LBPOST.com: Should Measure T Be Placed On The Ballot Again?

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Should Measure T Be Placed On The Ballot Again?

by Ryan ZumMallen | Long Beach News | 03.11.10 |

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3:00pm | Amid recent rallies to support public education funding and fears that more than 700 LBUSD teachers will soon be laid off, an effort has grown to put Measure T back on the upcoming ballot after it was easily defeated in November 2009.

The group leading the charge is called Save Our Schools (LBUSD), and describes itself as �a group of concerned parents, PTA members and leaders, community leaders/organizers and educators.�

Measure T would have placed an annual $92 parcel tax on Long Beach properties to fund the financially-strapped Long Beach Unified School District. Needed a two-thirds approval to pass, the measure received just over 43% of the vote and was soundly defeated.

But with ever-worsening financial statistics moving beyond hypotheticals and into classrooms � as class sizes rise and teachers face the very real possibility of unemployment � some are searching for alternative ways to drum up funding.

The website, soslbusd.com, claims that voters may not have been fully aware of what Measure T would have done and that there was �a lack of understanding that retired people could opt out of paying.�

If the movement is successful, the measure would be included in a June 8 special election. So far on two separate websites, however, only a small number of signatures needed have been collected (find the petition websites here and here).

LBUSD officials said during the original Measure T campaign that the annual $92 per parcel tax would certainly not solve the District�s budget woes, but maintained that it would go a long way to saving some services, supplies and jobs. The LBUSD school board approved a plan in 2009 to dramatically cut summer school and eliminated some bus routes in order to cut back.

Disclosure: LBPOST.com publisher Shaun Lumachi was a consultant to the Parents, Teachers and Taxpayers for Safer Schools - Yes on Measure T campaign.

Comments

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53 Comments so far.

jay
Times are tough. The city should not be wasting even more money to put the measure on another special election ballot.

Sunset
This needs to include a "Sunset Clause" That will remove the $92 fee after a set time period, say 5 years. If that is included, it will have a chance to pass. But, LBUSD should have early retirement for the older teachers. This new world needs the young teachers who are not "jaded".

Sander
The defeat of measure t, and measure i, were clear signals that the residents of Long Beach have little faith in the leadership of our municipal officials. It also reflects a failure to effectively connect with residents on a personal level, and help them to become participants in the process, and not just statistics in a ledger. If real change is expected, council members must begin dialogs with their constituents.

Nick Fiesta
Go for it! It will go down in flames again.

LB tax payer
they would of saved the taxpayers $400,000 if they waited for the April election instead of calling for a special election last year. I'm would still vote NO! Look back a few years at your past property tax bills to see how much more is taken out for schools already.

Long time Long Beach Resi
I do not understand why this is happening. There was no confusion about measure T. It unfairly taxes landowners instead of taxing all residents. This proposal is as outlandish as a proposal to only tax people who have kids in school! How is this fair? Because land owners are rich? I suggest Save Our Schools promote some other method of increasing revenues like a sales tax increase for all Long Beach residents. I can tell you one thing, if we elliminated the Unions, we could hire teachers who we could hold accountable for quality education and not charge us an arm and a leg to do it!

Teacher
I just got my pink slip today. I have been a teacher for 4 years and realize that because of politics, an unwillingness of the public to pony up for education, and a bloated overspending district office I think I will move on to another profession. I have done just about every job you can think of. I worked construction, I ran a bookstore, I worked on the docks and none of it came close to how stressful teaching is. 60 percent of teachers quit in the first three years. There has to be a way to make it suck less. Unfortunately the public seems against paying teachers more.

Kathy Ryan
Measure T failed for many reasons. Even people with children voted it down, because, we all realize how much waste there is in public education. For some people, there will never be enough money thrown at education. Instead of speaking up, people have been complacent in the past about the money given to education with little results. Things are changing and the public are becoming more aware of how their money is spent. Only when education is perceived as more a privilege than it is a right will our educational system be reformed. The unions have certainly prevented any sensible reforms that could have made California return to number one in the country. Over the years, all we heard from the union backed teachers was that they were underpaid. If their complaint was about discipline, administrators or waste, the message was muffled by their endless need for money. When we set the standards for children to read by the 4th grade, something has gone dramically wrong. In the private industry, people are expected to speak up, so wrongs can be righted, or inept people are let go. Only then will the workforce become productive. The teachers have relinquished their power to the unions, who in turn have ripped off the taxpayers. Inept teachers are kept, while the taxpayers continue on an endless track of funding education. Why would parents or non-parents want to tax themselves anymore for an education system that is corrupted? It is time to stop taking the easy way out and taxing the people again and again for something they do not get their moneys worth. If the School District wants another fight, I am sure the taxpayers are well armed this time, and like they did before, vote down Measure T. Teachers need to learn to deal with 30 children in a class. Doctors, Lawyers and Chiefs all came from classrooms of 30 or more students. Parents need to fix their childrens lunch; help them with homework, and involve themselves in their childrens lives. Money cannot solve these underlying costly problems. Like anything else, reform first, money only when needed. There should be no empathy for those teachers who have supported their union, but who are now threatened with layoffs. The teachers union has deprived parents of a good education for their children by allowing inept teachers to continue teaching. The unions have drained the taxpayers year after year. They support too much administration and not enough accountability. This is a different age and time; people are expected to produce for their salary. Teachers cannot be immuned any longer from layoffs. If they had fought over the years for more accountability from their peers, the public might be more sympathetic. For many years the same old song was heard about the need for more money and benefits. The teachers allowed the unions to be their mouth piece. Never were the students welfare mentioned by the unions. It was always about money and benefits. My support for more funding for education will come only after the teachers union is disbanded.

A long time resident of L
Don't waste the time or money, by trying again, in these economic times. It will be easily voted down again.

Good Teachers
Kathy, do ever worry about insulting those teachers that work hard everyday? Have you ever been a teacher? Do you even know what it's like? You say "inept" teachers like its a rampant problem. The teachers I know work their butts off everyday with little or no resources. Teachers can get used to having a hundred kids per class. That doesn't make it right. And by the way the average class size from 1940 to 1970 was 19 kids per class. We were also at the top of education back then. Maybe you should redirect your fury at the banks that are receiving tax payer bailouts and still giving away millions in bonuses. They seem much more dangerous than a union that is trying to get more pay for teachers who don't make very much money anyway. Maybe you should focus on large corporations that use tax loopholes to avoid paying taxes. I think your anger is a little misplaced. Teachers and unions are not the problem. A society that favors low taxes on the richest Americans is the problem.

Robert
I,m retired and fortunate enough to live in a house that has been in the family for many years. I get the full benefit of Prop. 13. The public school system educated me, my kids and now my grandkids. So I not only have low taxes a free education but can vote to raise your taxes. Such a deal.

Karl Strandberg
I'm not sure that Measure T is the answer; however, I have felt for some time that there is a seious lack of resources made available for the arts and vocational education in our schools. Finally, it is the students, the real customers, that are hurt by the lack of funding and the misallocation of resources.

Esteban
I voted yes the first time and would definitely vote for it again. Unfortunately, it does not have a chance of passing. The measure would have to pass by 2/3rd margin and I think we had a measly 10% turnout in the last election. This 10% unfortunately includes people like Kathy Ryan and some others in this comment section. The public just doesn't get it... we all should be very upset about our priorities in our country. Let's see $150 billion to bail out AIG, one company! I trillion on the Iraq war! 50k per year to incarcerate a non violent, petty criminal! The list goes on.

Alan
What percentage of my $92 will be thrown down a large black hole (aka, Teachers' Union), never to be seen again?

Simpleton
I guess I'll be the first to belch at this opinion party. People trying to tie school funding to student achievement, absent demographic and cultural shifts, will be in perpetual confusion. California in the 1950s was a lot different than it is today in terms of demographics and culture. Check out Irvine, Valencia or Thousand Oaks if you want to see schools that are performing great. They get the same spending per pupil as LBUSD. Throwing more money at teachers of kids with no interest in learning is not going to help. No easy answers here, but we need to face up to the problem.

Parent in 90807
I can't say if Measure T is the answer but I am sure of the fact that help must come from somewhere. My middle school age son attends a school in Long Beach that was built to accomadate just under 1000 students for three grades. The current enrollment is about 1600 students. Some students even have to be turned away for enrollment even though this is their area school to attend. Already so many programs that enrich a students education have been cut as well as the teachers and support staff. I think the term "Field Trip" will soon disappear as there is no money for them. Parents are being asked to help in funding things for Art, Home Economics and Science classes which I gladly do but it does not affect any students whose parents cannot. I was born more than half a century ago in long Beach, went to school here and still reside here. I have seen so many changes, not for the best. I hope there will be assistance comming soon as I'm sure it will only get worse

Ken
Measure T was resoundingly defeated! The economy worsened after that election and personally if I were going to support measure T it would have been during good economic times. Send the Teachers union and they're members packing. This is a last minute cheap desperate shot on their part.

For LB
Each individual has a story to tell. Everyone is hurting. So, why are those suffering being asked to pay for a system that could never have enough? Price increases in every thing, utility, gas, food, etc.. just name it, all becomes a burden. Job loss is not only affecting government workers it is also affecting those in the private sector. The question is not whether the teachers are hard working or not. It is about the fact that the public can not afford any more financial burdens, and is saying enough is enough. No one is rescuing homeowners from any price increase or from their overall financial obligations. So, it is time to stop burdening residents!

CHARLIE
WHAT NERVE - ABSOLUTELY NOT - I think the TEACHER comment above is the answer: SEEK ANOTHER KIND of WORK! If the Teachers Union had given all that money to the Board of Education (for the kids & supplies), instead of thier political rallies & protestings for more pay all the time, there wouldn't be a problem.. Oh just rase taxes of the property owners, that will solve every thing - sheesh..Funny, there's a guy in Washington that thinks that's the answer to all our economic problems with his socialist ideas too...

No More Money
Oh my gosh, Measure T again! I will never again vote to give the schools money. LBUSD needs to learn to live with a budget just like the rest of us. Please leave us homeowners alone, we can't afford any more bonds on our homes!

Ryan P
The problem is, they won't let go of the old, tenured teachers because of the Union! Instead they get rid of the new, fresh blood teachers who are desperately needed. Some of the older teachers need to stop seeing $$ and look at what is good for the students!

Another teacher
OK...so lets say for a moment that the economy has recovered and money is not an issue. What should be the going rate for a teacher? I had to spend 1 full year in student teaching with no pay and then was immediately sent to North Long Beach to work with kids, the majority of which, couldn't care less about school. I have a Master's degree and received 3 fantastic evaluations in a row. If you think I will treat my work like community service you are dreaming. Teaching is a job. Plain and simple. I went from making 80 thousand per year in business to 50 thousand a year in teaching with a headache every day. Is it important to have the best and brightest teaching or as a community are we ok with attracting people who are minimally qualified? Some people say the union should go away and that teachers should be paid by a merit system. So how are you going to pay me, someone who works on the Northside with a 3rd grade average student reading level in the 8th grade. Am I supposed to compete with Eastside teachers whose kids read at grade level? My kids come from welfare homes, they are foster and gang family kids, and most eat their only meal at school. Am I supposed to have my kids at the same level as kids who live in Belmont Shore? I have 15 of 40 kids per class that barely speak English. Am I supposed to have these kids perform at the same level as someone whose students show up ready to work, with a full belly and a clear head. Teachers on the North and West side make just as much as teachers on the Eastside but work 20 times harder. Just yelling for merit pay will not iron out the problems it presents. As for me, I got my pink slip too. I will be leaving this profession even though I am told I am great at it. I have previous years students come to see me everyday that I have guided sucessfully through high school. But, that's not enough to counter the grief and low pay that teaching brings. Am I selfish for wanting to be paid well for what I do? Doesn't everybody want that? Just because I work with kids that means I should be open to making peanuts for their sake? I want a good life and a good wage just like anybody. There is just too much political and social hassle with teaching. So, I'm done.

EveryoneChipIn
Why should property owners have to be the only that ones that pay? Some of them don't any live here. That's not fair. Enrollment fees are a better idea (say $25 a student a year?). When people have to pay for things themselves they tend to appreciate it more. At any rate, something needs to be done fast. But can the teacher's union guarantee us that test scores will improve if they get more money? Can the teachers and staff think about taking temp wage cuts until tax revenues are back up? How about some retired teachers coming back for free? With those pensions they're on payroll any way. The wisdom that comes with their age would be a great addition. How about lower starting teacher salaries, but have generous monetary bonuses for teachers whose students perform well? There is a way to solve this problem. Not sure that increasing taxes just on homeowners is the best and only answer.

Howie
If you have over spent the budget make what ever cuts are needed and go on and correct poor spening habits, we all have limits learn yours

Rickatsea
What ever happen to the Voucher system? It did have some good points but some people thought it mixed church and state. With a voucher system one may have to be legal to receive the check and without it one may not attend school. If we could figure out some way to charge the federal government for each undocumented child’s education it would decrease our national deficit by adding to the balance of trade. The federal government would then have to pay the schools more for the broken system the have with immigration control. We could then teach all children and the all parents would then see what the costs are and would hopefully get more involved. Education (after 8th grade) should not be a ‘right’ it should be a privilege. Today I read that the two largest Lobbyists in this state were the Teachers Association and the Public Employees Union (over $300,000.00). They spent more last year on influence than the next three or four Corporations all put together. This is money they could have donated to keep some of their members working until the public is back to work. Please don’t waste our tax dollars again for something that will never pass when over 14% of the people are out of work.

Paul
One huge savings is in the area of coaching. The coaches left campus at noon to coach. Taught four instead of five classes. Then in the off season, they still leave at noon. No reason for that, and no reason to have a credentialed teacher taken out of the classroom to coach. Non credentialed, checked out people, can do that for far less than teacher pay. Some places have many, "walk on coaches." This big savings is never discussed more than a short mention, if that.

WASTED MONEY
WE ALREADY VOTED! What happened to democracy? My pay is down 20%, my husband's at least 25%. People are struggling to keep their homes and may be AGAIN asked to pay more taxes so teachers won't take a cut also? We already said NO.

If you cant handle the he
To the teachers that keep posting on here: There is a reason you got the pink slip and the teacher down the hall from you didn't. For those of you that have decided to quit "after" you got your pink slip, you obviously were not cut out for this job to begin with. I'm sure many of you knew when Measure T was being voted on, that you were in a position to lose your job; you should have started to look for another job right then. I have a suggestion for all of you. Since there are going to be seven hundred of you applying for most of the available teaching jobs in the area, why don't you just sit back collect your unemployment checks of $450 a week, enroll for the fall quarters at the UC's for your masters and phd's and edd's, and take out more student loans. I hear it's a good time to be a student. Kick back rest your neck and relax. If I can figure out how to live on 15k a year, I really don't want to hear what you have to say-especially from you English teachers.

To "if you can't"
And what is the reason I was laid off since you seem to know? I do know why and it is about seniority not performance. According to the statistics 60 percent of teachers quit after the first 3 years. I lasted 5. With resignation rates like that maybe it has more to do with working conditions and lack of resources rather than being "cut" out to do the job. I love it when people think teaching is so easy and then they get in front of 40 8th graders and fall apart at the seams. I am leaving teaching not because I am "not cut out for the job" but because the pay sucks, I am sick of being told I should make less money and frankly a community that doesn't see the value in what I do doesn't deserve me as a teacher.

CalHtsJohnny
From a household with a six month unemployed breadwinner, we own our home and an investment property and have no children, yet we'd gladly give up a couple of lattes or a bottle of wine per month to improve our schools and infrastructure. And to Sander who said that recent measure defeats "reflect a failure to effectively connect with residents on a personal level, and help them to become participants in the process, and not just statistics in a ledger. If real change is expected, council members must begin dialogs with their constituents." I have personally attended at least thirty public meetings called by three local council members to discuss and collect info from residents on everything from public and traffic safety, neighborhood watch, budget and funding issues, ballot measures, med pot, animal issues, etc. Despite aggressive notification, I rarely see more than a handful of residents, let alone voters at the polls on voting day. If there's a crisis, you might be see fifty suddenly interested folks at a community meeting. It's an easy cop out to point to public officials when we can't even bother to educate ourselves on the issues we claim to be enraged or concerned about!

LBCityGirl
I think it's funny to keep seeing the teachers complain about how underpaid they are. I have the same amount of education and most of them make about 19-15K more a year than me! Another thought...I think the teachers may not understand that we the taxpayers appreciate their work, but we actually don't have the money to give up. In the case of my family, the economy hit us hard and first--our income was reduced by 60% after my husband was laid off two years ago. We're somehow, still making our mortgage payments, but my family has done without ALOT for the last two years--no vacations, no dining out, no movies, no new clothes... we eat food and use toiletries from the 99 cents store. Last week my fridge was so empty my kids went with out milk for two days. All this while I worked 65 hours last week! I'm sorry I voted no on T, and I will do it again. I simply cannot afford the education you would love to give my kids.

John District 5
No, no, no: I will not pay more money to LBUSD. I had to take my daughter out of that mess and put her in private school. Just curious, will measure T include the parents of kids that are bused in? My guess is, no. The schood district has totally mismanaged themselves into this mess and expect Long Beach homeowners to bail them out.

kathy ryan
To all those parents and teachers out there who think my comments are too abraisve, or that I just don't get it. I have three grown children and 5 grandchildren. My kids are grown, but it is my grandchildren whom I voice my concerns. I spent hours volunteering in the classrooms when my children were in grade school. Even though they attended parochial school, there are always those with discipline problems, or those with other problems that disrupt the class. Yes, the school can ask these students to leave. Without a union, similar situations could also happen in public schools, but we know that won't happen. You are asking the taxpayers to continually pay for bad policy without any controls. I had great respect for all the teachers who taught my children, but aside from all of that, there wasn't a constant echo from a teacher or a teachers union how underpaid they were. I saw first hand how 1st and 2nd grade teachers taught 3 separate reading levels of students with over 30 in a classroom and it didn't take until 4th grade for only 50% to read proficiently. For all these years, the teachers have let the unions be their voice, and what we have heard has always been about money or benefits. Just once, it would have been good to hear the teachers organized and complaining about having to teach children from 3rd world countries, or the discipline problems they incur while trying to teach. If the real problems cannot be expressed, or are supressed by a union, then it is time for a change. As I said before; when the teachers union dismantles, and there is a change in our legislature, who makes rediculous rules, will I vote for more money for education.

califken
What a really bad idea. The citizens have spoken and the school board has to do what they are elected to do. We have had it with increased taxes. Why spend the money for another election

Rickatsea
To LBCity Girl: If your family really needs milk or food please call Cathoilc Charities or St Vincent de Paul. There is no reason not to feed your children. Please call them.

Summer Job
We the tax payers cant afford any more money at this time.The Teachers should agree to take cut to save jobs.The ones that they need more money can get part time JOB in the summer.Factor in Hlidays and Summer vacation teachers make plenty compared to most in the city.If they really care about the kids,due the right thing.Funny that last 2 years most have had to cut back,but dont dare mention it to Pilice,Firemen and now teachers.Were all in this together,share the pain!!!!!!!

LBRes
School districts need to stop dipping into our pockets everytime they want more money and start by doing the right think and make better choices like we all have to do. Also, property and funds are stolen from the district by employees with upper management knowledege and nothing is done to stop it. The only one who benefits from additional taxes is the district personnel, not the kids.

Artie
To the proponents of Measure T: Please go back to elementary school and learn what the word "NO" means. This tax increase was overwhelmingly voted down a short time ago and we voters should not have to vote it down again. Everyone I know tries to live within his means. Many have had to take salary cuts; some lost their jobs. The LBUSD must learn to live within its means just as those who work in the private sector do.

Diana Lejins
No, absolutely NO! We don't need more taxes. We need a responsible government. If you give them more $$, they will just keep on spending frivously. We have state income tax (one of the highest), high sales tax, license fees, service fees, and the list goes on. And, we still have a huge deficit. Enough is enough. Demand responsible government; not higher taxes!!

hal draper
Conclusion: LBPost readers virulently oppose living wages for teachers, the unions that make those wages possible, and free public education in general (@WASTED MONEY suggested enrollment fees, really?). And @Simpleton appallingly intimated that the problem is really the colored-folks who are incapable of learning that have entered the system. Are you all serious?

maryl
You have got to be kidding. If 5,000 teachers were going to be laid off, I would still vote NO. How greedy do you have to get. The voters gave you a billion plus bond issue for building, plus look on your tax statement and see how many other bond measures we approved. Those expenditures are on your property tax for 40 YEARS. Not only do you have to pay on them for 40 years, there are plenty of other bond issues that pass that also go on your property tax. Everybody has been hit extremely hard during this recession. You need to do the cutting at LBUSD and get on with it. The classified employees have already been cut for two years, it's time to cut out what is not really required from the faculty. I'm tired of hearing about class reduction, etc., When parents begin from birth, give their children good study habits, take them to the library, museums, learning centers beginning pre school age up, they will be ready to learn when they begin school. Encourage them and be a part of their real education. It is the parent's responsibility. I worked for the schools for 35 years and I know that there are areas that could stand some major cutting. I find it interesting that Administrators make all of the decisions, some really bad ones, but when the cuts come around, they want everybody to share. Maybe we need to clean house in the upper lever of administrators at the LBUSD and hire people who can get more bank for the buck. Quit recycling administrators who are pushed out by Districts and right away picked up by other Districts. Hire people with terrific ideas and if they don't perform, get rid of them. Quit giving administrators 4 year contracts and keeping them if they don't work out because if you fire them, you have to pay them off. Give them one year at a time. Make them earn each additional year.

Disgusting
Conclusion: Either the readers of LBPost have all been duped by the nonstop right wing attack on teachers and taxes or this country really is going to hell in a handbasket. Teachers have made less than other professionals of the same education level for years. A free public education is the cornerstone of this Republic we all enjoy. Has anybody read Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin? It's one thing to be angry at how the government spends tax dollars but to take it out on the teachers union and teachers themselves is just asinine. As compared to the cost of living index California teachers make peanuts. Either the people here do not see the value of teachers and therefore do not care about a quality education system or their just ok with attracting mediocre people into the profession. Why is it that right-wingers understand that when you pay well it attracts good people in business but somehow don't get that the rules don't change when it comes to teachers. Unbelievable.

Charles
Here is a letter I sent to the L. B. Press-telegram but they didn't print it. It expresses my feelings. Shame On You Press-telegram A couple of months ago, I wrote in to tell you how disappointed I was that you did not support the Long Beach Unified School District parcel tax and that you asked your readers to vote No on the initiative. I, at that time thought you should be ashamed of yourselves for not supporting the children of this community. As a result of the defeat of the partial tax initiative, the LBUSD district will have to do the following and many more things I just don’t know about: 1. As many as 750 teachers, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and others in Long Beach will get layoff notices by March 15th. These are hard working, caring people who have put the children of this community first in their lives for many years now. Their being layed off could cause ramifications to those peoples lives and the lives their families for generations ! At many schools, class size in grades K -3 will be expanded from 20 to 30 students. Just imagine all the ramifications of that one ! Transportation to their “School of Choice” will be eliminated in Long Beach. Parents will have to transport their children to a school that might be on the other side of town. There will also be less opportunity for parents to pick a school other than their home school. Your newspaper stated on February 10th that there would be a $10 million cut to the district's central office and special education divisions and that would result in the elimination of about 67 positions, Bussing of school kids here in Long Beach will be drastically reduced! After school programs and a multitude of elective programs are now being considered for elimination. Whenever I open the Press Telegram and read an editorial, I wonder if the people who write them feel any responsibility to their readers, in other words, to our community. After they have given their opinion, such as asking us to vote NO on the school parcel tax, do they ever realize that they were wrong and apologize later? Do they take any responsibility for their actions? Of course I know, I don’t have to listen to them or agree with their opinions but they wouldn’t have asked us to vote No if they really didn’t want us to. By the way, their names are listed at the bottom right of the editorial page. A few questions please: How do you, the editorial staff of the Press-Telegram, determine you editorial policies and your stance on issues? On what basis did you recommend a No vote on the parcel tax initiative? How do you feel now about your stance on the parcel tax initiative now that you know and see what is happening in our, or rather your school district? We, the people of this wonderful community called Long Beach know what’s right and what wrong. We all know that the children of our community deserve our best efforts. Many, if not most, of our “leaders” have let us down for years. I for one, will not be voting for any incumbents in the next couple of elections. Depending on what I hear from our local newspaper, will determine if I continue with my subscription ! Respectfully, Charles E. Hamilton

Concerned
This is real. Teachers and peoplpe are going to loose their job. I understand everyone's reservations into not funding additional taxes and deservably so, but people are going to loose their jobs and class sizes will increase. Instead of spending more money, we ultimately should cut welfare. Unfortunately, California is the welfare state. When is this state going to learn to stop paying for free loaders. To cut these teachers, however, who are equally hard working would be a significant loss.

Simpleton
Hal Draper fan, don't twist words to shelter your closed-minded worldview. There is a big difference between being incapable of learning versus being uninterested in learning. Some cultures value educational achievement more than others. There are plenty of CA schools that are thriving with current funding, while others struggle mightily. This is also true within LBUSD. Facts are stubborn things.

WASTED MONEY
To Hal Draper. You completely misquoted me. I did not suggest enrollment fees. I expressed distain for the blatant manner in which the LBUSD wasted our tax funds by calling a special election then is apparently ignoring the wishes of the people and attempting to waste more money by calling another special election.

Erik
Our government clearly doesn't know how to manage money so why offer them more? It would be like enabling a drug addict. Times are tough. We all need to adjust to the bad economy.

JoeS
Kathy Ryan is absolutely correct! Every time we "help the schools" with more money, all the money goes to wages. "Good Teacher" (plus the protesting college students) should look again at all the teachers unions. The idiots in Sacramento have wasted all our budget, plus billions. The roads are a mess, the schools are just as bad. They are talking about releasing 40,000 prisoners. Where did the Money go?? Waste!! The unions endorsed these people!! The only solution is a 5 - 10% cut in pay for everyone involved in every level of government. Freeze new spending. Cut welfare. Eliminate all welfare for illegals. Did you see that 25% of welfare recipients in LA County are illegal? Cut taxes and bring all the businesses back to the "Golden" State. Remember we used to be called that?

By the Numbers...
Expense: $92 per parcel. That is $1.77 a week. $0.25 a day. That's it. Cost: Teacher Layoffs. Larger Classes Program cuts. Lower Test Scores. Lower Property Values resulting from a diminished school system. For a QUARTER a DAY?? REALLY?

WASTED MONEY
To Joe S: A big part of the "illegal" problem is the schools that were paid per student. The administration either wouldn't or wasn't allowed to ask if the students were legal. Now that the state doesn't have any money they just want more without changing any policies. Why are we continuing to offer education to someone who isn't legally here in the first place? If we'd crack down on that, we would have a lot more to spend on the remaining students and budget and yes, for teacher's salaries. There would also be less students per class.

Resident
To “To "if you can't"” Is it that the pay is really bad or is it that the 8th graders have little or no respect for you as a teacher and are out of control due to some of the lousy parenting these days. Both of my children graduated from Lakewood High School (kindergarten through 12) and I can tell you from experience that a lot of their class mates could have used a good beating from someone. I also know from many years as a manufacturing supervisor that when you give you’re employees’ proper support that they are a lot less concerned about the pay. So I have to ask, is the pay to low, or do you think you need more money to deal with the poor working conditions and lack of support you get from the parents and administration.

To Resident
I had a parent tell me when I confronted her about her son tagging desks, touching girls innapropriately, and yelling profanities in class...She said "he grown, aint nothing I can do" This was a 13 year old. I commanded a lot of respect in my room because I called parents and genuinely cared about the kids. But at what cost? I was drowning in 40 kids per class who all tested below grade level. At some point the money and time off wasn't worth it. That's why teachers have a 60 percent attrition rate. Hey, I am qualified and hard working but working on the northside is near impossible. I would be ok with earning the same wage at an eastside school because it is so much easier on that side of town. So, yes teachers that work on the west or northside where all the lowest performing schools are should be paid more because the work is much more difficult.

Resident
Reply, To Resident, best I can tell from reading Long beach post .com, most of city council does not know north Long Beach exist. I can imagine the trouble you had over there and would agree you need more support with parent/student concerns, if I found out my college students were acting like that anywhere, let alone in class they would be in serious trouble regardless of age.

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Ryan ZumMallen has served as the managing editor of the LBPOST.com since 2007. He graduated from CSULB with a degree in Print Journalism in 2008 and is a member of the 2009 class of Leadership Long Beach. You can find him on various basketball courts around the city.

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