A local school superintendent is seeking donations from members of the local community. I am always wary of school administrators hitting up community members for replete funds to shore up deplete funding.
It is a travesty that so many public schools in wealthy communities are in such disrepair and suffer such disrepute. Has anyone investigated how well the money is being spent on an annual basis in the public schools, whether economic times are good or bad? How much state money is invested in unserious investment that has little to do with educating our young people? No matter how conscientious the leadership in a school district, waste is inevitable in a government agency which does not face competition or endure ongoing public scrutiny.
If school districts want to solicit financial assistance from the parents, then Mom and Dad deserve a greater say in how their kids are educated and how the school is operated. Why not transform the Hermosa Beach City School District into a charter, with a board of trustees composes of committed community members whose children are enrolled in the local schools? The Riveria Community in South Torrance contemplated a similar venture for their local elementary school, which boasts some of the highest test scores in the state. Hermosa Beach citizens could certainly organize to effect the same transition if they wanted to.
In addition, the Beach Cities should petition for a voucher system region-wide, if not country and state wide. If parents are disappointed with the financial and academic directives of their local communities, they should not be forced to enroll their children in the local school.