Cities must step in to help schools




As an LVUSD parent, I wish to ask the cities of Agoura Hills and Calabasas a question: Are you planning to sit out the current school budget crisis, or are you going to join the cities of Westlake Village and Hidden Hills and put your money where your kids’ education is?

There has been no announcement from either city about contributing to the campaign to save programs, jobs, class sizes and school days.

Do you think there’s no problem? Do you think it’s not your problem? Do you think it’s not your responsibility? Or do you think some other source of funding will swoop in and save the day at the 11th hour?

There is assuredly an urgent problem, and it’s one that’s facing every school district in the state. And, of course, it is your problem. All public school students in your cities will be impacted by cuts to their schools. And as the school district deteriorates, so will property values. Are you forgetting that most residents moved to your cities for the excellent LVUSD schools?

So maybe you’re thinking it’s not your responsibility, it’s not the job of cities to pay for schools, that’s the state’s job. But the state can’t. These are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary giving.

It’s not the job of individuals to shell out non-tax monies for public schools either, but district residents have contributed more than $400,000 so far. It’s also not the job of the local water district, but LVMWD is contributing a large sum to save the fourth- and fifthgrade science program. Westlake Village and Hidden Hills, whose combined populations are less than half of either of your cities, are contributing generously because it’s the right thing to do, because education matters.

As for the chances of some unforeseen funding materializing to turn around the LVUSD fiscal crisis, there have been precious few instances of miracles in the modern era. We have to create our own, one city at a time.

Laurel Murray
Westlake Village



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *