Donations should be per-child

As a 25-year resident of La Cañada Flintridge, a former student and now a Paradise Canyon Elementary School parent, I am concerned with our schools’ necessity for additional financing to maintain our high standards.

The La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation has suggested that each family donate $2,500 to keep new teachers, low class sizes, technology, music, art, etc. I find it extremely unfair and excessive to put a one-child family in the same monetary bracket as families that have two or more children in the district. Ask for a per-child donation per child instead.

The entire community benefits from our academic achievement and elite status. This economic burden should not be placed solely on the families of children in the system. These honors in our academic system directly affect the increase in our property values. Each household and business should be donating to our schools to ensure the significant increase of value to their home and/or business.

Threatening cuts to teachers that have brought in a wealth of knowledge, compassion, patience, enthusiasm and love for our children is absolutely horrifying. At the beginning of the year we were told that we are allowing other students from other districts to come in. Why let others come in if we want to keep our class sizes low and we can’t afford to bring in new teachers?

Sacrificing the maintenance budget by increasing our water bill is hardly beneficial. Drinking faucets running three minutes after a child drinks water is hardly a good use of our funds. Does that water pay for itself? Many of our community members know how to fix a faucet and would gladly donate their time to do so.

Something must be done and we must pull together as a community to maintain our competitive edge within the educational system. Otherwise, we all will suffer the consequences.

Nicole Pitsos

La Cañada Flintridge