Westside's Budget Woes

By Deborah "Debbie" Rutkowski-Hines

The State of California is in crisis. School districts are slashing programs and services for students. Some districts are eliminating class size reduction. Fiscal responsibility is imperative, but how the necessary cuts are made will make the difference between a quality educational program and a mediocre one. Which do you want for your child?

The current Westside budget is a nightmare! The current board voted to slash crucial student programs at the June 2003 board meeting despite serious doubts about the validity of the budget figures, and the uncertainty of just what the state funding would be.

When faced with a decision, the current board decided to fund band, which not all students take part in, and eliminate credentialed teachers from the computer lab, which affected every student in the district. Computer skills are necessary for a student's future employment!

The budget problems continue to spiral. The current administration has clearly shown it is incapable of properly handling public funds. This lack of skill needs IMMEDIATE remediation! We need more people on the board who will question the lack of budgetary skills that are necessary in top administrators. Right now the budget crisis is a surplus. It could have just as easily been a deficit.

Cuts need to be as far away from the child as possible! Personnel who work directly with children should not be the first item slashed in the effort to balance a budget. I support Westside's Strategic Plan, which states that the district will seek highly qualified personnel as instructors, yet Westside eliminated credentialed teachers from the computer lab at the June board meeting with a 3-2 vote, thereby violating the Strategic Plan.

Did you know that class size reduction was on the chopping block this year as well? Luckily, public outcry ended the plan to go back to 30 to 1 in K-3 with only a pullout program for smaller group instruction.

Classroom supplies must be adequate for implementation of board approved curriculum. It was reported that one of Westside's premier schools had no paper for the last two months of the school year! How can this happen? Leadership and accountability are imperative! A secretary has disputed this fact, yet four teachers reported that paper would not be alloted, it was reported publically at a board meeting, and a parent confirmed that she received a letter from a teacher stating that there was no paper.

At one board meeting, a GATE teacher reported that she had no classroom. Her principal had requested a portable, but the principal's request was denied. Yet the teacher stated that a new portable had been delivered to the District Office for administrative secretarial staff. She was teaching in the cafeteria or any other temporarily vacant room. This is unacceptable!

The Westside School District has a reputation as a premier school district. Unfortunately, it recently lost a highly qualified financial assistant superintendent. This year is a crucial year for Westside. The budget is a mess, and the district doesn't have a firm grip on how much money it has. It ended the year will over a million dollars more than it thought it had, and the next month over $700,000 disappeared again. This is unacceptable!

I will work hard to keep Westside a QUALITY school district! I will vote NO on any budget that slashes credentialed teachers from instructional positions. I will vote NO on any budget that seeks to further reduce the hours of classified staff who work at the school sites. I will vote NO on any budget that reduces supplies to the classroom. I will vote NO on any budget that cuts transportation services any further. I will vote NO on any budget that includes further cuts to employees health benefits.

I will vote YES on a budget that truly puts students first.