Today, I received a lengthy email from an anonymous "South Bay Pollyanna" who identifies herself as a local elementary school teacher. (Or "himself"? We'll just say herself since the writer chose a female fictional character as a pseudonym.)
This writer is asking South Bay residents to donate $5 to each of the area's 12 public school districts.
Can you afford to donate $60 in total to this one time cause? If just 10% rose to the call, it would be an impressive $430,000 for EACH district! If every man, woman, and child took action, we would raise over $4.3 million for EACH of these districts.
She describes what she calls "chaos" caused by state budget cuts and beseeches South Bay residents to take action in support of students' education.
I'm not endorsing the writer's views (or anyone else's) or vouching for all the data she cites, of course. Nor am I suggesting that I would in future post anything sent to me by readers. But someone obviously put a lot of effort into this, so here it is.
The letter is posted below.
Do We REALLY Treasure Our Children?
By: South Bay Pollyanna
It is said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We treasure our children in the South Bay, and there is a great call today to invest financially and support their education. If we take a good look at our financial spreadsheet, we see where our heart truly is. We may value our investments; however, our children NEED our financial support now more than ever! Californians, where is YOUR treasure and YOUR heart? Hopefully after I paint the picture of the current desperate crisis in California public education you will feel led to make a one time donation of $60 total to invest in the future of our South Bay. The children truly need us to take action. The situation is URGENT; the time is NOW!
Are you ready to hear a simple, yet profound, solution? I am one voice, like Horton speaking up for the Whos of Whoville in Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears A Who." But, I have my megaphone and possibly now a listening audience. The children may not be able to speak for themselves, but I have an idea to share on their behalf. Based on population data via the Internet, 861,986 men, women, and children live in the South Bay. Children like to play the "What If" game, and so do I. "What if" we all donated 12 one-time $5 donations to the 12 main public school districts listed below (representing our South Bay)? Can you afford to donate $60 in total to this one time cause? If just 10% rose to the call, it would be an impressive $430,000 for EACH district! If every man, woman, and child took action, we would raise over $4.3 million for EACH of these districts. "What if" some of us went crazy and sent more, or people from other communities or states supported the children of California in a time such as this? The numbers are staggering! Might we help the school districts in a time of dire need? We CAN make a difference and the money donated will go DIRECTLY into the hands of the school districts to spend as they best see fit. No government or red tape! We CAN put a small but mighty portion of our treasures where our hearts are... with our children.
Talented teachers, valuable programs, and overwhelming numbers of highly qualified staff members have been eliminated from the 2009-2010 school year budget and CAN BE ADDED BACK if we ACT NOW. No decision IS, in fact, a decision to do nothing. Please consider where your heart is for the children and the South Bay. I have personally contacted each district and discussed this article and its invitation. Each district is poised to accept your generous contribution. School districts are eager with anticipation of what our community will do for its children. On-line donations are preferred and can be made at each district's secured education foundation website. For districts without sites, you may write a check made payable and mailed to the district addresses listed. After making this charitable donation, you will receive each district's tax identification number. Please write, "I care!" on the subject line on a check (or in the "in honor of" or window to personalize your donation on a PayPal link) to communicate response to this article. This way, success of this drive can be tracked on the websites and attributed to our love for one another and compassion for children in the community we know and love as the South Bay.
As a South Bay local and elementary school teacher on the front line, let me share the chaos through my eyes. Our state government plans a $6 billion budget cut (65% of all pending cuts) to public education. On May 19th, California voters expressed a resounding NO to additional taxes to solve the budget crisis. "Why give more funds to those who mismanage the money already?" people cry. Valid concerns, but please understand the results of the elections are devastating because deeper cuts will be made to an already wounded education budget. Mind you, there are NO financial cuts occurring in the state prison budget. As a matter of fact, San Diego news reported funding improvements to inmate health care. Suspicious? Are convicted criminals more treasured than our precious children? I am afraid that if something is not done to support public education, many children may head down a path to prison in their future! Dramatic? Maybe. Realistic? Probably. If small class sizes, the arts, and many other effective programs are cut, children's academic, social, and emotional needs are much less likely to be met by classroom teachers. In Torrance, intervention counselors who work with suicidal children are being cut from schools. The reality is, what will happen if we don't help? It is impossible for a teacher to be as effective with more students and less support.
Since September of 2008, our California government has sent absolutely NO money to public school districts. Not a penny! Districts are creatively making ends meet by using reserves and basically "robbing from the left hand to pay the right" just to honor salaries. Smaller districts are struggling even more to sustain themselves. Some districts in California have even issued "I owe you!" notices in lieu of salaries. What a desperate situation! Educators are NOT in it for the money, but this is ludicrous. In the South Bay, hundreds of teachers, administrators, aides, mental health professionals, specialists, and custodial staff are being given pink slips and packing up their materials in the next few weeks because the state has mismanaged money. Class sizes may rise to upwards of 30 to 40 children in a classroom. Elective classes such as technology, drama, music, P.E., and arts are on the chopping block. Every district is unique in what it is trying to salvage for the children, but all fear for the future of their district. NO public school district is exempt because the government is failing to fund them. Our children are the victims! The financial fog is not forecasted to lift in our state until 2011. This situation is NOT happening in other states. Actions speak louder than words, California, and our government demonstrates by budget cuts that the future of our little ones and our state is not a priority. I do not believe that represents the heart of California! We treasure these children and cannot wait until 2011 to act. There is no guarantee that in 2 or 3 years the government will add back the amazing people and programs that make our schools unique. Once cuts are made, it is a challenge to regain funding for those programs. It is time NOW to take our community into our own hands. Philanthropists, church, Hollywood, professional athletes, caring people of the South Bay... WHERE ARE YOU? If you are not in the South Bay or California but your heart is stirred to help during this crisis, we welcome all donations on behalf of our children. Maybe something can be done in YOUR community to bless your children as well. Let us show the children that we have not forgotten them!
I want to address promising news headlines and hopeful efforts in the local communities to raise funds. On behalf of public educators, THANK YOU for all you have already done to fund measures, bonds, and propositions to support infrastructures in our districts. These efforts have greatly improved schools! However, this concern is different. What good is a building without staff to breathe life into it? Every bit has helped, but the reality is we need to do more. Here is why! National stimulus checks were issued to districts, which was like putting a Band-aid on a broken leg. A crumb when someone is starving... Yes, parent organizations are taking action to help this desperate situation. Fund drives via education foundations have asked parents to financially support schools per each child in the district (i.e. Redondo Beach, $180 representing each school day per year, and the small community of Hermosa Beach asked parents to donate $1,000 per child). What about school districts in the South Bay whose families live at the poverty level? Who is supporting them? Parents in the South Bay are generously responding as their budgets permit, but we must all stand together on behalf of the children.
Some South Bay children rally to fund their own education. It is endearing, beautiful, and pathetic that it has come to this. I have heard of a South Bay middle school student hosting a skateboard-a-thon to raise over a thousand dollars to save his school from letting go of teachers he loves and programs he values. Little ones are adding change to Arrowhead bottles to maintain their school programs. A kindergartener told her teacher, "I made $100 at a lemonade stand to save your job!" These are just a few stories of children taking action on their own behalf. Yet, I feel very strongly that this injustice calls for action bigger than the parent community and their children can provide. What can citizens do to help? Don't we all benefit from successful schools?
The amazing people and neighborhoods in the South Bay are so unique. Like you, I am biased about our community and realize it is a special, almost magical place we call "home." Our children are the future of the South Bay. They may only be in kindergarten now, but they represent hope for our future. Do you see it in their eyes? Maybe YOU are a local and someone saw a twinkle in your eyes while you played on the playground long ago! Don't we owe it to our children to help? Can we stand in the gap to help the schools until the fog lifts? We received an excellent education in the South Bay thanks to past generations, now freely we shall give to the future generations! One day they will lead the cities of the South Bay: Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills, San Pedro, Lomita, Carson, Wilmington, Gardena, Torrance, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lennox, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo. Yet, what if they are over-crowed in classrooms today? What happens if their gift to our community is a musical or artistic talent they never realize because programs are removed from the schools?
Are you eager to see what our community will do? In times of trouble, do we bury our heads in the sand? There is plenty of it along our beautiful beachfront. That is not our style in the South Bay! We are people that ban together for the common good. We are overcomers, more than conquerers! What is best for children? We go to movies and cheer for good to conquer evil. Who do we want to win in this situation? In the spirit of children in the South Bay, I "double dog dare" you to roll up your sleeves and get involved. Our future depends on it! Please note that although school districts support my challenge, it is from me personally. I act independently in hopes of seeing the South Bay rise to the occasion. Let's amaze the public school system by an unprecedented outpouring of $5 donations. Our small spot on the map of California we call HOME could receive positive press in the midst of media doom and gloom about California economy. This is a "pay it forward" type of social experiment that will ONLY work if we send funds to ALL the 12 districts. Do the residents in Hawthorne care about children in Manhattan Beach and vice versa? I believe the answer is YES. Our community's needs can be met if we all share a small portion of our treasure. Let's prove our reputation of having a heart for our children in the midst of this financial storm. Alone we may make a splash, but together we can cause a tsunami tidal wave. Surf is up, South Bay!
Information for each district is as follows:
Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, and Rolling Hills Estates (All 1 district K-12)
o http://www.pvpef.org/
+ Make Your 2008-2009 Donation Now!
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
Palos Verdes Peninsula Education Foundation (PVPEF)
P.O. Box 2632
PVP, CA 90274
Lomita, Gardena, Carson, San Pedro, & Wilmington (All 1 local district)
o Los Angeles Unified School District: Local District 8 (K-12)
1208 Magnolia Ave.
Gardena, CA 90247
Torrance Unified School Distict (K-12)
o http://torranceeducationfoundation.org/
+ Donations
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
Torrance Education Foundation (TEF)
P.O. Box 1397
Torrance, CA 90505
Hawthorne (2 school districts)
o Wiseburn School District (K-8)
+ www.wiseburnedfoundation.org
+ Donations
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF)
13530 Aviation Blvd.
Hawthorne, CA 90250-6498
o Hawthorne School District (K-8)
14120 S. Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 676-2276
Lawndale
(2 districts)
o Lawndale Elementary School District (K-8)
4161 West 147th Street
Lawndale, CA 90260
(310) 973-1300
o Centinela Valley Union High School District (9-12)
14901 South Inglewood Avenue
Lawndale, CA 90260
(310) 263-3200
Lennox
o Lennox School District (K-8)
10319 Firmona Avenue
Lennox, CA 90304
(310) 695-4000
Redondo Beach Unified School District (K-12)
+ http://www.rbef.org/
# Donate
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
Redondo Beach Education Foundation (RBEF)
1401 Inglewood Avenue
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Hermosa Beach City School District (K-8)
+ http://www.hbef.org/
# Donate Now
# 2009 Annual Appeal for Excellence in Education
# in the name of: "I Care!"
+ OR Make Checks Payable to:
Hermosa Beach Education Foundation (HBEF)
P.O. Box 864
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Manhattan Beach Unified School District (K-12)
+ http://mbef.org/
+ Give Today
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF)
P.O. Box 1110
Manhattan Beach, California 90267-1110
El Segundo Unified School District (K-12)
+ http://www.elsegundoedfoundation.org/about-bod.html
+ Give Now
o OR Make Checks Payable to:
El Segundo Education Foundation (ESEF)
P.O. Box 591
El Segundo, CA 90245
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