TalkBack: Emotional School Board Meeting Likely

The San Leandro Unified School District meets Tuesday night at 7 pm at City Hall to consider another round of funding cuts.

, parents, children and teachers packed the chambers to bemoan the prospect of $2.54 million in additional cuts coming on top of the $1.43 million that has already been trimmed.

School supporters are likely to return tonight.

, school board members have postponed efforts to pass a parcel tax to raise more money for local public schools.

But they want to put such a tax before voters in November. That prompted comments on Patch. Here are three views reflective of the discussion:

Larry Smith refuted a remark that Mayor Stephen Cassidy made at the last school board meeting. Cassidy said the two-thirds requirment for a parcel tax stacked the odds against California school children. To the contrary, Smith said: "There are many people who would disagree with that assessment, arguing instead that such a requirement is a bulwark against spending into oblivion . . . our school board as well as others throughout the state should instead be focusing their attention on WHY our community colleges must offer upwards of 40 sections of remedial English classes each quarter (Chabot College) because high school teachers somehow forgot to teach their students basic English skills."

Rob Rich offered strong support for teachers, schools and the board. "Good schools tend to cost more than we are currently spending, that's why I fully support a parcel tax. No doubt there is room for improvement, but overall, I am very impressed with the teaching. And it doesn't stop there. Teachers, administrators and School Board members are well represented at volunteer events to help beautify our schools. Heck, my kid's elementary school principal proactively came to our house when our son was struggling. It made all the difference."

Chris Crow promoted the San Leandro Education Foundation's BUCK-A-MONTH CLUB. "You can sign up to donate $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100 per month. That money is funneled directly back into San Leandro Unified Schools. It's certainly not an entire solution, but if there are citizens who are willing to support the financial viability of our schools BUCK-A-MONTH is a good place to start. You can enroll and find out more information by clicking the link below:
http://sledfund.org/join-our-buck-a-month-club."

(To get San Leandro Patch delivered by email click here.)