The Olympia, Washington School District has a $13.9 million budget deficit. A big number for a smallish community.
The talk has turned to school closures. Parents, students, and other community members are upset and pushing back.
Here are two sample public statements, the first mindlessly conspiratorial; the second, thoughtful and cogent.
“The superintendent and the board members who voted yes to start the 90-day process do not care about the concerns our community has voiced. It is clear that there is a biased agenda happening behind closed doors since the only option they are willing to present is school closures.”
“Our students are not a classroom, they are not data points, they are not funding dollars—they are children. And behind each one of our children, there is a family, there is a story, and there are emotions.”
Lots of emotions.
Most of the protesters say they want to work with the district to find alternatives to closures. That spirit is nice, but I don’t see any counterproposals that result in a sustainable, balanced budget.
I suspect there’s only one alternative to increasing efficiencies through school closures. Increasing property taxes.
And no one is talking about that.
Pressing Pause 