School budget issue an all-year discussion

By now, those of us who keep up with local educational issues are fully aware that the Spokane Public Schools district is facing a $10.8 million shortfall for this next school year. By now, those same individuals are extremely dismayed that certain budgetary items, as a direct result of that shortfall, have had to be cut. By now, I should hope that these individuals pragmatically understand that it is simply too late to fight these budgetary cuts for the 2007-08 school year.

I’m not being defeatist here, I assure you. In fact, because of these very same budgetary issues, I have had to accept an involuntary transfer by the district from Lewis and Clark High School to Shadle Park. I’m not complaining; Shadle Park is an excellent school, and I am overjoyed about still having a job. It’s just that these concerns have certainly affected me directly for this upcoming year.

I’m simply being realistic, a characteristic that I believe Lisa Brunkan and her gathered group of concerned moms at the most recent school board meeting are not displaying in the midst of this educational crisis.

Granted, I admire and applaud their enthusiasm. In fact, a recent column by Jamie Neely that covered Brunkan’s group of “powerhouse moms” who converged on a school board meeting to argue for their “righteous” cause of the district’s holding on to the elementary school librarians was quite a noble, lofty, and warm-and-fuzzy piece – the type of story of which our papers and newscasts have such a sore dearth.

However, I believe their energy is misguided in this case. My belief is that their fight for school librarians is an exceptional cause for the long-term good of Spokane public schools, but the sad story of their demise for this next school year was written well over a year ago.

This enormous monetary deficit for the district was no surprise to anyone in the district office; in fact, Superintendent Brian Benzel even stated publicly early in the 2006-07 school year that he was afraid that this critical situation would occur. Well, he was right, and now it has come down to who could point the most and fastest fingers to lay blame exactly where that blame should be: somewhere else.

The school board, the district office and the teachers’ union point their collective fingers of blame toward the state Legislature, which has mandated certain educational imperatives and yet has not agreed to fund them on the state level.

There is great credibility to this claim.

The Spokane public, which certainly includes Brunkan, her powerhouse moms and many of the media outlets in this city, have decided that their fingers shall point directly at the school board and the district office, for it is they who make the final decisions on the educational priorities of the Spokane area, who knew that underfunding for the 2007-08 school year was a distinct probability and who waited far too late in the school year to announce their final cuts.

Also, much credibility here.

Let’s face it; the blame should probably fall squarely in the middle (as is the case with most disagreements in life).

My point is, though, that these cuts, although lamentable, are 100 percent inevitable for this next school year. And, yes, sadly those cuts will include $350,000 worth of elementary school librarians.

No, I am not happy to see those elementary school librarians go. I have a first-grade son, and as both a parent and an educator, I want him to have the best educational experience possible.

However, the fact remains that the $10.8 million will not fall from the sky anytime soon (unless Benzel has bought a few lottery tickets on behalf of the district lately); therefore, certain items, at least for this singular school year, must go away.

There is no escaping this deplorable fact. Therefore, we must all look to our district’s future.

If we want those librarians back in the schools (and we all do), if we want a lower student-to-teacher ratio in the classrooms, if we want more computer access for our students (and the list goes on), then we need to fight for these issues beyond this next school year.

Moreover, this fight should both include and go beyond the local school board; it must include our state Legislature.

It may be too late for the 2007-08 school year, but that doesn’t mean we give up this righteous cause.