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Dear Governor Pawlenty, I am a parent of two children who attend Roseville public schools, ages 11 and 13. Parkview Center School, a K-8 school of choice, has very dedicated teachers and staff. Yet quality education, as mandated by the state’s constitution, is suffering. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, classrooms are overcrowded and resources are inadequate. Technology and textbooks are outdated, social workers and counselors are far too few in numbers and hours, and resources are thin in a district where in one building alone over 50 languages are spoken. Teachers are expected to teach children of widely varying needs and abilities in one classroom without the proper resources, staffing and support. Parents try to fill the gap by donating everything from time to essential resources such as paper. Parents also fill the gap by raising money. I am not talking about school carnivals and book fairs. Parents also do that. Parents feel a desperate need to convince district voters to pass school referendums. I for one, spent months during the summer and fall of 2006 attending meetings, forming committees, writing pamphlets, contacting parents, door knocking, designing posters, buttons and stickers, working with printers, copying print materials, attending events, distributing leaflets, writing letters, proofing, editing, phone calling and emailing voters, and attending school and community open houses all to convince voters that school levies are necessary. Ironically, I believe our educational system should not depend on these levies as they are an unstable, unpredictable form of revenue that can polarize communities. Schools have become all too dependent on levies for essential services and without them are going broke. Furthermore, parents should not have to spend an enormous amount of time away from their family to ensure schools have adequate funding. As the leader of our state, please support reform for a system that has long been broken. Our future depends on it. Sincerely, | |||||||||||||||||||||
Helping parents have a voice at the places where school policy and funding decisions are made. | ||||||||||||||||||||||