This is my column, and I'm going to vent.
I AM FURIOUS. I am ANGRY that my kids aren't getting the education they should. I am ENRAGED because my neighbors’ children aren't getting the education they should. And I am PISSED OFF because your children, your grandchildren, and your neighbors’ nephews’ children are not getting the education they should in our elementary and middle schools.
Should? Should?! The hell with should, they aren't getting the education that they deserve! Unless of course we, the grown ups, have decided that our kids are no longer entitled to a rounded education, that they are not worthy of a world class education, they don't deserve every opportunity to flourish and succeed. I mean, we only live in California. It's not like we're in the capital of technology, wealth, success, ingenuity, and creativity. Oh, wait a sec........WE ARE!
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Let me ask you - why? What is wrong with people that they feel this is not the most important thing to focus on in our community? Oh, right. Because there are other things to worry about, like Redwood City having the in the county. Like growing up in our city. Like in our city because of overcrowding. Hey, I have an idea to help all of this! I'll give you one guess as to what it is... educate our kids!
Since my daughter started school 4 years ago, has been cut from our district (Grades Kindergarten - 8), while adding 1,200 more students. That's money stolen from your child for their education. Our schools, parents, and teachers are working like crazy to make ends meet, but it's never going to be enough. Money keeps being taken, and we keep patch-working schools together, but pretty soon the fabric's going to be so thin there won't be anything left to pull together. Are we insane? How is this acceptable?
Last week I went to the on Courthouse Square, and I am so happy I did. I was inspired to see so many parents, teachers, students, and educators from our community out there. I am proud to say that we have so many amazing parents working for the betterment of education on the state and local level. You guys rock! High School students gave speeches that truly exemplified what we were all chanting - teach our kids! If our children can see how stupid not funding education is, why can't we all? My son explained it to me best: "If I don't get a really good education, I won't get a really good job and pay lots of taxes when I grow up!" Think about it.
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I don't know every single detail about the financial aspects of funding education. I can't explain to you where exactly the money is going, and whether our administrators are overpaid. I could debate the good and bad of unions, tenure, categorical funds, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
Yada, yada, blah blah blah - the fact is, it's trickling down from the financial disaster that is our Golden State. Our District is completely tied to the State's budget; for every billion dollars cut from education at the State level, that's about a million cut from Redwood City's kids. And that is a bigger problem than I can tackle, and you know what? It's not my job to. But what I can do it advocate to make our city equitable to near us.
Let me spell this out for you: Of the eight school districts that feed into the Sequoia Union High School District, the Redwood City school district is the only one without additional funds from a parcel tax. This means when Redwood City elementary students enter Redwood City High Schools, they've missed out on education their peers from San Carlos, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood Shores, Portola Valley and Woodside had - largely because they generated revenues to support education. Powerless though we may feel at the state level, we've got full control over the local one.
Redwood City voters have been asked to spend 25 cents a day to ensure our kids get a fair playing field - music, P.E., libraries, teachers, janitors and a full school year. But a parcel tax has been shot down - three times.
Who are you, and why are you voting no? Even if you don’t have kids, can you really not see the value of educating our community? It's almost magical: It maintains our quality neigborhoods! Good schools make Redwood City more desirable, and that increases property values! It gives us local control of our elementary and middle schools! And it helps our kids!
After the last crazy-slim 4% failure of a parcel tax, I can't help but ask - what in the world is wrong with Redwood City residents that we can't pull together and outvote the babble of the naysayers? Get out and vote! The last parcel tax measure failed by less than 1,000 votes - did YOU vote? Vote, dang it! We might get - let's make it happen!
I have big dreams and aspirations to run for political office one day, and I realize by writing this, I might have just demolished any chance of that happening. But I don't care. I'm angry and we parents have been politically correct, polite, and quiet far too long. I want to scream at the top of my lungs and stomp my feet! And I'm damn glad we did that this week at the rally- THANK YOU, to everyone who was there. Our community and our kids need us.
