This past week, Q-line asked: What do you feel are the school district’s most pressing needs?
Here are your responses: “TH E MOST PRESSI NG N EEDS I N our schools are security and the safety of our children. Keep the police on campus. Weed out the druggies and alcoholics who not only disrupt the students’ learning atmosphere, but ply their trade in compliance with organized crime.”
“CONSIDERING THAT THE SCHOOL officials have to deliberate what to do with the major BB funds that were picked from the pockets of the tax payers seemingly without a monetary crisis destination, [it] would indicate that the tax rip-off was not needed in its inception. My suggestion would be to return the money to the taxpayers.”
“THE SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE TWO things to consider: First, they should just get rid of all the illegal aliens — that would reduce overcrowding — and then take all the bad kids and put them in a special reform school. That way, the other kids will be able to get a decent education without being interrupted by the bad kids like the gang members and the drug addicts and the punks who keep destroying things. They don’t belong in a regular school.”
“OUR MOST PRESSING NEED IS TO GET rid of our City Council except for [Kevin] McKeown, and elect intelligent, knowledgeable members who understand the importance of trees to our environment, and can recognize a police badge whether it is imprinted with the City Hall or the police station. [We need] one who will address our most pressing needs, our homeless people, and a better education for our homeless people.”
“THE DISTRICT’S MOST PRESSING need is to break up this illegal partnership and let Malibu pay for its own schools. No place on earth is less in need of our charity.”
“MY OPI N ION IS THAT WE N EED to have a stricter, constructive discipline for the students and for the parents to get involved and be responsible for their children no matter their ages. Teachers are paid a very good salary; test the teacher. Keep the staff monitored and the schools monitored to keep us all safe. Bring God back and let the kids bring back God in the schools and let the kids pray if they want to. Give them nutritious food, reduce the price, but not [make it] totally free. Take out all the school junk food, [and] kids will appreciate it more. Respectful dress code for girls and boys. Clean up all the school kids and make Americans and all people who come to America respect our country, or deport them.”
“AGAIN, WE HAVE A HUGE SOCIALIST organization second only to City Hall in unchecked spending of taxpayer money. First, the school district needs to curb its endless raises for its eight month employees, known as teachers. Number two, its astronomical raises for management, like two principles for each elementary school. That’s at least $250,000 a school. When you have this kind of no-competition bloat, how can you trust? Cough cough. Administrators have $268 million of public money to spend wisely. Example: $23 million for Edison Language Academy, where 50 percent of students are from L.A. The school board must stop its contempt for the taxpayer before spending any funds. It should decrease the inflated pay-checks of its inert educational welfare hucksters. Bring in outside successful businesspeople to decide the distribution of public funds to real needful expansion or repair. The only positive view of the school district is of the maintenance people I see every week performing their task: Painting, sweeping and cutting the grass. As always, the best indicator of any organization is how well the people at the lower levels perform. I am most impressed by their workmanship.”
“OPENNESS! LET THEM SHOW HOW they need to use this money. We have been passing bond issues after bond issues and still its not enough. And besides the bond issues, the city is giving millions of dollars to the school district and still its not enough. So, how much is enough?”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 8, 2007. Read the original PDF.