The wise voters of Washington have gone and done it again, passing a referendum on class sizes with no possible clue on how to fund it without doubling the funding deficit we already have and cannot afford. The politicians are scrambling like rats now, but where was their voice before the vote — silent. My daughter, a teacher’s union president may disagree, but maybe there is a way to fund this. Here is what I would suggest.
- Eliminate all sports offered —football, basketball, swimming, track — everything.
- Eliminate all school bands, yearbooks, and any school-sponsored clubs and rallies.
- Eliminate all art and shop programs.
- Eliminate graduation ceremonies.
- Eliminate all the administrative staff that supports such activity.
- Shorten class periods.
- Extend the school year through the summer, and have teachers move to a 12-month schedule.
- Eliminate all illegal immigrants from our school system.
- Send disruptive students out of the classroom to stay, so teachers can teach and not need “helpers.”
Only do those things required by law. Use all the money saved, teachers freed, time extended to meet the requirements of the referendum. In other words, stop feeling that the school must raise the children — that is the parent’s job and no one else’s.
They voted for this.
John Kimbrough
Vancouver
