Override again?

Maricopa Unified School District’s board has voted once again to place the override on the ballot November 2010 ballot.  It lost by a mere 20 votes the last time it was on the ballot and took $1 million out of the operating budget for our children – just when the state of Arizona elected to take several more million dollars out of state funding.  If the override is not voted to continue this time, the district will lose another $2 million this coming fiscal year. Using old math that will take a combined $6 million out of the operating budget accumulative over two years!  And, another $3 million will be deducted the coming year. 

How much can we remove from our children’s education and not cost them (and our society) irreversible damage?

There are two primary reasons I have heard why citizens do not support this measure.  Let me address each of these as you not only consider voting on this measure – but getting active in providing its much-needed support:

Bad Economy: The economy has taken its full toll on Maricopa, and I doubt that any citizen has not been negatively impacted. It hurts, and it is not over to be sure.  However, think of the story we are teaching our children in how to handle adversity. Change and setbacks are a part of life to one degree or another. It is not the up or the down economy that creates character and the substance of healthy futures, but how we respond to the challenges and wisely spend the good years.

In addition to the moral setback it creates, if we do not support our children’s educational preparation for the future, it smacks at the very core of what we have to offer to change our community for the better. One of the first items that potential commercial investors and businesses investigate, when considering moving to Maricopa, is education.  Wise support for our educational system is a strong vote for the economy as well.

District Poorly Managed: The evaluation and review of leadership is a prudent exercise, and this should be especially true of our district board and their administration.  There are NO blank checks to be handed out, and what funds are provided need to be transparent and directly applicable to the results the citizens – and parents – seek. You and I can discuss in great detail what the district has done and could do, and there are appropriate forums for this debate and action. However, I strongly suggest that using the override to display our discontent borders on criminal. The reason is that it primarily hurts our children, and, while it may cause some discomfort and long hours for the board and administration, they will still draw their pay and have a job.  It is the children who will be herded into larger and larger classrooms where passionate and qualified teachers will have less and less opportunity to realistically teach.

There IS a place to focus our questions and discontent, and it is in the same November election when two of the five board members are up for election. This is the subject of another article; however, allow me to surface “my opinion” at this time to state that while the two up for re-election have provided passionate and dedicated service, it is time for fresh perspectives and deeper business acumen to address the very challenging needs of our district.

In the middle of the storm wise people push aside apathy and misplaced emotions to study the facts and make choices that really make a difference.  Our children are watching to see how a mature and informed society makes choices for their future.

Place our children first and then cast your vote!

Jim Rives is a resident of Maricopa and an Executive Coach to individuals, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies as the CEO of Executive Leadership Institute LLC.  He can be reached at 520-568-6442 or [email protected].

Submitted photo

A portion of this article appeared in the August issue of InMaricopa News.

InMaricopa.com runs, on a regular basis, opinion pieces submitted by community members. This article is the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of InMaricopa.com. Have an opinion you’d like to share with Maricopa? Please email it and any applicable photos to [email protected] for consideration.