--a few years ago we were in upwards of 1000 students and before the decision was made to open Luiseno we were in the mid 700's-JES is a walking school and it would make sense to keep it such to avoid busing issues and busing costs. JES is also a newer school. But how sad these are even issues we have to discuss. The economy and Sacramento has caused this situation. We should all write a letter to our legislator and hand deliver it to their local office. If this budget issue were not prevalent we could have some boundary changes and even out the population--I had heard that Abbyu Reinke had over 1100 students, Pauba over 800, Luiseno about 700. JES had 750 at the end of last year. Anyway this is a sad state of affairs for whatever school or schools may be closed. Again that is a may as there is still a possibility schools may not be closed....Time will tell.

John wrote on Feb 27, 2008 7:50 PM:It's amazing that the board would propose employee salary cuts to "save" three half-empty schools. They should have listened to all of the people who said they should have never been opened in the first place

Just a Parent wrote on Feb 27, 2008 8:46 PM:As a parent of a child who HAD to move from JES TO LES. Yes, awesome new school, but did my child want to move? NO. She had friends and teachers she grew up with. I agree with Concerned-1, America/California has spent way too much on illegal immigrants, but that's a whole different story. Start with the school board and jeez make Arnie take a pay cut, not our teachers!

East Coast Migrater wrote on Feb 27, 2008 10:50 PM:My child attends the new elementary school TLES and her teacher is wonderful. I volunteer in her first grade classroom and I must say it is a real challenge for teachers to meet the learning needs of 20 students. Increasing class size would be a disaster!! Having moved from the East Coast, it is really difficult for me to understand what has gone wrong in California. I lived in an area there that had outstanding schools VERY high test scores, high per pupil spending, bountiful support staffs within the schools and my property taxes were about 1/5 of what I am paying now to live in Temecula. What in the hell has gone wrong here?? How and why has California screwed up so badly that there is this budget crisis to begin with?? Furthermore, why is the cutting being done to Education and not other areas of the State budget?? Can anyone more familiar with the history of this mess please enlighten me. If the taxes are so high here on property and even on sales tax why is there no money for education?? I saw a flyer up the other day for teachers letting them know that they are eligible to take an oral and written spanish language fluency exam and if they pass they would be eligible for extra pay/stipend. I thought that was interesting considering the current fiscal mess the state is in. I have mixed feeling about parents being forced to pay into the public school system, by being charged per student per year. I was under the impression I am already doing that with my taxes. I do make contributions of supplies periodically but even that is tough for us to do financially and that is why I volunteer my time to contribute. I am concerned that we provide education to illegal immigrants. It is wrong and they should not be using up funds that are allocated or should be allocated for legal citizens in the state. Ship them back to wherever they came from and let them know if they come back legally we would be happy to give their children a FREE education but until then SORRY!!!! I am not prepared to have my childs education screwed over for people breaking the laws of the land!!!!

To Just a Parent wrote on Feb 28, 2008 6:51 AM:It would be a little difficult to "make Arnie take a pay cut" as he has refused a salary since becoming governor- in other words he works for free.

Ed wrote on Feb 28, 2008 7:05 AM:Great! So the teachers take a paycut while inflation is going up, gas prices will hit new all-time highs and people are trying to scrape up what they can to make their next house payment. Well, I suppose it's better than living off state unemployment while sitting at home without a job.

Please Read wrote on Feb 28, 2008 7:39 AM:obviously you people don't read the news or listen to the news. California is not the only State that is having these shortfall budget issues...we just happen to be at the top of the list for the largest negative. When you educate those that parents don't pay taxes (which is what helps pay for the FREE education) and you have more ADA that the State must pay out (simple head count) then simple math tells you that you will be in the negative at some point. And when you build schools simply because the Asst. Supt. likes building schools and has a former Confidential Secretary doing the dynamic forecasting, you are in trouble.
But, when it's all said and done, those of you that keep your jobs at TVUSD will be once again going after COLA or some sort of pay increase no matter the situation....it's called greed!

I'm from the East Coast as well. wrote on Feb 28, 2008 8:50 AM:You're going to be given the song & dance that they don't get enough for Eeducation and you'll most likely be told that it's due to prop 13. Don't believe it! I'm from MA, that has the grandchild of prop 13 (prop 2 & 1/2) and that State does a very good job educating their children.
Further, while it's easy to BLAME the children (& their parents) who are not fluent in English for our current mess, consider this: What do you think would happen to our school district if they didn't receive the ADA they do to educate them. They'd ALL go bankrupt. Our public educationsystem is BROKEN. We need major reform to even attempt to fix it.

Reardon wrote on Feb 28, 2008 7:32 PM:Want to get public school spending under control? Overall, California students rank about 48th in academics according to the US Department of Education, but second in pay according to the NEA. Reduce the pay of teachers to match the state standing in academics! If the teacher pay was 48th, there would be PLENTY of money!

To Reardon wrote on Feb 28, 2008 7:52 PM:CA also ranks 47th in per pupil spending. What is your point?

Temecula Parent wrote on Feb 28, 2008 8:18 PM:FYI! Sparkman at one point had 1,300 students. Before Crown Hill and Tony Tobin opened there were more than 800 students. The enrollment right now is over 450. And by the way less than 1/4th of the students are actually bused in. This means that most students do not ride the bus. There are those who think it's okay to shove the students around just because Sparkman has over 50% minority population and many of the parents won't stand up and complain. Believe it or not there are actually parents who want their students to attend Sparkman. The district actually did not allow parents to keep their students there or at any older school when the new schools opened. (We can't have a new school with empty classrooms, now can we?)
It's really sad that the Superintendent sat there on Tuesday night and said no one could have seen this coming. A blind man could have seen that people with children couldn't afford to buy these houses in Temecula. And if they did buy them, would have trouble keeping them. The truth is everyone who came in buying these high-priced (now-empty) houses EXPECTED to get a high-priced brand new school with it. The district buckled under the pressure.
Do I hear anyone volunteering to run for a board position in the fall? Go ahead, looks like fun. Then again, nothing is ever really as it seems.

Reardon wrote on Feb 28, 2008 9:12 PM:To To Reardon: I can find NO foundation for your claim in the US Census information. Please cite me a source.

Reardon is typical wrote on Feb 28, 2008 9:13 PM:He spouts off about the evil teachers, and California's poor education performance when the story here is not about the state, but about TVUSD.

TVUSD served my children well, and is the envy of the county, Southern California, and darn near the entire state.

So before you start spouting the garbage about what a mess "THE" education system is, look closer at TEMECULA's education system, and you'll find it isn't that bad...it fact its great!

Sure, Temecula pay is higher than average for teachers, but its not the highest. And, thanks to that pay, TVUSD can hire good teachers.

So, lowering TVUSD teacher pay because California's education system is lacking makes absolutely no sense at all.

Reardon, sometimes I think you talk just to hear yourself.

And by-the-by, I am not, and have never been employed by the TVUSD, in fact I don't even live in Temecula, the county, or the state anymore. I'm just a dad of grown children who was quite satisfied with the education TVUSD helped provide by brood!

Reardon wrote on Feb 28, 2008 9:36 PM:To Reardon is typical: No, I didn't mention TVUSD in particular, but even if TVUSD was the BEST in the State (which it isn't), that would just be the Best Dressed Man in Big Foot Texas! It would be measured against a diminished standard!

Spare me PLEASE! wrote on Feb 29, 2008 7:37 AM:The TVUSD ranks the highest State test scores in Riverside County. That's NOTHING to brag about when you consider the how POORLY the county does or the % of students who graduate here with the requirements they require to enter a USC/CSU (ONLY 30.5% per the last available data,05/06, according to the CDE's DataQuest web site). Now, consider the number of students, entering USC/CSUs that REQUIRE remedial course in English &/or Math (49%). I do NOT have the figure for Community Colleges but I could guess that they'd be in the 75% range.
Doesn't anyone out there realize the MONEY that's WASTED because of this? Remedial courses are DO OVERs because a student did NOT learn what they NEEDED to learn to be successful in higher education. Because the State foots the bill (tuition & fees cover a tiny fraction of the cost), taxpayers are paying TWICE and the do-over courses do NOT count toward a degree! What's WORSE is the FACT that many of the students who REQUIRE remediation WON'T continue on to even get a degree. Just think of the money we could save (to pump into K-12 education) if only our students were adequately prepared to continue their education!
Parents & taxpayers need to get a clue, grades are only subjective measures of how well (or not) a student is doing academically. They are NOT an indication or whether or not a student has been properly prepared for life after K-12.
BTW, the reason why JES, SES & RHES enrollment is so LOW is because many of those students were SHIPPED over to TLES. If the CDE (CA Dept of ED would get it act together & update the enrollment figures for the current year - taken from the CBEDS reports the districts do in EARLY October - the public could see that). Remember, TVUSD Administrators & the board told us "we had to open TLES." They used close to $800K, from the general fund to open TLES. I was one who attended board, budget & facilities meetings last year to tell them that younger families, with younger children could NOT afford to move here any longer. I told them that our student population was growing & that the REAL need was at the high school level.....they agreed to that at the facilities meeting a year ago LAST February! Please don't buy into the "we didn't see this coming" or "we have been fiscally responsible" baloney..............it's NOT true!

Corretion...sorry wrote on Feb 29, 2008 8:36 AM:Meant to say that the TVUSD's student populationwas AGING, not growing. Go on the ED Data site to see the trands but I'll warn you that the Data there is less current than that on DataQuest...but the DATA on both web sites comes from the school districts.

Barbara Tooker has Made This Mess With Her Obsession to Over Build to be Ready for Preschools at each School. wrote on Feb 29, 2008 10:39 AM:Your newest elementary schools are built to have a possible 1200 capacity seating formula without portable classrooms.
Temecula Luiseno was not necessary to build, but they built the $25 million dollar facility with General Funds, Hardship monies of $15.9 million from the CA Dept. of Ed Allocation Committee when they no longer needed it. It stood vacant for 17 months.
Chaparral stood vacant for one plus years when it was built, too.
Remember, the City of Temecula and the County of Riverside Supervisors gave to the TVUSD a passed on right to Govern leving of taxation rights the city and county should be doing. You call this Direct Bridging Rights, to choose straight upfront fees or leveraging you with additional taxation called mellos roos. The TVUSD has 8 CFD mellos roos areas they approved while being your Legislative Body...over YOUR TAXATION.
This should never have been granted.

Dear Correction...sorry wrote on Feb 29, 2008 10:42 AM:Once the Data Quest statistics are posted, they are never changed OR updated.
This was verified by an e-mail inquiry to Data Quest of the Dept. of Education Offices.

District will get back 1.5% on Next Year's Budget of $222 million: wrote on Feb 29, 2008 10:54 AM:Subject: Trustees may save 1.5% of 209 million this year; over 3 million or on 222 million next year's budget ave $3,330,000.00. Did any of the School Districts' share WHY?

For an actual copy of the document of Emergency Flexability Accounting of 03-04 go to the following state web site:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/ac/co/budgetflex.asp

What you will learn in your quests to understand District's bookkeeping, The 3% Reserve is for protection.
The Flexability Accounting Documentation was written for "Economic Uncertainties". You may go down to 1.5%, but must go back up in two years following to 3%.
But, what you don't follow is their seizing by resolutions large money totals and electronic transfers verses their posted budget.

Schools should not be sold due to mellos roos special additional property taxation paid for many of these schools wrote on Feb 29, 2008 11:03 AM:Many residents of these valleys not only pay property tax accessment based on 1, 1.5 or 2 percent to the County Assessor's Office a year BUT ALSO AN ADDITIONAL TAXATION FOR SCHOOL MELLOS ROOS. The Developer instead of paying upfront square footage ratio percentage fee for each new home for 30 to 70 thousand dollars. This is not by cost of the home. It is by square footage. The Developer instead only had to pay upfront for all of his development's building phases $25,000.00 instead of millions.
Our daughter's home is mellos roosed. On a $580,000.00 home the accessor's regular property tax is $12,000.00 per year PLUS another $4,000.00 mellow roos taxation. Thank you school board. Most houses mellos roosed are paying at least an additional taxation of $250,000.00 total, if the School District does not leverage the CFD Bond; rewrite, get extra money, and extend out years more to pay extra taxes.

Ms.R.T.H. wrote on Mar 1, 2008 10:23 AM:Is is it human nature to blame the most vulnerable in society when life becomes harder? Education is not a privilage, it is a human right, just like eating. So regardless of legal status, a child has the right to a free and fair education. I am a teacher and I have seen more special needs among the "legal" students. I have seen students arriving with no concept of the English language, enriching the schools more so than "legal" students. Yes, they require extra language support for a few years, but after that they often do better academically, emotionally, and socially if their motivation and ethics have not been tarnished by "American Pop-Culture". So, legal status in my experience has nothing to do with our state's budget crisis. After all those same politicians that got us into this mess "BUSH and REAGAN", were born here. It would more productive to get your racism and emotions out of the way and focus on the foundations of this mess. How about thinking of how much money was diverted away from the states budget to finance the war? How about corporate welfare? Imagine how much money the state would recieve. Hmmm, when I think of this, investing in the lives of children regardless of legal status is more ethical and moral.

to Ms.R.T.H. wrote on Mar 1, 2008 8:15 PM:I agree with you. I like your ethics and morals. A pair we don't see as often as we'd like!

jae wrote on Mar 5, 2008 8:41 AM:I don't understand the State Budget cuts of 10% across the board, but educations cuts are being proposed taking a 25% cut. Figure it out....16.1 billion @ 10% would be 1.60 billion. Yet, education states it is being forced to cut 4.4 billion. Uh, isn't that 25%. Are the figures just being inflated to scare the public into making drastic cuts! Save our elementary schools.