tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156813738805135259.post3099413344981978641..comments2023-04-01T08:49:45.052-07:00Comments on East Bay Conservative: Memo To OUSD: Thanks for Failing! Here's More Money!The Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08650604704513105339noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156813738805135259.post-24411271599662542892008-05-22T07:06:33.000-07:002008-05-22T07:06:33.000-07:00[...] campaign in 2006, serves as vice-chair of th...[...] campaign in 2006, serves as vice-chair of the Measure B citizens oversight committee, worked on the Measure G campaign, and that she’s an energy analyst and adopted OUSD as a client pro-bono, and that if [...]Jody London v. Brian Rogers v. Tennessee Reed: LWV District 1 School Board Candidate Forum Recap | A Better Oaklandhttp://www.abetteroakland.com/jody-london-v-brian-rogers-v-tennessee-reed-lwv-district-1-school-board-candidate-forum-recap/2008-05-22noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156813738805135259.post-20677849605819041692008-03-01T05:18:30.000-08:002008-03-01T05:18:30.000-08:00I completely agree that OUSD's primary issue i...I completely agree that OUSD's primary issue is demographic. <br><br> But it is still fair to ask the question, "Will OUSD perform better in its mission with more money than it would with less?"<br><br> At this point, I believe the answer to this question is "no."<br><br> I do believe OUSD could better serve its mission by moving some money around--starting a magnet school, for example. <br><br> Now, on the issue of trumpets and supplies, I think you should consider the possibility that the school district purposely allows such shortages to persist in order to extort more money from taxpayers. OUSD has plenty of employees receiving six-figure salaries. That's what they're protecting, not your kids. But, they will undoubtedly put on a great show to make sure you think the opposite.<br><br> Perhaps you should consider moving your kids to private school. Maybe then they'll be considering Stanford and Harvard and not UCLA and USC.TheBosshttp://www.eastbayconservative.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156813738805135259.post-83365720758548409492008-03-01T01:47:35.000-08:002008-03-01T01:47:35.000-08:00I'll bite on this one, if only to clarify the ...I'll bite on this one, if only to clarify the issues.<br><br> Private enterprise and public social service agencies have different goals. The goal of the first is simply to make a profit, no matter in what field, whether selling books or drilling for oil, and if it does not succeed in doing so, it has no purpose. For this reason, as you point out, an unprofitable enterprise will fail to attract additional capital.<br><br> Public agencies cannot be compared to this model. Whether we're talking about the OUSD, CALTRANS, HUD, or the CIA, the goal is NOT to make a profit, but to serve the public in a way that private enterprise cannot. By their nature, these agencies lose money--it's what they're supposed to do. Subsidized housing and public schools are an expense to taxpayers, not a source of income. <br><br> Forgive me for stating the obvious, but the premise of your post is so flawed that it's hard not to take issue with it. "Failing" (ie., money-losing) public agencies will always attract more "capital" from tax revenue, because they need to buy instruments for school bands and fill potholes. That's the nature of the beast.<br><br> If by "failing" in reference to the Oakland School System, you mean low test scores and the like, then it may be that that institution has not failed in the way you think it has, but that it is trying to deal with a very difficult segment of the population to educate. <br><br> As the parent of a child in the Oakland Public Schools, I am aware of the struggles that take place in individual classrooms each day. My child has a straight A average and before the age of 10 was considering whether UCLA or USC would be the best options for college. There are many other, similar children in the OUSD, a testimonial to the system's success in spite of the enormous burden placed upon it by the demographic mix of Oakland. <br><br> If parents like myself, with financial resources and a deep commitment to our children's education, considered the OUSD a failure, our children would not be in it. <br><br> That the OUSD uses a great deal of taxpayer revenue in trying to do its job is moot. The school system does need more money--to buy trumpets and hire art teachers. Only those who are intimately familiar with an individual Oakland public school, however, can understand this.Californionoreply@blogger.com