“I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.” (Whitney Houston)
California’s education system is in crisis. The governor and legislature are making substantial cuts to education to starve off fiscal collapse. But this is no time to throw the governor or the legislature under the bus – it’s time for us to get behind the wheel and drive our own children’s destiny. We must stand up to fill the fiscal gap by approving the Measure A parcel tax for Jefferson Elementary School District being voted on May 5.
The ballot statement is self- explanatory: “To maintain and improve quality education and protect neighborhood elementary schools from state budget cuts by attracting/retaining qualified teachers/staff, maintaining writing, math, science, art/music programs, improving instruction with computer technology, and keeping class sizes small, shall Jefferson Elementary School District authorize an $85 annual education parcel tax for seven years, exempting senior citizens, with citizens’ oversight, mandatory audits, no money for administrator salaries, and all funds staying in local schools to enhance achievement?”
If my good friends in Pacifica were able to pass Measure N, and the residents of California were able to pass 13 out of 17 parcel measures in 2008, we CAN pass a parcel tax for our children in Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City. Yes, these are challenging times for families and individuals in San Mateo County. Rising costs for food and goods, our ongoing state economic crisis, the housing crisis, and the national economic meltdown have challenged all of us in ways we never expected.
Yet, with all these challenges, do we ask our children to make the ultimate sacrifice of not receiving a quality education? Do we ask our children to go without textbooks? Do we cram our children with 40 other students into a classroom? Do we not provide them the technology needed so that they have a competitive disadvantage when they enter the global workforce?
The answer simply is no! We need to provide them with the support they need to make the wonderful contributions that past generations have made to our communities. Whitney Houston was right: “Are we going to teach them well and let them lead the way?” Or are we going to abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves? Choose change. Choose Yes on Measure A.
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