I had to pay over $10,000 to the school district to get a building permit. So, I drove up to the offices of the school district in Santa Monica. The doors were closed. Someone came out and I quickly went in. I came across a sleepy man sitting behind a desk, who asked me how did I get in. When told that I had a check for the school district, he became a bit worried, and said that there may be no one there to take the money. Nevertheless, he told me to walk to the end of the hall and try my luck.
So off I went through the different corridors and at last came across two women who were having a pleasant afternoon chat. One was sitting on a desk and the other was sitting in front of her on a chair. Seeing me, they asked me about my ethnic background and then seemed somewhat disappointed that I was not from their homeland. When I told them that I had a check for the school district, they seemed sorry to break up their chat but did take the money grudgingly. On my way out, I again saw the poor sleepy man struggling to stay awake. Wishing him sweet dreams, I departed.
My friend had a similar experience when he went to the Santa Monica school. There he saw a lady who had a sign behind her desk saying, “We go from one crisis to another.” Intrigued, he glanced at her computer monitor and was shocked. She was playing cards during working hours. So much for the crisis!.
Do I want to pay more property taxes for a school district that is run like Club Med?
Paul Shobhan