Source: via email
We are parents at schools throughout the Del Mar Union School District. We are concerned with plans to implement a Spanish program for the benefit of one school, (which could cost more than $200,000), that will undermine the continuing financial viability of existing science, music, art, technology and physical education programs at every school in the district.
The school board stated at its special meeting on May 14 that it is currently projecting a budget deficit of approximately $1.5 million for the 2008-09 school year. Despite this deficit, it is continuing with plans to institute a new "Spanish Discovery Program" at Del Mar Heights Elementary — the school where board members Katherine White, Steven McDowell and new appointee Doug Perkins have their own children enrolled. Although the program is open to all children within the district, only 15 students from outside the Del Mar Heights attendance area have applied. The costs of implementing this program for the first year alone were publicly revealed for the first time last week, and include:
- hiring 1 to 2 additional classroom teachers ($71,000 each);
- funding an additional 1/2 enrichment teacher at Del Mar Heights separate and apart from the Spanish program ($35,500); and
- Spanish curriculum materials ($30,000 to $40,000).
Even a fraction of these costs would be difficult to justify if this truly were a district-wide program, given our desire to preserve the existing enrichment programs while facing a $1.5 million budget deficit. To incur these costs for the benefit of only one school, where the majority of school board members are parents, is beyond comprehension.
Implementation of the Spanish program at this time also threatens to undermine the clear preference of Carmel Valley parents to send their children to their local neighborhood school. In connection with implementing this program, school board members Katherine White and Steven McDowell have proposed imposing enrollment caps at Ocean Air and Sage Canyon and shipping the displaced children away from their closest school. Ironically, this is exactly the kind of activity that the slate of Annette Easton, McDowell and White so vocally opposed when they ran for election to the school board.
We urge parents to attend the next school board meeting on Wednesday, May 28, beginning at 5:45 p.m. at Del Mar Hills Academy, to express their views on this proposal. In this time of extreme fiscal constraint, we would prefer that the school board focus its energies on maintaining funding for the wonderful existing enrichment programs in our district, rather than increasing the deficit for the benefit of a single school.
Nicole Baril,
Sycamore Ridge
Jennfier McCroskey
Torrey Hills
Bob Gans
Del Mar Hills
Janet Pecsar
Del Mar Hills
Janet Handzel
Sage Canyon
Mary Taylor
Torrey Hills
Terri Harbison
Ocean Air
Beth Westburg
Del Mar Hills
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