This spring, I am volunteering to help put on a college fair for children living in challenging conditions. During my tour of the non profit organization co-sponsoring the college fair, one of the tutors discussed the current situation in one of the neighborhood schools. At the organization, the tutors try to keep copies of all of the books the children are using in the classroom. Not only, as you may initially guess, to assist the children with their homework, but because the children have no school books of their own.

Many public schools in the less fortunate areas of the Los Angeles Unified School District can not afford books for the children. So the schools have a classroom set of books. The children can use the books during class, but must leave the books for the next class. How they complete homework assignments from these books? Your guess is as good as mine.

This after school program attempts to help the children who use the center. What happens to the rest of the children? Who knows.

When I first moved to L.A., I would often hear radio personalities donating books to schools and now I know why.

So, you would think with the stymieing restraints of Proposition 13, which limits property tax increases Californians would be lobbying for something as basic as school books. Alas, this is not the case.

In November 2002 California voters passed Proposition 47 the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002. The state borrowed $13.5 billion dollars for classroom renovation. Now were facing Proposition 55 the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004. This is a proposal to borrow $12.3 billion dollars for classroom renovation and capital improvements.

There are dozens of commercials talking about accountability. Money won’t be spent, they say, without accountability and audits.

What I want to know is who is accountable for failing schools, unsafe classrooms, and lack of books in California s poorest schools? If schools are not funded by local property taxes, but from the general fund there is really no excuse for schools in better neighborhoods to get perks and schools in challenging neighborhoods to get the short shrift.

Educations should be a priority. Until funding is distributed evenly, however, I don t think they need more.

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