Letter: 44 states in the nation spend more per student than Washington.

Redmond Neighborhood Blog: LETTER: Lake Washington School District needs to stay within budget.:

"We moved out of a local community whose school district was just 'teaching the basics' and we chose LWSD for their ability to 'meet the challenges of the future'. As families, we were asked to provide all the same type of basic materials there that we are here- paper, pencils, reading materials, etc. Only there- they had very little focus on technology so I doubt that a thumb drive was even used. They instead had to focus education dollars on before and after school care, subsidized lunches and repair and replacement of the countless stolen equipment and damaged or vandalized property weekly. I am glad to be in the LWSD, and I am glad and confident that my money will work harder for their education here than it did there.

The real flaws come from how our state funds education and that there could be such differences in public schools just 50 miles apart. When there are 44 states in the nation that spend more per student than Washington, there is a problem. When library books and librarians are not considered 'basic education' under state definition- there is a problem. When computers and transportation to and from school are not considered 'basic'- there is a problem. The problem is not within LWSD, it is a statewide problem of not funding basic education as promised in the state constitution."

- anonymous
1/29/2010

Comments?   School Board member(s) are cordially invited and encouraged to send their Letters for publishing to redmondblog@gmail.com