Letters to the Editor, June 26

Why is BUSD leadership trying to ruin school?

A former superintendent and a high school principal seemed intent on making Barstow High School an ugly place to teach and learn. The problems of Barstow Unified School District began with them. When they left the district, many sighed relief. 

It appears that the current superintendent is doing everything possible to discredit Barstow High School and negate the advances made during the just completed school year.

Barstow High School Principal Ed Cheek (on “administrative leave” for the remainder of his contract), in little more than six months, managed to undo the declining reputation of Barstow High School begun several years ago. He encouraged students to retake possession of the campus, to assume responsibility for their education, to show pride in their school. And they did.

Unfortunately a flourishing and successful Barstow High School seems not what a former superintendent, the current superintendent, or the spies and moles (who report to the superintendent) want for BHS.

To aid in the destruction of the Unified, most of the district administration and a considerable number of district teachers, do not live in Barstow. They take their combined salaries of more than two million dollars and pay their taxes for other school districts (where they can’t get a job?). With the return to classroom duties by one district administrator living in Barstow, one can be assured that the new administrator (salary about $100,000) will live 40 - 50 miles southwest of Barstow.

To their discredit the School Board, despite hearing of Barstow High’s considerable progress, was an unwitting participant in Barstow’s troubles for just accepting the district administration’s say so on school matters. Fortunately, the Board may be able to undo their errors, if they will but exercise their authority and position. They do have the means and the money.

While the District annually screams poverty and declining enrollment, the numbers they refer to are only on paper. Hundreds of students who seldom or never attend school after registering are carried on rolls. Not until spring are they dropped. “See,” the district says, “enrollment is down.” Of course BUSD never receives ADA for these chronic absentees even though it encumbers the budget as if they were present.

The real smokescreen is Category 8660 under “Other Local Funding.” Budget Category 8660 is “Interest.” In the last four years the district has earned more than $1,300,000 in interest. How much money do you suppose this “poor” district has in savings — not a category in the school budget — to earn an average of more than $250,000 in interest each year?

Perhaps  better questions to ask are: Where did the savings account come from in the first place? How was the money siphoned off from other educational categories? Were student materials limited for the sake of savings? Does the savings account explain why teacher salaries and benefits have been among the worst in the state?

Don Braden, Barstow, retired BUSD teacher