EDITORIAL FREEDOM TO CHOOSE LET THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION KNOW YOU WANT CONTROL OF YOUR SCHOOLS.SAN Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. residents have fought for 20 years for the right to vote on the future of their own schools, but in nine days, all their hard work might prove to have been in vain. On Dec. 6, the state Board of Education will hold a public hearing on whether to allow Valley residents to vote on a proposal to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. and create two Valley school districts. After the hearing, the board will most likely make its decision, and the very future of public education in the Valley hangs in the balance. This is the end of the line. After the board delivers its verdict, there are no avenues for appeal - no authorities who could reverse it. No next steps. No chance for the parents to decide what they want for their kids. In question is not whether the Valley should break off from the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) , but whether the public should have the right to make that choice. Let us repeat that: In question is not whether the Valley should break off from the LAUSD, but whether the public should have the right to make that choice. It took legislation from former Assemblywoman Paula Boland, who now is a leader in the breakup movement, to lift the LAUSD's veto power and win the right of self-determination for the Valley. Officials at the state Department of Education have recommended that the board deny the public the right to a vote. They say the Valley meets all the basic criteria in the legislation, including having a population that reflects the social, economic and racial profile of the rest of the district. The problem they came up with is that Valley taxpayers pay the bills for the rest of the district. The education bureaucrats oppose letting Valley voters have the freedom to choose because, without their tax dollars, the LAUSD wouldn't be able to pay for building 85 new schools, 90 percent of them outside the Valley. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , they know that the LAUSD has long given the Valley a bad deal, so they want to deny Valley residents a right to vote on their own future and the future of their children's education. It's highly unusual for the board to override the advice of the department's bureaucracy, but there's a chance. The key is persuasion. If the board and members are besieged be·siege tr.v. be·sieged, be·sieg·ing, be·sieg·es 1. To surround with hostile forces. 2. To crowd around; hem in. 3. with polite and thoughtful faxes, phone calls, letters and e-mail messages over the next nine days, the board might be persuaded to give the Valley a say. We encourage you to contact the board president, Reed Hastings Reed Hastings (Wilmot Reed Hastings, Jr.) was the founder of Pure Software and the founder of Netflix. He is currently Netflix's chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board, and serves on the Board of Directors for Microsoft Corp. , and other members - as well as the board as a whole - and urge them to give you the right to decide for yourself who runs your schools. Let them know how concerned you are about the state of education in the San Fernando Valley. Tell them that the ultimate fate of Valley schools - whether they remain within the LAUSD or leave it - rightfully belongs with the Valley's voters. This could well be your only chance. Here's how to contact them: State Board of Education Office 721 Capitol Mall, Room 558 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 657-5478 Fax (916) 653-7016 Reed Hastings, board president 970 University Ave. Los Gatos Los Gatos (lôs gä`tōs, lŏs, găt`əs), city (1990 pop. 27,357), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1887. It is an affluent residential community and health resort. , CA 95032 (408) 399-3772 hastings(at)arugula arugula or rocket Yellowish-flowered European herbaceous plant (Eruca vesicaria sativa), of the mustard family, cultivated for its foliage, which is used especially in salads. .com Susan Hammer Susan Hammer was the mayor of San Jose, California from 1991 to 1998. She was voted best local politician six times.[1] Hammer was born in Altadena, California on December 21, 1938. She attended the University of California at Berkeley. , vice president State Board Office 721 Capitol Mall, Room 558 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 657-5478 mayorsusan(at)aol.com Nancy Ichinaga, Carlton J. Jenkins, Joe Nunez and Vicki Reynolds State Board Office 721 Capitol Mall, Room 558 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 657-5478 Robert J. Abernethy American Standard Development Co. PO Box 90855 Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , CA 90009-0855 (310) 642-0080 Donald G. Fisher GAP, Inc. 1 Harrison St. San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , CA 94105 (415) 427-2755 Marion Joseph 4 Politzer Drive Menlo Park Menlo Park. 1 Residential city (1990 pop. 28,040), San Mateo co., W Calif.; inc. 1874. Electronic equipment and aerospace products are manufactured in the city. Menlo College and a Stanford Univ. research institute are there. 2 Uninc. , CA 94025 (650) 323-3825 Suzanne A. Tacheny CA Business for Education Excellence 1215 K St., Suite 1510 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 443-6411 Erika I. Goncalves erika-gon(at)hotmail.com CAPTION(S): box Box: WHO TO CONTACT (see text) |
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