Strong and serious questions for all to consider about Pasadena / Altadena schools closings from an Altadena parent
Friends:
As the parent of two PUSD 8th graders, I too am upset by the need to close schools. It is understandable that many people are angry, and take out their anger on the school board and the PUSD administrators. But the reality is that their hands are tied. The problems facing PUSD are due to decisions made in Sacramento as well as Washington, D.C.
PUSD currently has 20 elementary schools. If three of them are closed, it will have 17 elementary schools.
So, ultimately, the School Board has to decide:
· Can the closing of three schools somehow result in a “win-win” situation?
· After the closings, will PUSD wind up with fewer but better elementary schools?
· By consolidating or merging schools, will the 17 remaining elementary schools have better facilities, more diverse course offerings and electives, more extra-curricular activities, and a stronger teaching and administrative staff?
· Can PUSD tell the parents whose schools are closing that their children’s new schools will be better than the schools they had to leave?
Here is the harsh reality: California is the 7th wealthiest state in the country (in terms of per capita income), but three years ago it ranked 46th in per-student spending, according to Education Week -- $8,164 compared with the national average of $10, 557. Since then, California’s ranking has fallen even more and ranks close to the bottom in per student spending, librarians and counselors per student, and many other measures of commitment to public education. We see the consequences in our own kids’ schools. For example, my daughters have 40 students in some of their classes.
PUSD is one of many California school districts that have been forced to lay-off teachers and librarians and close schools. And over half the school districts in California are losing students due to falling birth rates.
The hard truth is that every school district in California is under-funded, but the more affluent districts and cities are able to make up some of the shortfall with private contributions from parents and, in some cases, public contributions from local municipal governments. (The San Marino School Foundation recently asked every family in the school district to make a voluntary $2,000 contribution per student).
As I explained in my article, “The Battle Over School Funding: The View from Pasadena” for the California Journal of Politics and Policy, voters in some school districts have passed local parcel taxes to help fill the budget gap. (Here’s the article: http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/publications/the%20battle%20over%20... ). But the state-imposed two-thirds threshold to pass local parcel taxes is another barrier.
About 54% of the voters in PUSD supported Measure CC last March, but it wasn’t enough to pass the two-thirds threshold.
Had Measure CC passed PUSD could have avoided a significant number of lay-offs, but it would not have been sufficient to make up for the huge budget cuts coming from Sacramento. Moreover, Measure CC funds ($7 million/year) could only have been used for academic programs, not school facilities.
In terms of budget dollars, has lost $25 million over the last several years, mostly due to state budget cuts. It is likely to lose another $6 million in the 2011 - 2012 school year budget.
PUSD’s budget crisis is not due to mismanagement. Nor is there any “fat” in the PUSD budget. The budget crisis is due entirely to
· The state’s persistent failure to adequately fund public schools or even to pass a budget remotely on time (this last budget was 100 days late). This means that school districts have to pass their budgets based on vague information regarding how much money they will receive. And the State budget just passed is based on rosy projections that no one believes will come to pass, which means likely mid year cuts just around the corner.
· Declining PUSD enrollment due to falling birth rates and, equally important, high housing costs pushing out low-income families from Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. (The number of middle-income students in PUSD is actually increasing).
· The failure of Measure CC, despite the fact that a majority voted in favor.
Faced with this awful situation, the only choices the PUSD board and administrators have are which schools to close in order to help balance the budget. School closings are only one part of the overall plan to balance the budget. There are many other cuts, including including salary givebacks and furloughs by the Superintendent, senior management, teachers, and other employees. No one is untouched
PUSD has about 9,000 elementary-level students but 12,700 seats in its elementary schools. Some schools have many empty seats, but PUSD still has to pay for a principal and other administrative staff at those schools. With a tight district-wide budget, smaller schools don’t have enough students or teachers to provide the diversity of courses and extra-curricular activities.
PUSD’s school consolidation committee has an impossible task. Although some people like to criticize the school board, nobody wants the district to close his or her children’s school. As we can see from all the angry emails, and the comments at community meetings and in the Star-News, this results in PUSD parents and others pitted against each other. “Don’t close MY kid’s school, close SOMEBODY ELSE’S kid’s school!!!”
There is simply no scenario which will make everyone happy. So the school board has to consider:
· How many schools need to be closed to save enough money (primarily on the cost of administrators, but also on energy costs and maintenance) to balance the budget? (They’ve concluded that closing three elementary schools will do that).
· What criteria should they use for closing three schools? The schools with the fewest students and most empty seats? The schools with the lowest student academic performance? The schools with the most severe physical problems that haven’t yet been upgraded with Measure TT funds? The schools that will preserve a geographic mix of schools in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, so that students can attend schools close to their homes?
· Where should they relocate the PUSD headquarters? The District’s consultants have concluded that the District could earn significant income – that will be targeted for academic programs – by leasing the current HQ. The new HQ has to go somewhere. It makes more sense to relocate the HQ at a site that the District now owns than to rent space in an office building. But that means that it is most cost-efficient to move it to a school site.
Since Edwin Diaz became the PUSD Superintendent several years ago, PUSD has improved in many ways. The day-to-day management is much tighter. There are new programs in most schools. API scores have increased significantly at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Supt. Diaz and the school board have managed to do this despite the severe budget constraints.
The question facing all of us who care about public education is: can this positive momentum be sustained in the face on even more budget cuts? One way to achieve this is to have fewer, but better, schools.
If that positive outcome is going to occur, several things need to happen:
· Parents, community supports, and local institutions, including businesses, science and cultural institutions, need to play a stronger role in supporting our children, by getting more involved as school volunteers and as partners with PUSD.
· The City of Pasadena, the City of Sierra Madre, and LA County (including Supervisor Antonovich) need to step up and support PUSD with real resources, as other cities (like Burbank and Santa Monica) do. PUSD could save millions of dollars (which could be targeted for student learning), if these two cities and the County helped pay for the school playgrounds, athletic fields, libraries, and other important functions.
· PUSD parents are well-organized to gain a voice in the decisions of PUSD and local government. That’s something that Invest in PUSD Kids was created to do.
· Local businesses and individuals support the schools financially with donations to PUSD schools and to the Pasadena Educational Foundation.
· PUSD parents, civic leaders, and local newspapers educate the general public about the many positive things happening in PUSD schools and dispel many of the myths and stereotypes about PUSD. We need to enlist area clergy, Realtors, and others to visit our school campuses and see the many small miracles that happen there every day. The Pasadena Education Network (PEN) and PEF have been doing this, but they need your support.
· We need to inform the general community about the dangerous and harmful consequences that would result if Altadena created its own school district. There are 3,626 students (in 2,628 households) from Altadena attending PUSD schools. About 62% of those students (2,246) attend PUSD schools in Pasadena or Sierra Madre. They would not be able to do so if Altadena had its own school system, giving parents fewer choices.
As we all deal with the reality of school closings in PUSD, I hope we can keep the “big picture” in mind – what the civil rights movement called “keeping your eye on the prize.” The “big picture” is the dysfunctional government in Sacramento, the unwillingness of a handful of (mostly Republican) legislators, and Gov. Schwarzenegger, to pass a budget that includes higher taxes on those who can afford them, and the arcane rules that require a 2/3 vote of the legislature to pass a budget and raise taxes.
The Governor and state legislators refuse to act responsibly to raise taxes, and in particular to close corporate tax loopholes, in order to adequately fund public education – not only from K-12 but also for community colleges, the Cal State system, and the UC system – as well as other basic needs such as public infrastructure and health care. Despite all the hoopla about the salaries and pensions of public employees, that is not the cause of the fiscal problems facing California. (The outrageous compensation of a handful of city employees in Bell is an exception).
I wrote a short article about “California in Crisis” for The American Prospect a few months ago which explains the roots of the state’s fiscal crisis and identifies some progressive solutions for raising revenues. Here it is, if you’re interested: http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/publications/California%20in%20Cris... .
So, yes, let’s hold the PUSD school board accountable for its actions. But let’s also realize that school funding comes from Sacramento and that’s where we need to exert pressure.
Peter Dreier
_______________________
Peter Dreier
E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics
Chair, Urban & Environmental Policy Program
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: http://employees.oxy.edu/dreier
"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in time of crisis remain neutral" - Dante
As the parent of two PUSD 8th graders, I too am upset by the need to close schools. It is understandable that many people are angry, and take out their anger on the school board and the PUSD administrators. But the reality is that their hands are tied. The problems facing PUSD are due to decisions made in Sacramento as well as Washington, D.C.
PUSD currently has 20 elementary schools. If three of them are closed, it will have 17 elementary schools.
So, ultimately, the School Board has to decide:
· Can the closing of three schools somehow result in a “win-win” situation?
· After the closings, will PUSD wind up with fewer but better elementary schools?
· By consolidating or merging schools, will the 17 remaining elementary schools have better facilities, more diverse course offerings and electives, more extra-curricular activities, and a stronger teaching and administrative staff?
· Can PUSD tell the parents whose schools are closing that their children’s new schools will be better than the schools they had to leave?
Here is the harsh reality: California is the 7th wealthiest state in the country (in terms of per capita income), but three years ago it ranked 46th in per-student spending, according to Education Week -- $8,164 compared with the national average of $10, 557. Since then, California’s ranking has fallen even more and ranks close to the bottom in per student spending, librarians and counselors per student, and many other measures of commitment to public education. We see the consequences in our own kids’ schools. For example, my daughters have 40 students in some of their classes.
PUSD is one of many California school districts that have been forced to lay-off teachers and librarians and close schools. And over half the school districts in California are losing students due to falling birth rates.
The hard truth is that every school district in California is under-funded, but the more affluent districts and cities are able to make up some of the shortfall with private contributions from parents and, in some cases, public contributions from local municipal governments. (The San Marino School Foundation recently asked every family in the school district to make a voluntary $2,000 contribution per student).
As I explained in my article, “The Battle Over School Funding: The View from Pasadena” for the California Journal of Politics and Policy, voters in some school districts have passed local parcel taxes to help fill the budget gap. (Here’s the article: http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/publications/the%20battle%20over%20... ). But the state-imposed two-thirds threshold to pass local parcel taxes is another barrier.
About 54% of the voters in PUSD supported Measure CC last March, but it wasn’t enough to pass the two-thirds threshold.
Had Measure CC passed PUSD could have avoided a significant number of lay-offs, but it would not have been sufficient to make up for the huge budget cuts coming from Sacramento. Moreover, Measure CC funds ($7 million/year) could only have been used for academic programs, not school facilities.
In terms of budget dollars, has lost $25 million over the last several years, mostly due to state budget cuts. It is likely to lose another $6 million in the 2011 - 2012 school year budget.
PUSD’s budget crisis is not due to mismanagement. Nor is there any “fat” in the PUSD budget. The budget crisis is due entirely to
· The state’s persistent failure to adequately fund public schools or even to pass a budget remotely on time (this last budget was 100 days late). This means that school districts have to pass their budgets based on vague information regarding how much money they will receive. And the State budget just passed is based on rosy projections that no one believes will come to pass, which means likely mid year cuts just around the corner.
· Declining PUSD enrollment due to falling birth rates and, equally important, high housing costs pushing out low-income families from Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. (The number of middle-income students in PUSD is actually increasing).
· The failure of Measure CC, despite the fact that a majority voted in favor.
Faced with this awful situation, the only choices the PUSD board and administrators have are which schools to close in order to help balance the budget. School closings are only one part of the overall plan to balance the budget. There are many other cuts, including including salary givebacks and furloughs by the Superintendent, senior management, teachers, and other employees. No one is untouched
PUSD has about 9,000 elementary-level students but 12,700 seats in its elementary schools. Some schools have many empty seats, but PUSD still has to pay for a principal and other administrative staff at those schools. With a tight district-wide budget, smaller schools don’t have enough students or teachers to provide the diversity of courses and extra-curricular activities.
PUSD’s school consolidation committee has an impossible task. Although some people like to criticize the school board, nobody wants the district to close his or her children’s school. As we can see from all the angry emails, and the comments at community meetings and in the Star-News, this results in PUSD parents and others pitted against each other. “Don’t close MY kid’s school, close SOMEBODY ELSE’S kid’s school!!!”
There is simply no scenario which will make everyone happy. So the school board has to consider:
· How many schools need to be closed to save enough money (primarily on the cost of administrators, but also on energy costs and maintenance) to balance the budget? (They’ve concluded that closing three elementary schools will do that).
· What criteria should they use for closing three schools? The schools with the fewest students and most empty seats? The schools with the lowest student academic performance? The schools with the most severe physical problems that haven’t yet been upgraded with Measure TT funds? The schools that will preserve a geographic mix of schools in Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre, so that students can attend schools close to their homes?
· Where should they relocate the PUSD headquarters? The District’s consultants have concluded that the District could earn significant income – that will be targeted for academic programs – by leasing the current HQ. The new HQ has to go somewhere. It makes more sense to relocate the HQ at a site that the District now owns than to rent space in an office building. But that means that it is most cost-efficient to move it to a school site.
Since Edwin Diaz became the PUSD Superintendent several years ago, PUSD has improved in many ways. The day-to-day management is much tighter. There are new programs in most schools. API scores have increased significantly at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Supt. Diaz and the school board have managed to do this despite the severe budget constraints.
The question facing all of us who care about public education is: can this positive momentum be sustained in the face on even more budget cuts? One way to achieve this is to have fewer, but better, schools.
If that positive outcome is going to occur, several things need to happen:
· Parents, community supports, and local institutions, including businesses, science and cultural institutions, need to play a stronger role in supporting our children, by getting more involved as school volunteers and as partners with PUSD.
· The City of Pasadena, the City of Sierra Madre, and LA County (including Supervisor Antonovich) need to step up and support PUSD with real resources, as other cities (like Burbank and Santa Monica) do. PUSD could save millions of dollars (which could be targeted for student learning), if these two cities and the County helped pay for the school playgrounds, athletic fields, libraries, and other important functions.
· PUSD parents are well-organized to gain a voice in the decisions of PUSD and local government. That’s something that Invest in PUSD Kids was created to do.
· Local businesses and individuals support the schools financially with donations to PUSD schools and to the Pasadena Educational Foundation.
· PUSD parents, civic leaders, and local newspapers educate the general public about the many positive things happening in PUSD schools and dispel many of the myths and stereotypes about PUSD. We need to enlist area clergy, Realtors, and others to visit our school campuses and see the many small miracles that happen there every day. The Pasadena Education Network (PEN) and PEF have been doing this, but they need your support.
· We need to inform the general community about the dangerous and harmful consequences that would result if Altadena created its own school district. There are 3,626 students (in 2,628 households) from Altadena attending PUSD schools. About 62% of those students (2,246) attend PUSD schools in Pasadena or Sierra Madre. They would not be able to do so if Altadena had its own school system, giving parents fewer choices.
As we all deal with the reality of school closings in PUSD, I hope we can keep the “big picture” in mind – what the civil rights movement called “keeping your eye on the prize.” The “big picture” is the dysfunctional government in Sacramento, the unwillingness of a handful of (mostly Republican) legislators, and Gov. Schwarzenegger, to pass a budget that includes higher taxes on those who can afford them, and the arcane rules that require a 2/3 vote of the legislature to pass a budget and raise taxes.
The Governor and state legislators refuse to act responsibly to raise taxes, and in particular to close corporate tax loopholes, in order to adequately fund public education – not only from K-12 but also for community colleges, the Cal State system, and the UC system – as well as other basic needs such as public infrastructure and health care. Despite all the hoopla about the salaries and pensions of public employees, that is not the cause of the fiscal problems facing California. (The outrageous compensation of a handful of city employees in Bell is an exception).
I wrote a short article about “California in Crisis” for The American Prospect a few months ago which explains the roots of the state’s fiscal crisis and identifies some progressive solutions for raising revenues. Here it is, if you’re interested: http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/publications/California%20in%20Cris... .
So, yes, let’s hold the PUSD school board accountable for its actions. But let’s also realize that school funding comes from Sacramento and that’s where we need to exert pressure.
Peter Dreier
_______________________
Peter Dreier
E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics
Chair, Urban & Environmental Policy Program
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Website: http://employees.oxy.edu/dreier
"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in time of crisis remain neutral" - Dante
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