In its 2011 pamphlet, Moraga Education Foundation (MEF) reported that state funding for the Moraga SchoolDistrict was cut by $6.5 million, and that Campolindo received similar cuts. In response, MEF rounded up $1,430,000 for the Moraga School district, and $400,000 dollars for Campolindo. “MEF and Parents club have been essential” said vice principal Sharon Bartlett. “It was touching, people who were willing to contribute.”
Without MEF’s funding, Bartlett stated that technology, teacher development programs, arts classes, and music would suffer cuts. “We would be without so many things,” continued Bartlett. “The arts would be decimated.” In addition to MEF and Measure A, a parcel tax, passed in 2010, gives $5 million a year to the district’s budget.
Funding for Campolindo is based on Average daily attendance. This is the average amount of students who attend the school a day.
Funding is measured per student, rather than per school.
Campolindo should not be relying on MEF and Measure A to scrape up money for our district. Being a public school, it should rely solely on funding from the state. It is a sad fact that the state is so poor that it can’t keep its education budgets from the guillotine. Education is the second highest area that has been cut from the California budget, leading me to believe that education isn’t exactly the state’s highest priority.
California should reform its education cuts before the consequences can be felt throughout society.
According to a study done by Lance Lochner at the University of Western Ontario, “ Education may make individuals less impatient or more risk averse, further reducing their propensity to commit crimes” and that “a 1% increase in the high school completion rate would save the United States $1.4 billion per year in reduce costs from crime.”
Instead of diverting funds to feed prisoners and build jails, California should be enriching its education system to prevent crime from happening in the future.
During this time of economic downturn, it is invaluable to the Acalanes and Moraga school districts that outside sources help with funding, but if the economy worsens residents might not be able to be as generous as they have in recent years.
