Letter: Measure’s passage is a good investment
People often ask me how La Cañada schools do it. The answer has always seemed obvious: No one understands the school/community partnership better than La Cañada. We take very seriously our collective ownership of the education of the city’s children, and we demonstrated this — once again — with the successful passage of Measure LC.
California’s persistent underfunding of public schools is an outrage, and new funding formulas put La Cañada on track to be one of the five lowest-funded districts in California — the 49th lowest funded state in the nation. Our schools were put at the bottom of a state that is at the bottom of the country, and that was simply unacceptable.
La Cañada’s response was an outpouring of support from volunteers that was nothing short of heroic. Dedicating countless hours over the last several months, parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, students and other community members worked together to make the case for further investment in our schools.
The consequences will be significant. In addition to the $18 million this will raise over seven years to end our structural deficit, the money represents a new stability we have not known in many years. And while this is no panacea, it takes a small and vital step toward liberating our community from California’s economic lurches, and Sacramento’s political games.
Our community believes in the value of our schools, and our schools derive so much of their value from our community — a more genuine partnership is hard to come by. The district will continue to honor its commitment to this partnership, and provide an ever-greater return on this growing investment from the community.
Thank you for helping us to set the gold-standard — for showing what is possible when children have their schools and their community at their side.
Andrew Blumenfeld
La Cañada Flintridge
Editor’s Note: The writer is vice president of the LCUSD Governing Board and is the board’s liaison to the Committee for Measure LC.