I hope this is one of many letters you’ll receive in support of Measure EE, additional local funding for our Santa Monica Malibu School District. We need this measure now to avoid impending drastic cuts in our local school programs because of California’s current budget crisis, and because of the fact that our state’s school funding currently ranks 38th in the nation in funding per student. We should be alarmed, angry ashamed of this fact, because while we may be able to offer a Band-Aid to help our local school district, how can the state that brags of the “6th largest economy in the world” be right up there with Mississippi and Alabama in funding public schools?
I’m showing my age because I went to school when California was the leader and envy of the nation by expanding and improving public education. At the state level, we now seem long on rhetoric of support for education and woefully short on real dollars. Instead, many are constantly engaged in arguing over who gets their share of same size education pie. When what we need is to be baking more pies, not arguing over who gets a piece at all.
Education is a non-partisan, vitally important issue. We are all impacted by what type of education California students receive. We ought to view investing in education as the best money we can spend for the future of the state’s quality of life, health, economy, environment and hope for the future.
In this time where there is so much that we cannot control, influence or help, Measure EE is one important step that we can affirmatively take to help our children and our community. The larger issue of funding for public education needs to be addressed as well, but today’s opportunity is Measure EE. Thank you for your support and please tell a friend and remember to vote.
Allen Pulsifer