God, how depressing...an e-mail I received this week

Mass e-mail from a Vashon School Board member:

The Budget Crisis: What’s At Stake for Our Vashon Schools?

Do we give up the educational program we have now; a program that balances academics, arts, and athletics and that gets students who want to go to college into fine schools? Are we willing to settle for a bare-bones program, that isn't sufficient preparation for most colleges? Can we give up classes in physics, chemistry, foreign language, math, creative writing, and much, much more?

If we let the quality of our schools go downhill, the entire island community will suffer. Who will buy homes here and who will patronize our island businesses if families cannot get a good education for their children here? Will we lose the vitality that comes from our present mix of talented people when families move away?

The state of Washington has broken its promise to provide a free, adequate public education. Our state ranks 45th in the nation, behind Mississippi, in state funding per pupil for K-12 schools. But islanders are good at taking charge of things we care about. If we care about maintaining the quality of our schools, then we have to raise the funds ourselves.

Other island communities such as San Juan and Bainbridge have formed schools foundations to sustain excellence in education in their communities. The future of our schools is at stake and we must do the same.

Our immediate fundraising goal is $500,000 – that’s what is necessary to sustain current programs and avoid devastating cuts. It’s the beginning of a commitment to develop an independent schools foundation to ensure adequate funding for our future.

Please donate what you can to help us reach our $500,000 goal.

We are looking for at least 10 families to donate $10,000 or more each.

We are looking for at least 100 families to donate $1,000 or more each.

If you cannot donate that much, please consider a donation of $500 or whatever you can.

You can donate at our website, http://www.vashonsd.org, using PayPal in monthly installments
or a single lump sum. PayPal charges us 3%, so if you want all of your donation to
benefit the schools, please drop off a check at the District Office, located on the lower floor
of Chautauqua, or mail it to: P.O. Box 547, Vashon, WA 98070.

Wow, that is so depressing. We are still trying to figure out how much to cough up this time.

Rep. Bunning says "Tough shit..."

When confronted with the reality of stopping the Unemployment Bill that would extend unemployment benefits and COBRA to millions of Americans, Rep. Jim Bunning of Kentucky says, "Tough shit!"

Wow. I wonder if he has drowned any kittens lately too. Heartless bastard.

Are we there yet?

If....

Let's jump start this baby!

A teacher's perspective of the economy

I'm not sure if you are all familiar with the DailyKos website. Normal, everyday folks submit their written posts on topics, mostly political, but ranging all over the gambit.

I read a post yesterday, that I just can't get out of my head. Here is a snippet but it is well worth reading the whole post. I am constantly amazed at the extra heart, money and time a teacher provides their students. In hard economic times, I guess the need obviously ramps up too. Most public school teacher contribute $300 - $1000 out of their own income to enhance the learning in their own classroom. And, this is during normal economic times. One can only imagine what is happening now.

My hat goes off to every single teacher out there but I am going to let Mrs. K share her story, she captures it so well.

"Mrs. K, I have nothing to barter." "Mrs. K, I don't have lunch money"

"The American Public School system is the the only institution where there is compulsory attendance for a huge percentage of Americans, everyday. And, those young Americans who pass through our doors bring with them a diverse and immediate picture of the state of America, because in their eyes and with their stories, we see and hear about their families, hopes, dreams and fears.

If you want to know how a community is really doing, you don't have to wait for unemployment statistics. Just ask a community teacher. We have been hearing how children are moving around and moving in with Grandparents. We began scrambling in October to to meet the needs of initially just a few kids who suddenly started to show up dirty and rumpled. We've arranged for them to use the locker rooms in the morning to get cleaned up.

We've been seeing signs like these that Main Street's kids and families are REALLY hurting for a few months, even in the pretty well-off, suburban community we live in.

BUT, today took the cake for me. It was a BIG wake-up call, and I'm still crying. I have a story and Call for Action after the fold."