Dear Editor,
I feel sort of guilty responding to Mr. Viarengo’s latest comments. I guess it is the teacher in me and the student in him.
Government lesson for Mr. Viarengo. California passes a state budget with a supermajority vote, thus the minority party won’t allow the constitutional public education increases. California is one of three states (Rhode Island, Arkansas) that mandate a two-thirds vote. The Republicans have been the minority party since the passage of Prop. 98.
Math lesson for Mr. Viarengo. If states are rank ordered, there is no median whole number. My last count shows 50 states, not 51. If one did a median 50 state ranking, then the median value is 25.5. We’ll call this value “Viarengoland.” If California were ranked 26th in salary comparison, this would be just below Viarengoland, which means his state would be paying higher salaries to its employees than California.
History lesson for Mr. Viarengo. Teachers are not salaried employees. If a teacher misses work, he/she can be docked per diem pay for missed days.
Reality lesson for Mr. Viarengo. The Rand Report stated that California spends less per pupil on public education than all but six states. Viarengolanders will not read this report as it taxes their blissfully ignorant, ideological belief system regarding public school funding. The 36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools showed that by a 2:1 margin to the next highest concern (discipline), Americans feel that lack of funding is the biggest problem with public education.
Mr. Viarengo, like most anti-public education proponents, has little concern about the decline in public school funding. Though California has the most stringent teacher credentialing and student performance requirements in the nation, it plays second fiddle to an administration and state legislature that sorely under funds it. Their answer – eliminate public education.
Dale Morejón, Gilroy
