Crisis Shouldn’t Cut Into Education

The right of Orange County’s schoolchildren to an education is severely endangered as the County Board of Supervisors struggles to find solutions to the budget crisis. It is critical for everyone to understand, especially the members of the Board of Supervisors, the following points.

1. School districts are required by state law to deposit their funds with the county. There is no choice.

2. K-12 education is compulsory in the state of California. Schools cannot close.

3. Public school districts cannot raise revenues through levying or increasing fees for services to children and parents.

4. All school districts in Orange County will need to make some guaranteed budget cuts prior to June 30, simply due to the loss of budgeted interest income.

5. If all entities (cities, sanitation/water districts, schools and community colleges) are treated equally by losing 27% of the funds held in the county treasury as of Dec. 6, school districts would be required to cut essential educational programs.

6. If the county returns less than 100% of funds to school districts, schools will be forced to either sue the county, sue someone or appeal to the state of California for a bailout.

7. None of these options would affect a timely resolution to the current crisis, thus forcing schools to cut back essential programs and lay off employees while school districts attempt to recover 100% of the funds due to us in order to remain solvent.

8. If the county doesn’t make us whole, school districts will be forced to spend precious dollars to seek litigation, hire bankruptcy attorneys and pursue other means of reconciliation, distracting us from the essentials of teaching public school children.

Is this fair to our children? Why should they be punished? Why should educators be faced with decisions like increasing class size, cutting back on essential positions such as counselors, librarians and nurses, curtailing necessary programs such as after-school homework centers, and delaying necessary repairs to aging schools (especially after the storm damage)?

There are many arguments being put forth that all 187 entities should equally “share the pain.” Can we afford, financially and morally, to cheat our children by making them “share the pain”? I urge the Board of Supervisors to return 100% of frozen funds to school districts immediately so that we can get on with the important and necessary job of educating the youth of Orange County.

AUDREY YAMAGATA-NOJI

President, Board of Education

Santa Ana Unified School District