The panelists were: Glendale Unified School District Supt. Michael Escalante; La Cañada Flintridge School Board member Jinny Dalbeck; Pasadena's Blair High School principal Rich Boccia; Los Angeles Valley College President Tyree Weider; Burbank Teacher of the Year Laura Vinyard of Jordan Middle School; and parent Lisa Wilson.
Glendale Unified School District Supt. Michael Escalante, spoke about how administrators grapple with dwindling and unstable funding from year to year.
"We tend to ignore the fact that we are 50th in class size, 50th in counselor-student ratio and 43rd out of 50 states in per-pupil funding," Escalante said. "And it's not just the inadequacy of funding but the inconsistency of funding."
Referring to "Third World funding levels," Escalante said California administrators have to create budgets based on funding projections for the coming year.
"If we get a change in funding it would mean we could run out of money," he said.
He also lamented the cost of a special education.
The cost to a district to educate some special-needs students is as high as $100,000 annually while the district might only receive $5,000 to do the job, he said, adding that the cost of litigation stemming from special education students can also harm a district.
Vinyard said the vast majority of teachers are qualified and dedicated but weren't recognized as such by the general public.
"People who are teaching your students are often the ones dumped on the most," she said.
She said districts in the area are battling declining enrollment because the skyrocketing cost of housing is driving younger, child-rearing parents out of the districts here.
And while every other member of the panel spoke about dwindling funds, she said there are other ways parents can help teachers that don't cost a thing.
