Schools at Mercy of Lawmakers

With regard to the Torrance Unified School District’s budgetary problems resulting in cuts that are making parents irate--don’t blame the district, blame Sacramento!

When Proposition 13 was passed by the voters and enacted into law, homeowners profited and school districts throughout the state became second-class citizens who have to beg and plead for education funds. All districts in the state are at the mercy of the bureaucrats (and particularly the governor) as they play games with the dollars that are allocated to the schools each year.

It is interesting to note that when our governor announces the “generous” amount he proposes to devote to education, he includes not only general state support, but lottery money and federal money in that total. His ploy makes the announced allocation look very impressive, but in fact, it is only the amount legislated by Proposition 98 plus a number of other funds tacked on to pad the total. Don’t be misled--be informed. This is public information. Ask about it.

Parents, don’t go and raise havoc in your school district because of cuts that must, of necessity, be made in order to bring in a budget which, under the law, must be a balanced one. Go to Sacramento, write letters, call your senator and Assembly person--they hold the purse strings, they give the handouts and some years, as now, they are mighty slim.

Your school district needs your support. Help get the message across to Sacramento that education must be the top priority in California and schools should no longer be treated as stepchildren.

RUTH B. PARKS

El Segundo