There was a book out a few years ago titled All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. You can see a good summary of the book’s lessons by clicking here.
Number one on the list is “Share Everything”.
Unfortunately that is not always the case. Where I work, we call it “working in silos”, which basically means that each group works independently to address their own issues and does not share their findings with the other groups. So one group may find the answer to a very difficult problem but rather than share their results they let the other groups try to figure it out by themselves. Why you ask, well here are a few reasons:
· “I worked hard to figure it out. Why should I share with somebody else?”
· “That other group never tries to do it on their own, they always wait for us.”
· “My results will be better than yours.”
· “I’ll get a better performance review and will be in line for a promotion/raise before you.”
· “I don’t know the people in the other group.”
· “They won’t agree with the way I came up with the answer.”
I could go on and on, but you get the point. There are a lot of great ideas out there we just have to be willing to share them with each other. It wouldn’t take long to come up with a list and before you know it people are talking and sharing and you’ll be amazed at what gets accomplished.
Sometimes you need to put out some crazy ideas to get things started, but it’s key to note that there are no “dumb ideas”. Here are a few to get us started:
Outside the District
· Seek out members of other school boards to learn what they are doing in their districts.
· Hold a principal or teacher forum or workshop to discuss new ideas.
· Approach local businesses about providing support for the school.
Inside the District
· Bring the various PTAs from the individual schools under the same umbrella.
· Have the school principals meet on a regular basis to share ideas.
· Have a “Teacher Swap Day” and let the teachers work in a different school for a day.
· Invite the parents to be a bigger part of the process.
· Leverage the Lowell Joint Education Foundation to support underfunded programs.
Maybe we do all of these things already. If we do, we sure don’t publicize it very well. If we don’t, we need to start. If elected, I will make sure that we don’t “go it alone” and instead tap into the power of sharing to bring people together to generate new ideas to help solve the issues facing the district.
The most telling moment of the Lowell Joint School Board meeting on September 13th was when the teachers walked out, leaving about 15 people in the room. Considering that five of those remaining were candidates for the school board in the next election that meant that turnout from parents and the general public was almost nonexistent.
We can only benefit from the increased involvement of parents and members of the public, so what can we do to help improve turnout? Here are a few suggestions:
The only way to address the current challenges facing the district is to foster an open environment for the honest exchange of ideas.
If elected, I will work to make the school board meetings a place where all are welcome to come and share their point of view.
The Lowell Joint School District’s recent budget troubles are well documented and without additional revenue to replace the recent cuts imposed by the state, there are some tough choices coming.
One option that has been pursued in the past and should be considered again is a parcel tax.
What is a Parcel Tax?
“Parcel Tax” is the common term for a school district “qualified special tax”. Cities, counties and other districts can also adopt special taxes. Special taxes are permitted by the California constitution, and require approval at an election by at least 2/3 of those voting on the measure. However, there have been recent proposals that would allow California voters to amend the constitution to reduce the required vote to 55% for school district parcel taxes, the same for school bonds.
Have any districts approved Parcel Taxes?
There are 14 parcel tax initiatives on the ballot in California for the November election. There were 32 parcel tax initiatives on the May/June ballot, with 24 receiving the required 2/3 supermajority needed for approval. You can see more information on recent parcel tax proposals here.
The Lowell Joint School District proposed a $95 parcel tax for eight years in 2005 but it failed to reach the required 2/3 supermajority with 53% of the vote. The tax would have generated $900,000 in additional revenue for the district. If that proposal had passed we might not be in such a difficult situation today. You can read a story about the election here.
Recently the Little Lake School District in Santa Fe Springs decided not to place a parcel tax proposal on the November ballot. A recent poll conducted by the district showed support ranging from 58% to 63%. You can read the details here:
Is a Parcel Tax the Best Option?
I think it is safe to say that no one likes to see their taxes raised and in these tough economic times it would be hard to get a parcel tax approved but what are the other options? You can only cut so much before you begin to damage the very thing you are trying to support – the children.
Parcel taxes have been approved in other districts across the state and a well written proposal with a short timeframe and support from the teachers could reach the 2/3 supermajority required for approval. As I have said before in posts on this site, we need to think of new ideas and a parcel tax is something that should be considered.