Money for Schools

As assistant superintendent for a small, rural school district, I take issue with your Dec. 15 editorial, “Break for Neediest School Districts.” The new rules for state school construction funding adopted by the State Allocation Board will not more fairly distribute state school construction funds. These new rules define “need” for state funds based solely on the relative overcrowding in each school district competing for these funds. The new rules ignore, however, the relative need for state funding. This new system is akin to awarding food stamps based only on a family’s lack of food while totally ignoring the family’s financial ability to buy groceries.

Unlike the Los Angeles Unified School District, with local bond funds to build schools, many school districts lack local financial resources to address their school facility needs. These school districts, including those with heavy populations of poor minority students, have no other resources for funding school construction other than the state program. The new rules leave these students, quite literally, out in the cold.

DAVID MacEWAN

Assistant Supt., Nuview Union

School District, Nuevo, Calif.