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CAMPAIGN FOR EXCELLENCE |
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Palo Alto Daily News Published on May 22, 2005 Schools need voter support Vote Yes on Measure A By Gary Fazzino
The Palo Alto Unified School District is one of the few islands of quality in a California education system that has plummeted in recent decades “from first to worst” in the nation on many metrics of spending and student achievement. Day in and day out, it teaches to a high standard a diverse group of 10,500 students, ranging from the learning disabled to a substantial number of academically stellar students. To each of these young people, the PAUSD offers a first-class education. Despite spending as little as half the amount of money per pupil, our school district competes toe-to-toe with selective private schools and top-performing public districts across the nation.
But Palo Alto’s remarkable level of success is in jeopardy. Reductions in state funding and in commercial property tax revenues have combined with increased enrollment (for which the district receives no additional funding) and increased costs, to put the district in a financial bind. Over the last few years, PAUSD has made $6.5 million in program cuts and used $3.4 million of emergency funds. Skillful management has minimized the impact of these cuts on classroom instruction. But now, the district faces a looming threat. The current parcel tax, which provides stable funding to our schools, expires next year. Without a new parcel tax to replace it, our schools will lose an additional $5.5 million each year. Any future cuts will directly affect the education of the children in our community.
Last November, our community demonstrated its historically strong financial support for schools when more than 66 percent of voters approved replacing our expiring parcel tax with a new $521 parcel tax that would last eight years. However, because such a tax requires a two-thirds majority, that measure narrowly failed. This time, school supporters are backing a proposal, Measure A, that seeks a lower amount for a shorter time—$493 for the next six years.
A few vocal critics, who have little or no experience with our schools, hope to confuse one-third of the voters with misleading arguments and inaccurate information. They say we pay teachers too much when, in fact, our teacher salaries are in the mid-range compared to surrounding districts of comparable quality. They seize on a newspaper report about lax residency policies in a nearby school district to insinuate that Palo Alto’s schools are rife with illegal students, when, in fact, PAUSD demands the highest standard of proof of residency before admitting students and investigates all suspicious cases. They even go so far as to suggest our schools should not welcome children who live in Stanford housing, ignoring the fact that Stanford is part of our district and pays well more than its fair share to the PAUSD.
If critics question the stewardship of Palo Alto schools, they have a perfect remedy—elect new school board members this November. Those are the people, after all, who actually manage the district. It is up to the community, however, to provide the resources with which to manage. When top districts elsewhere spend as much as $20,000 per pupil, as is the case in Scarsdale, NY, it is absurd to argue that Palo Alto’s $10,500 per pupil is excessive.
Our neighboring school districts in Los Altos and Menlo Park both operate with higher parcel taxes than what is being sought for Palo Alto under Measure A. In Los Altos, the annual tax is $597. In Menlo Park, it is $498, with an automatic annual adjustment for inflation. The Menlo Park school tax, in fact, has no expiration date at all. It is a model example of what every school district deserves—a stable source of revenue so schools can focus on their core mission—delivering quality education.
As a result of funding shortfalls, PAUSD has already had to cut middle and high school teaching positions and course offerings (including AP Physics and Shakespeare), elementary school librarian and reading specialist time, art programs, athletics, instructional materials, technology support, and more. To keep the cuts away from the classroom as much as possible, the district has eliminated 13% of administrator positions.
If Measure A fails, the magnitude of cuts that would be necessary includes:
· Increasing class sizes in grades K-10 by up to 40 percent
· Closing one elementary school
· Eliminating the seventh period in middle schools and high schools
Cuts like these have already impacted educational quality around the state – but they won’t happen in Palo Alto if we pass Measure A. That is why more than 2,400 local voters have endorsed Measure A, and more than 500 volunteers are actively working to get it passed.
If you want to be inspired, drop in on the Paly or Gunn graduation ceremony this June 8th. Witness the optimism and majesty of a great public high school and the extraordinary young people it can produce. . A great number of our graduates go on to make remarkable contributions in the world. This is the goal of education, and the potential of these young graduates represents the common future for all of us. It’s up to us to do the right thing for them and for those who come after them, by making a vote to maintain excellence in public education this June 7th.
Gary Fazzino is vice president of government and public affairs at Hewlett-Packard Company. A former mayor of Palo Alto, he serves as volunteer co-chair of the Campaign for Excellence in support of Measure A.
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