Friday, October 31, 2008

Supportive Residents + Superior Schools = One Strong City

That's the final line of a strong endorsement of Measures Y and Z from the Los Angeles Family Examiner. I recommend reading the whole thing, but here's a couple excerpts.

Torrance has been known for its fine schools long before I moved here 31 years ago. As a 9-year-old, I didn’t know much about the relationship between property values and highly rated schools, but I did learn about it in 1998, when my husband and I bought our first single-family home in South Torrance. I was unaware at the time that this specific neighborhood, which is nestled between the busy streets of Lomita, Hawthorne and Sepulveda boulevards, actually was considered “South Torrance” until our Realtor explained about Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) boundaries.

I was thrilled to think that my future children would be able to attend South High School, where I went. Having access to schools earning a “9” on the Academic Performance Index (10 being the highest) was a huge selling point for both me and my husband. We signed on the dotted line in large part because of the excellence of our neighborhood schools.

Earlier this year we cheered when our daughter’s elementary school was designated “A California Distinguished School.” Soon after we learned about two bond measures, Y and Z, that would be on the ballot this fall to repair and modernize Torrance’s aging schools. Only then did we take a closer look at the structural side of these schools. En route to a soccer game at Seaside Elementary, I spotted the sign celebrating the school’s founding in 1949. I said to my daughter, “This school is almost as old as Grandma!”

But this is no joke. Most of Torrance’s schools are more than 50 years old, with some approaching 100 years old. We remembered our disappointment 2 years ago when a similar school bond measure failed to pass. Since then, extreme budget cuts from Sacramento have meant that older districts like Torrance's receive even fewer dollars.
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It’s hard to believe that two measures with so much grassroots and institutional support still stand a chance of failing. Our country may be on the brink of recession, but no matter which income bracket you claim on your tax form, people everywhere agree that education is the best investment we can make into the future of our great country.

This means putting our money where our values are and honoring our commitment as taxpayers to support our city’s fine schools. There’s no question that Torrance campuses are in dire need of repair: Visit any one of them and see for yourself. The only question is whether residents are willing to pay now or to pay later. “Delaying repairs will only increase future construction costs and state matching funds may no longer be available,” say supporters of Y and Z.

Many of us grow wary during the election season because we’re not sure who to trust. Sometimes the things we hear just don’t add up. But here’s an equation that makes sense no matter how you spin it:

Supportive Residents + Superior Schools = One Strong City.
Four more days till election day. Volunteer!

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