DUSD School Board Candidate Joe DiPaola Receives Endorsements By City Council Members

Aaron November 7, 2011 at 09:16 pm

Trust me folks, the last thing you want is to do is elect the candidates that are endorsed by the other members of that elected body. You are going to want board members that have totally independent views.
If all five board members are in lock step, a lot will get done. However, not everything that gets done will be "good". Disagreement among members of an elected body is an important part of American politics.

Ian Arnold November 8, 2011 at 01:05 am

We have one candidate who thinks there's a "structural deficit." On a personal level, I like all three candidates. That said, I have a fundamental difference of opinion with Mr. Garcia. Like our former Superintendent, Mr. Garcia believes we have a "structural deficit." This is simply not true. Over the last three years, we've based our budget on assumptions that turned out to be incorrect and have amassed a $6.7 million reserve while -- in the words of our new Superintendent -- failing 50% of our kids. Our schools are falling apart because of cuts to the maintenance budget and the bills will soon come due. It's true that we overspent several years ago, when the Board wasn't interested in the budget. But since the economic downturn, we've actually taken in significantly more than we've spent. But at what cost? This ISN'T a business. As Mr. Garcia himself has stated, it's about our kids and their education. On election day, vote for Gabby and DiPaola. Neither has opined that we should spend our whole reserve, but both believe there are cuts that could be restored. Mr. Garcia on the other hand appears to be enamored with Mr. Halberg's budget assumptions. I urge all who have not yet voted to visit 1us1.com and review the audited financial returns. We DON'T have a structural deficit. We're putting money in the bank every day at great cost to our kids' futures. Vote DiPaola and Gabby on election day. Every vote counts!