Education Matters: Clark Magnet is a snapshot of what's possible

Editor's Note: Numerous instances of plagiarism have been discovered in Dan Kimber’s “Education Matters” column, which ran in the News- Press from September 2003 to September 2011. In those columns where plagiarism has been found, a For the Record specifying the details will be appended to the piece.

Some of you reading this will be voting on April 5 for or against Measure S, the proposed school bond.

To that elite group — likely under 30% of eligible voters — I want to say thank you for being involved; thank you for having a stake in your community, instead of just being an occupant in it; thank you for seeing beyond your present needs and looking to the future, especially where our children are concerned.

Measure S is essentially a proposal that will, borrowing from the school district’s website, “protect quality of education at local schools, provide safe and modern school facilities, upgrade classrooms, science labs and libraries, update computers/technology, improve campus safety, increase energy efficiency” and more. It would not create new local taxes, but rather extend the assessments already being paid for an earlier bond, Measure K.

From the age of 5, when I entered kindergarten at Montrose Elementary School, to my present age of 61, I have either attended or worked for the Glendale Unified School District. Throughout those years, the one constant has been the excellent reputation that our schools have earned. It is a reputation that travels well beyond our community’s borders.

It is a reason why families over the years have chosen to settle here, why businesses have located here and profited from that reputation. All of us who live here have taken it as a measure of the quality of life we enjoy.

We have ample reasons to take pride in our schools, but it is something that we should not take for granted. Our children need our continued support and we cannot rely on Sacramento or Washington to provide it.

Communities and school districts throughout the state are being put on notice that their quality of life is a local matter and less the province of state control. That may be a silver lining to our state’s financial woes, as well as a suggestion of how we might find our way out of them. Bring back local control, decentralize, empower the people in each community who have a greater insight into their special needs to make their own decisions.