A Close Encounter with Cutbacks in California
A few days ago, my sister shared the back-to-school shopping list 7-year-old niece’s public elementary school provided –and it’s staggering.
They live in a bucolic Northern California community of master-planned neighborhoods, replete with biking trails, an extensive network of parks and public libraries. Despite such evidence of a relatively solvent and engaged community, the local schools are struggling. California’s budget crisis has had a brutal impact on education funding at all levels.
Last year, my niece’s elementary school held a fundraiser where parents could pre-order the full list of
