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CAMPAIGN FOR EXCELLENCE |
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Palo Alto Daily News Published May 9, 2005
Dear Editor:
David Lieberman's letter of May 7 is a good example of focusing on one tree and missing the forest. Because he objects to the $200,000 salary of the superintendent, he is ready to destroy the quality of Palo Alto schools by denying the District the $9.3 million it needs to avoid such drastic steps as laying off teachers, ending small classes and closing one elementary school. In the last three years, the District lost $4.4 million in state funding and incurred $3 million in additional expense due to increased enrollment. To balance its budget, it had to make program cuts of $6.5 million and tap $3.4 million in emergency reserves. If Measure A fails, it will have to cut an additional $5.5 million, for a total of $12 million. If Ms. Callan's salary were cut in half, that would save the District a grand total of .8 percent of those losses. Moreover, her salary is reasonable for a district of our quality. Mr. Lieberman complains that it is equivalent to that of superintendents of such districts as San Jose and Oakland. While those districts are larger, they don't compare with Palo Alto in excellence, which doesn't come cheap. In setting salaries, the PAUSD compares itself with other districts of comparable quality, and our superintendent's pay is only in the top quartile. Let's keep our eyes on the prize and preserve Palo Alto's outstanding schools. Walter Hays 355 Parkside Drive Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 424-9633
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