Moves toward district unification are anathema
Margaret Marshall, a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Redwood City Elementary School District, has some thoughts regarding how public education is funded.
She served on the Redwood City governing body from 1974 to 1988. In an email, she offered one answer to the stunning disparity in per-child expenditures experienced by public school districts in the southern portion of San Mateo County.
The stark numbers for 2014-15, provided by the California state Department of Education, were noted in a column earlier this month. Her focus was on the elementary districts that provide students for the Sequoia Union High School District. A prime example of the inequity: Her Redwood City district spent $10,593 per pupil; the nearby Woodside Elementary School District spent $22,243, a difference of $11,650.
According to Ms. Marshall, she and Redwood City’s then superintendent Ken Hill pushed for a solution a generation ago. They and others promoted the idea of creating a system of equal funding for all districts within the Sequoia district boundaries.
In a way, it was something similar to a unified school district’s financing setup, in which all youngsters in kindergarten through grade 12 are funded the same.
As you might imagine, the concept of regional parity went nowhere.
According to Ms. Marshall, “very few supporters” could be found. She added that small, hyper-wealthy districts were particularly against any sort of move toward sharing dollars. That was predictable.
But, she advised, “The idea is still a good one.” That may be true. But it’s safe to state that any fresh effort to gin up enthusiasm for unification here would be fought tooth and nail by the mega-affluent. It’s just human nature.
Well before that effort came to naught, an even more concerted move toward unification in the county was attempted. The aim was to convert the Jefferson, San Mateo and Sequoia union high school districts into unified entities.
As you might imagine, those involved with the various elementary districts, all separate fiscal/administrative fiefdoms, opposed the plan. Politically, it was a no-go right from the start. The unification proposal was shot down with relative ease.
Caltrans heads-up
As much as we appreciate the still-a-work-in-progress overpass project at Broadway and Highway 101 in Burlingame, the Caltrans construction has helped to create a rather confusing situation.
Not all traffic lanes are clear-cut and obvious. The opportunities for mishaps and mistakes are numerous.
Left turns can be especially challenging. For pedestrians, the situation is downright dangerous, particularly at night.
Fortunately, the improvement work ought to be finished at some point in the relatively near future. But, for now, if you happen to be in that busy neighborhood, stay alert. Surprises abound.
Kris Kristofferson
That recent Rolling Stone story about the current status of song writer/actor Kris Kristofferson was more than a bit unsettling.
It turns out that the San Mateo High School alum, who is turning 80-years-old, has been suffering from memory loss for some time. However, a new treatment, spurred by an unrelated diagnosis of Lyme disease of all things, has helped him to improve, at least somewhat, according to the magazine. Nonetheless, years of boxing, football and rugby, not to mention alcohol and drug use, have taken their toll on one of the brightest and most prolific talents in the ever-shifting entertainment firmament.
We wish him only the best in his golden years.