Downsizing An Economic Reality School Bureaucracies Must Face

It has been my privilege to vote for nearly every bond issue presented by our Valley schools in the last 17 years. Privileged, because I am convinced our schools are led by dedicated professionals, expert in providing quality education to our children for meeting the challenges of a technological world. Those who would turn back the educational clock to the 3 R’s are hopelessly out of date.

There are clouds on the horizon, however. America is struggling with new economic realities. While our congressmen bicker over balancing the budget in seven years, we forget the trillions of dollars in debt that will wound our nation for generations to come. Downsizing is an economic reality and workers everywhere realize lost income, benefits, and fewer jobs.

Educators who cannot grasp this reality are not reading the signs. Bond issues, instead of presenting the one program nearly everyone agrees would improve the quality of education - smaller pupil numbers per class - instead propose business as usual: auditoriums, stadiums, and paved parking lots.

The educational bureaucracy is hopelessly bloated with excessive numbers of administrators who increasingly have little to do with educating our children. Insufficient attempts are made at combining Valley programs to save taxpayer dollars. Excellence in educators is unrewarded, and inadequate professionals are maintained on the payroll.

Valley voters need to be mature enough either to reach for their shrinking wallets to vote for bond issues, or accept major change.

Maybe it is time to consider split sessions to better utilize our existing facilities instead of building new ones. Maybe target schools will relieve the apparent necessity of duplicating the expensive “extras” of stadiums, gymnasiums, auditoriums, etc.

West Valley School District has taken the important first step of asking voters what they were willing to pay for (added classrooms) and designed their bond issue around what they needed instead of what they wanted.

With careful planning and hard work, downsizing our Valley schools need not adversely affect the quality of education in the classroom and would better meet the needs of a public trying hard to balance their own budgets.

MEMO: David Gilman is a Valley physician who is past president of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and a member of the chamber’s business/education committee.