#1 GOAL: "SCHOOLS THAT WORK"

By Cynthia A. Tatoole

Our schools, students, staff, and school facilities must become the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY! Our schools need more classrooms, lower class sizes, higher standards, more teachers, books, supplies, better building maintenance. These positive changes will only occur when accountability is held on Top Management in the District Office Administration by the Board.

The list goes on - Classrooms with malfunctioning air conditioners reach 95 degrees and higher and water fountains do not produce water for relief. Mold grows on walls in rooms where the ceilings and windows leak. Roaches, rats, and mice scamper freely on several campuses. Schools are sharing carpet shampooers and 1/2 of their vacuum cleaners don't work. Many of the computers, and much of the new technological "advances" on our campuses do not function properly, if at all.

Our schools are overcrowded and the promised portable buildings are still not in use at the school sites while portable buildings are being rapidly built at the District Offices to house all their newly hired managers and personnel! What about our students and teachers?!

The Superintendent's current technological plan, with the goal of not needing any books within 5 years, might be a good plan for the future but our students attending school now, must have books to receive the education they need and deserve. And our teachers and parents need to have much more input into the programs adopted throughout the district, such as the new "I Can Learn" math program, rather than top administration making these major decisions without proper teacher input.

When our students, staff, and school facilities become the number one priority we will begin to have "Schools That Work!" All of the above problems contribute to the fact that this past year the test scores in the Grant District were the lowest in Sacramento County. And the present Board and Upper Management in the District Offices are not being held accountable for their actions or rather lack of action. Accountability must be reinstated into the School Board for accountability and positive changes to take place from the top management in the district offices. Therefore please don't elect more politicians who simply use their position as a Board Member as a stepping stone toward higher office - elect those of us who truly care, PARENTS.