Schools
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tours Westmoor High School, Warns of Draconian Cuts
State Superintendent Tom Torlakson visited Westmoor High School and answered questions from teachers, parents, and administrators.
“Draconian” was the word of the day according to California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson during his whirlwind visit and forum discussion at Westmoor High School, his alumnus, on May 2.
Joined by the Who’s Who in Pacifica education, including Pacifica School District Superintendent Wendy Tukloff, Jefferson Union High School District Superintendent Mike Crilly, and San Mateo County Superintendent Anne Campbell, Torlakson and company toured classrooms and spoke with students privately before speaking at a forum to about 30 Pacifica area parents, teachers, and administrators.
With cautionary warnings about California school districts teetering on the brink of financial disaster, Torlakson predicted that if parcel tax measures don't pass, such as the Jefferson Union High School District's , schools will go into the negative and will not be able to give students an equal "playing field" with students from other countries.
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“If I were a voter, I would gladly pay the $96 to invest in our schools," he said.
Torlakson, a former science teacher, didn’t beat around the bush when describing his view of California’s state of education. Upon taking office in November 2010, he declared a state of financial emergency on the basis of “$18 billion in cuts (to education) in the last three years.”
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With some of the most crowded classrooms (with class sizes up from 22 to 28) in the nation and tens of thousands of teachers and counselors laid off, California has dropped from the one of the top five public education systems in the country in that regard to 47th.
Torlakson recognized that Calfornia area schools are doing all they can to cut costs and that continued cuts would be jobs and programs. Jefferson Union High School District Superintendent Mike Crilly spoke to the cuts already made in that ditrict.
“We have eliminated summer school, chopped 4 days off the school year, and we share one counselor for 550 students," he said. "Without summer school, graduation rates will drop and with class size increases, exit exam statistics could possibly stay the same, or more than likely, drop."
teacher Alyssa Jenkins asked Torlakson about the “lunacy” surrounding rising expectations of teachers with decreasing salaries, and described the situation as “demoralizing”.
In response, Torlakson promised to be a more active superintendent and to fight in the state Assembly for a change in what he called the “Draconian system” of current public school expectations, cuts, and No Child Left Behind standards.
Watch the video for more of Torlakson's visit to Westmoor.
