10 DAYS TO DECIDE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. EDUCATION IS DYING AND YOU CAN PROVIDE A LIFELINE. It won't be a cure but it will be a start, despite what the naysayers say. So grab your Starbucks money and save it!

Have you ever been to a movie where the hero is facing certain death and you, clever as you are at trying to figure out plots in advance of the story, cannot for the life of you figure out how the hero will survive this test. "Surely the hero will not die," you tell yourself, after all how stupid would it be to kill the only character in the movie that you actually like. And yet you are not sure. The hero looks like he will die and there is no magic that will save him.  What do you do?  Do you yell at the movie screen, "Run!!!!!!" or do you sit there quietly, shielding your eyes behind your hand, fingers flayed just enough to let you cheat and see the noble death you are dreading? Well here we are 10 days from death. Measure D does not fix the deep rooted problems inherent in public education, but it does buy some time to transition to another step. Is it desperate measures? Yes. Is it too little money? Yes. Is it a grab at something positive amidst the backdrop of failing state propositions that will blow open the state's black hole of added budget cuts? Yes. I have read people complaining that it is the district's fault. I have read that there is a lot left to cut. I have read that it is a political ploy to raise some money. I have read many things that come from an emotional knee-jerk response to another tax, more bleeding from the public in the name of schools, and anger in the face of wasteful spending all around. Should we let the automakers fail and apply money to schools? Yes. We should be ashamed at how badly we fund our schools in the face of everything else. And for those people who like to claim that California teachers make so much more money than other states, be aware that the cost of medical insurance sucks most of that out. When I was a teacher one half of my check went to family medical coverage. Each year my check decreased in size because medical kept going up.  So for those who like to claim that money motivates the teachers, do your math and see how many hours go into the profession, most of it spent on ridiculous documentation for stupidity like eternal testing. I am a parent. I am a homeowner. I was a teacher. I do not like what has happened in education. I do not like that we spend more on prisoners than we do on our future. I do not like that we cannot teach children because everyone is afraid to demand and enforce accountability from students and parents.  I do not like that a handful of idiot parents who know how to milk the legal arm of the system (in the name of their rights) screw it up for the rest of the parents who only want their child to earn the right to do well. I am tired of idiot politicians who talk about accountability amongst teachers and forget that parents run the show. I am tired of politicians who think that their election platform can consist of claims to advance education without having a clue how to really run a classroom or how to motivate teachers.  And I am sick and tired of administrative types (superintendents, principals etc) who believe that teaching and learning are formula driven skills that can be backed up with uniform data.  Teaching is part art form. The average administrator, politician or parents would die in a classroom within a few minutes. It is easy to criticize a teacher. Try being one first. So Measure D sucks. It asks for too little. It was built on fear that people would not support anything more. I think that was a mistake, but it is what it is. And it is a needed stopgap measure to stem the bloodletting causes, at this time, by the stupidity of the state, so that another system can be developed that offers our children a chance to learn a tangible skill, secure gainful employment and compete on a global scale. This means that students should not feel entitled because of race, or income, of religion, that parents should not milk the free lunch program just so they can buy their kids expensive shoes and cell phones and so they have money for candy (I can already hear the teachers cheering that one) and parents, get a clue, expect a high standard from your children, not mediocrity; mediocrity is what you get at school - your child needs to rise above it. In ten days you will have to make a choice. Measure D will not solve the problem but it will be a starting place. Do I believe that the MDUSD board is with the program? The board majority certainly is, and that is what counts. Do I believe the interim superintendent is doing a good job? Poor Dick Nicholl, it is not fun to inherit a mess when you are ready to retire. I commend him for his diligence. He has been a voice of reason even when his former boss was there. As for the state propositions, are they good? The critics are correct. Nonetheless, without the props passing there will be a huge deficit that will be coming your way. Estimated at a $14 billion shortfall, you can safely exchange billions for millions when you transfer that deficit to our own school district.  And so, I ask the naysayers, the skeptics, the whacko parents and everyone else who has a big anonymous mouth but nothing constructive to add, where do you think those cuts will come from?  I rest my case. While I do support Measure D, I want to be clear that I believe our current system of public education is dying and will soon be dead. It is an archaic system that does not allow us to compete globally, and is based upon the olden systems of management.  In the days ahead, I will put forward some suggestions for changes, based on research done, and ideas that deserve a chance to take hold. I encourage you to voice your opinion as well. The future of public education will not be a top down organization; it will require every parent and stakeholder to have a part. Give some thought to what I have said. This is not about politics anymore. It is about saving the future of our country for our children, unless you believe that the elitist few can run it while your children dish out fries from a fast food window. I refuse to accept that future. And I am not even a teacher anymore. MisterWriter