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Excuse Me, Governor, but WTF?
Notice I didn't write "Governator." It's important to start off on the right foot here, meaning the correct one, not the opposite of left. Anyway, as a former substitute teacher in the nation's second largest school district, a parent, and a concerned Angeleno, I would like to pose a simple question to you.
What the fuck are you doing?
Your plan to cut $350 million from the LAUSD budget is appauling, and you should be ashamed of yourself as a citizen of this country and a resident of this state and county. Los Angeles opened its arms to an super-sized Austrian who could barely speak a lick of English. Remember Hercules in New York? I wish I didn't. Your accent was so bad, some versions released overdubbed you in post in order to try and salvage some sort of profit from that piece of garbage. Robert Altman wouldn't even give you a line in The Long Goodbye, God rest his cranky soul.
Now put yourself back in that situation. You know that in order to make it in this country you've got to have more than a bumpy physique. Language skills are necessary! Basic math is crucial! It also helps to have quality people teaching you these things with a classroom full of useful material and a paycheck to keep them there for years and years.
So many high schools, especially on the Eastside, like Roosevelt, Wilson, Garfield, Marshall, and any other president you can think of, are in dire need of funding. Middle schools like Hollenbeck, El Sereno, Belvedere, and Arroyo Seco had very little 4 or 5 years ago. The one constant, like Penny to Desmond, was the lack of support from the state. Imacs with no keyboards, art classes without no paper or scissors, 3 students to 1 textbook, and 1 teacher to 45 students. Very little has changed, if not gotten worse.
Do you really think that puling 3.8 billion (that's with a "b") from public education is the wisest of decisions, or are you not calling the shots up there in Sactown? Parents in this state, and especially this city, need to know that their children have a chance. Moms and dads want to raise their kids here. They want them to thrive and be successful, to stay in the city, and have faith in public education so that their kids can have a chance. It's time to jump out of your Hummer, put out the cigar, and use that cybernetic organism you call a brain and rethink this absurd proposal. Otherwise, we all lose. Explain that to the kids, but save the song and dance.
Photo by Sumith Meher via Flickr