CVESD Parent Budget Committee – Recommendations Lost

During last year’s budget cuts, and with so many of the teachers at my daughter’s school getting pink slips, I realized that I didn’t know much about the school district budget, policies or process ... then I heard about the Chula Vista Elementary School Districts (CVESD) Budget Advisory Committee (BAC).

BAC is a group made up of parent’s from each school that reviews and makes budget recommendations. Like I needed another meeting to attend, right? 

But since I’m always telling my family, friends and neighbors to get involved .... It was time to walk the talk. 

It was an interesting process to say the least. The group was great. Most had been members of the BAC for multiple years.  They had great ideas for budget reductions, even after being given a redunkulous list of options.  

Five meetings later, several liaison meetings with our School Site Councils, and on Mar1 we approved a recommended prioritized list of reductions for the Board’s consideration, including those that would have impacted about 60 teaching positions.

So what happened to our recommendations? Well ... 

In a recent news article it stated the district was sending over 300 pink slips to teachers.  A reduction of 60 teachers (via larger class sizes) was ranked sixth on a list of eight other options to consider by the BAC, so you can see how the discrepancy in numbers raised a red flag immediately.

Here is what I found:

• The BAC approved a recommendation for prioritized reductions at the meeting of Mar 1.

• The CVESD Board approved their personnel reduction plans at their meeting of Feb15. 

• At the Mar8 CVESD Board meeting the BAC is referenced in a budget agenda item - including some bullets that vaguely look like our budget recommendations - but none of the specific language we approved or a list of prioritized options. 

Why where parents asked to vote on priorities if the Board had already taken action? 

Frustrating, to say the least.  I’ll be asking and will keep you updated because this is one of the reasons why the public doesn’t get involved.  Too many times I hear, “why - it’s not like it will matter what I say.” 

Why? Because I don’t think this particular experience is the norm. There are many successful examples like the Nature Center and Norman Park Senior Center where public input made  difference. 

So while I wait for a response from CVESD, I don’t waiver from my stance that volunteer commissions are important and I encourage you to get involved. Just recently the City of Chula Vista’s Growth Management Commission reviewed the impact of our growing population to the school system ... bottom line - we need more schools!  

We also need more every-day citizens, who bring their knowledge, expertise and passion for the community, to give a few hours a month in order to bring fresh eyes and fresh perspective to public policy that can be hampered by the stagnation of bureaucracy and politics .... 

Contact your school to get involved or visit the City's website to apply for a volunteer commission!

Chula Vista Nature Center - How To Be Politically Active and Politics Free

This weekend, my family and I visited the Art Aquatic exhibit at the Chula Vista Nature Center. It was breathtaking! Not just the combination of art and nature, but the crowds of people and families enjoying the place.

I couldn’t help but remember the recent saga that threatened the existence of the center, but then gave it a whole new life.  It was a prime case study on how a community can be politically active AND politics free.

For those already familiar with the story, I’ll make it brief. It was a time of devastating budget cuts – sound familiar.  On December 5, 2008 the city announced it would be closing the Nature Center in January 2009 in order to help close the budget gap.  The announcement spread throughout the community as neighbors, moms, volunteers, students and many more came together to discuss what they could do. Step 1: Awareness

Crowds filled the chambers at City Council meetings to speak publicly in support of the Center and to plead with city leaders to reconsider. Groups of volunteers organized a media outreach campaign to spread the cause to a wider audience and solicit help broadly.  On December 28, 2008 a fundraiser on the Bay raised over $25,000 cash and the media campaign had resulted in over $300,000 in donations from foundations and private donors. Step 2: Take Action – Be Politically Active

The community was laser focused in what it wanted – The Nature Center to stay open. Community members met with City Council members to discuss ways the Center could survive without the support of the city’s general fund.  Community members met with council members to discuss how the Center could remain open without the assistance of the general fund.  South County Economic Development Corporation worked with the Friends of the Nature Center and the City and determined that the Center could become its own non-profit organization – it just needed the time to transition.  In January, the City Council approved the continued operation of the Center until the transition was complete. Step 3: Work Together not Against – Be Politics Free

The Nature Center has survived and is thriving! As you walk through the place, you can’t help but feel the very life of the community pulsating through the aquarium.

As I walked through the Art Aquatic exhibit, I experienced the beauty of nature in a way I could not have imagined. I also left that day feeling extremely proud of the community for what they had accomplished through their willingness to be Politically Active and Politics Free!