I got home late last night, well after 10:00 pm. I left but the meeting was still going strong. There was a Sheriff in the corner ready and waiting to make a move if there was any violence. There wasn’t.
There were tears. Parents cried for teachers that would no longer be around to teach their children. Teachers cried for the jobs they lost and families they would no longer be able to support.
We have a situation here in the Saugus Union School District that isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, it gets worse year after year. Budget cuts up in Sacramento have hit a little too close to home this year. There is no money for the education of our children and according to our School Board, the situation has little hope of changing.
This is what I know.
* Our school funding is based on population rates from 1972. Back then we had approximately 45,000 people. Today, it’s over 250,000.
* Our schools are running so short on supplies like paper, toner and glue sticks that they are asking parents to please donate whatever they can.
* Our district has closed one school (Bouquet) and another one sits empty (Emblem). They will not be opening again. There is not enough money to run the schools we do have.
* We are wasting money by paying for 2 Principals at one school. (Highlands) Why, you may ask? The former Superintendent “promised” her she would have a job. I’m assuming contracts were signed and can’t be broken. Word on the street is that we are wasting $130,000 that could be going towards teacher salaries and school supplies.
* Teachers received notice on Thursday (during class time) that they were being pink-slipped. About 1/3 of Bridgeport Elementary teachers have been let go for next year. To fill the shortfall at that school, teachers will have to me moved around from other elementary schools.
* Good teachers are leaving us and may never have the opportunity to go back to teaching. According to some people, there is a 3 - 5 year waiting period before a teacher ever finds another permanent job again. Lay-Offs are not based on performance. It is a “last hired - first fired” deal. Some of our brightest, most innovative teachers are the ones who are newer to the profession.
* Class sizes are rising. The School Board pointed out that Saugus Union School District won many, many awards during times when class sizes were at an all-time high. That may be true, but we also didn’t have as many students with learning disabilities, autism and ESL students back then who need more attention from the teachers.
* Parents have to take the funding of public schools into their hands. Sacramento won’t help. Washington won’t help. Our School Board is tired of trying to change their minds and has more or less given up. If we want our teachers to stay, keep class sizes low and have enough school supplies to get us through the year… WE have to figure out a way to raise the money ourselves.
Like many of us in the district, we chose to move here due to the distinguished school system. We believed in public education and wanted that for our children. Most of us can’t afford to send our kids to private schools. We shouldn’t have to. We live in a country where we pay taxes… taxes that are earmarked for education, yet none of that money seems to be getting to the schools in the Saugus community. The education money keeps getting funneled to those school districts that are wealthy enough to hire lobbyists to fight for them. Saugus is a bedroom community. We ARE the middle class. We work hard for what we have and we know the importance of a great education. It seems that no one else cares all that much.
So yes, there were a lot of angry people at the School Board meeting last night. The School Board took the stance that it is Sacramento’s fault. They asked us to write and email and call THEM to complain. I think it was a cop-out. Passing the buck never got anyone anywhere. I personally have no faith in our Board. It’s true, they have a crappy job. They have to figure out how to fit a square peg in a round hole. It’s the lack of understanding that really got me. The lack of willingness to keep fighting and keep trying new ideas. As someone said at the last Board Meeting, they are a “hot mess”.
So really… WHAT CAN WE DO?
A Facebook page has been set up for the parents and teachers of Saugus Union School District to begin taking a proactive stand. The Saugus Union School District Education Foundation is hoping to begin raising funds to offset the costs of the budget shortfall. Not just this year, but every year. The situation isn’t going to get better and it’s time we step up and take the matter into our own hands. Saugus has some of the most dedicated parents in the Santa Clarita Valley and we won’t let our schools fail our children.
If you live in the Saugus district (or if you live in Santa Clarita and don’t want to see any of our schools fail), please “like” the Facebook page and consider getting involved.
This blog post is completely MY opinion. I am not a teacher or an educator and I have no affiliation with any union or school board. The issues I wrote about were ones that I overheard at our district School Board meeting on February 21, 2012.
Shawn says
Thank you for going and writing this. I don’t know how this is going to pan out, but it just doesn’t look good for any of us. Homeschooling in our future?
No it doesn’t. Temera graduates from 6th grade this year and I would definitely consider homeschooling the other two if things don’t change.
I am a Hart High Indian. (Boo, Centurions!) 😉 I do not have children. I am a former school teacher. My sister and my brother-in-law are both teachers.
This is infuriating. Sometimes, all you can do is spread the word to spread change.
Excellent post, Caroline. I wish you, and the parents in your district all the power that you need.
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Thanks Sid. How did I not know that you used to teach? What grades?
Lauren says
Great post! Not only our wonderful teachers being cut back, It is also our classified staff including, Librarians, PE Specialists, Aides and others who invest in our children’s education and care. This is a very sad situation.
Yes… thank you for bringing that up. It isn’t just our teachers but our support staff as well. It’s just heartbreaking that the kids who really need special attention won’t get it and we might lose our libraries and PE programs as well. We have already lost all our class aides.
StephL says
Thanks for the update. This is so wrong on so many levels. It seems like SUSD mismanages just about everything they touch. Time for this board to be kicked to the curb. At one board meeting they blamed the weather for the delays in the Emblem project. Really? In Southern California we have weather problems that would affect the construction of a new school? They are a joke.
Weather? Hardly. The reason Emblem isn’t done is because there were 3 subcontractors who went bankrupt and couldn’t complete the work. Kind of pointless now that we are spending all this money on a school that will be sitting empty. I agree the entire Board needs to go.
Andrea Nelson De La Cerda says
Well, I have quite a bit to say and not sure where to start. I am a mother of four children, three of whom are in the district and one future kindergartener next year. I am also the wife of a Saugus Union School District board member. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the entire room of parents last week. It was a little frustrating that it has to take a moment like this to encourage the community toward change. But that is exactly how change happens. It can only begin with the board, but it takes a community to push through. For years, the board has discussed potential solutions like the ones that came up on Tuesday, but the average attendance at a board meeting before this week was less than a dozen people. In the most recent election in November in which a new board member was voted in, voter turnout in our district was less than 5%. That looks like a community that relies on a governing board of 5 people to make change. Anyone who understands public policy knows that that is impossible. A governing body, yes. But a campaign and movement, no. The success of an Ed Foundation or a parcel tax would require community buy-in. That is what we are hoping for. Please don’t misunderstand. The formation of an Ed Foundation is not solely the work of a few parents who wrote a petition. A few of these board trustees were very much on board BEFORE it was released to the public. They WANT the community to stand with them, help put in place new solutions that will set us up for success in the long term. It is very frustrating to read things like “the entire Board needs to go” when I know how many sleepless nights we’ve had in our house these last several weeks and how many tears have been shed here. Our second grader’s teacher received a pink slip. Do you think that was easy for us…and then for my husband to feel no choice but to vote yes knowing the option was that the County could take over our schools? One hundred and twenty other schools in State of CA are in the exact same position. They are not able to meet their budgets for the next school year without doing a similar heart-wrenching round of cuts or risk being taken over by their counties. Here in the SCV, this has been the result of a passive community over the years…concerned with their own individual schools, yes, but not for the district as a whole. The formation of a district foundation could help to change that culture. But it will not be easy. It will be a lot of work on behalf of a team including district staff, board trustees, union reps, parents, business leaders and a few very wealthy individuals to help make this happen. Pitting parents against the board based on their impressions from one board meeting is not what we need for change to take place here. There will be a series of community meetings that will be taking place over the next several weeks. We encourage people to come, get answers to their specific questions and learn how they can be involved. Please see the http://www.saugususd.org for more information, the Support for Saugus Union School District Education Foundation facebook page or friend me on facebook and I’ll be posting it also. If anyone would like to reach my husband for more information and to hear his thoughts on why he publicly supports an Ed Foundation, email him at [email protected].
Andrea… thank you for taking the time to write this. I meant no disrespect to your husband and I understand the position the entire Board is in. This was NOT my first School Board meeting - I have been to other ones where I didn’t see a lot of sympathy or understanding for the position the parents and teachers are in. I am sure the Board is working hard to come up with solutions, but I think it is the impression that they aren’t that is frustrating everyone. You are completely right when you said it will take more than a group of parents at one meeting to change things around. As a parent who has been involved in Saugus schools for 7 years now, I have to say I have never once been approached or contacted by anyone to come to Board meetings. Until this past year, I had no idea I could even attend them, much less voice my opinion. I think that is the fault of the local school administrators and I honestly wish they had been more open and honest with us as to what was really going on. It seems that most of us parents don’t find out about these decisions or problems until after the fact. I know each school has a representative who is supposed to attend the meetings, but if that is happening, the information isn’t getting back to the general parent population. Most of the discussion takes place in our school PFO/PTA meetings and very few parents attend these as well.
I know that I have spoken up about different issues at my own school (Highlands) and have been met with a lot of resistance. It seems that nobody wants to rock the boat. It’s very frustrating.
I would very much like to help in any way I can to spread the word about an Education Foundation here in Saugus. I think the first step is to get every parent on board and let them know exactly what is going on. I wish our Principal would be more willing to do this by holding meetings or even sending home letters or emails. I know, I know, every option is met with “we don’t have the money”, but it doesn’t take money to shoot off an email to the parents.
I understand that the Board will be holding community meetings. I think it is definitely a step in the right direction. I want urge them to make sure the parents in the entire school district know about these in advance. I will do what I can to make sure as many Highlands parents attend as possible.
Andrea Nelson De La Cerda says
Thank you for your help in disseminating the information. None of the elementary school districts in the community have a PIO who can help get the information out in a timely manner. (Hart is the only district that does) I hear many parents (myself included) strongly urging the staff to keep more current information on their website, especially during times like these. They can’t afford not to make it a priority. But it will also take the effort of all of us to spread the word as quickly as possible via social media as soon as new information is up. The schools will pass along district-approved info in their letters and e-newsletters also, but social media seems to be the quickest method right now. Paul and I are making a commitment to do that and I know other parents will too. Thanks, Carolyn!
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