Now that the smoke has cleared and calmer heads can prevail, perhaps we can take a reasonable look at the possibilities and realities we face. Our financial shortfalls at MHS and the unpopular policies and restrictions imposed by the district can only get worse, even if the laudable efforts by PTSA and Shark Fund members increase to 100 percent of its projected goals, an unlikely scenario. Even with the population of parents, teachers and students who feel there is nothing wrong, nothing to change and couldn’t be happier with MHS, there are unpleasant changes coming our way that will shatter that utopian view.
What to do? Maintaining the status quo will result in an inevitable decline. We will then be facing additional requests for funding through private and public means. Considering the narrow margin of victory for our latest school proposition and the current level of giving, we are facing a bleak future. Fewer teachers in a school with not enough teachers as it is. Less money for books, computers, supplies, academic support, Special Ed, sports, etc. These are realities we face and they exist right now.
Here are some choices proposed by local parents:
Do our best with the current situation. Push funding through the shark fund, bond measures, etc. Exist within SMMUSD and take what they give us, lobby through our one representative on the board and suffer some consequences and achieve some victories. I think this is a strategy that has low risk and low expectations. We would continue to be vulnerable to the district’s rules and decisions.
Join Las Virgenes District. A very successful school district, which we are close to and play sports against. Many families use facilities over the hill and several live there and send their kids here and visa versa. Political issues will prevail and we can be assured that at least initially we will not be represented on the board. We may be very attractive schools for their district but we may also not like some of the consequences of the change.
Create our own district. This is probably inevitable and a very good idea. Our community has grown to the point where we now can do what so many other affluent communities have done; establish its own school district. The advantages are enormous if we can achieve financial independence.
Charter MHS and then perhaps other schools if needed. What we get here is control and autonomy right away. Certainly not as much as what our own district would provide, but quite a bit none-the-less. A charter school is a risk but the payoff would be tremendous. We could tailor our school to fit the needs of our community. Because we get to write our own charter we can keep only what works at MHS and add or subtract what we want in the curriculum as long as it fulfils State and Federal guidelines students. It’s our charter and we decide what we want, again with obvious restrictions by the state, feds and local school board.
We are organizing another meeting for the first week in March. The number to call is 980.4946. Let’s make MHS number one!
Stephen Wolfson