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Palo Alto Daily News
Published: May 24, 2005
To the Editor:
It has been wonderful to be part of a community that cares deeply about quality
education. I spent 8 years on our school board. We debated issues, sometimes
heatedly, but our focus was always on what were the most effective ways to
provide our kids the best possible education. Our kids need our support today.
There’s no debating that Measure A is what’s best for our kids’ education.
We know that the key to educational success is the classroom teacher. Despite
enrollment growth and cuts in state funding, our school board has managed to
maintain reduced class size so that students can get the attention they need to
learn and thrive. In the last two years, administrators have been reduced by
13%. It is no longer possible to keep the cuts away from the classroom and the
kids.
Today, the quality of our student’s education is at risk. The district will
loose $5.5 million dollars when our local parcel tax expires. Clearly, the state
won’t fill the gap. Measure A is part of a measured financial plan. Without it’s
passage, the district will spin into financial crisis.
I just read the Registrar of Voters Voter Information Pamphlet. NONE of the
signers of the opposition statement even live in Palo Alto! None have ever set
foot in a Palo Alto classroom. None have spent top dollar on a Palo Alto home
with the expectation they were moving to a community that believes that we have
a responsibility to invest in our children.
Measure A will cost less than $1.35 a day. Please join me in Voting YES on
Measure A. Together we can take a stand for our kids, for high quality
education, for the kind of community that we believe in!
Susie Richardson
Palo Alto 94301
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