| | Published September 25th, 2013
| Letters to the Editor
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Editor:
Moraga is an amazing and unique town to live in. It is a place of strong community, where kids still walk to school and the pool without their parents, and neighbors gather in the streets to chat. Diablo Magazine recently listed Moraga as a Hot 'Hood saying "Moraga has always been a market in demand, but it's more so lately with the dearth of inventory fueling interest in this tucked- away town with stellar schools and a tight-knit community."
Our community takes pride in their schools and it shows. The Moraga School District (MSD) is consistently ranked in the top 1% in California. It is no wonder that when new families are asked why they moved to the area they consistently say, "because of the great schools."
Over the past 5 years, school funding from the State of California has decreased more than 22%. In fact, out of the 18 school districts in Contra Costa County, Moraga is 15th in per pupil funding received from the state.
The Moraga School District has managed their money well - making cuts and utilizing its "rainy day" reserve fund to help bridge the gap. We now need additional local, community funding to maintain our school programs and quality education.
On November 5th, we need to pass Measure B, a $192 per year parcel tax for the next six years. A parcel tax is the most stable and protected source of money. We need the community to support this because without this funding MSD will be faced with severe cuts that will affect our schools and community for years to come.
The money raised through Measure B would stay in Moraga, NOT go to Sacramento. It will fund core academic programs such as math, science and technology, NOT administrative costs. It would allow students to learn in manageable class sizes, keep art and music programs and have safe, well-maintained schools.
Protecting the quality of our local schools and giving the Moraga children the education they deserve is a shared, community responsibility. This is something that is important not only to the families with students in the MSD, but also every property owner in Moraga. The strength of our community (and home values) is based on the strength of our schools.
As the PTA Presidents of the four MSD schools (Camino Pablo Elementary, Donald Rheem Elementary, Los Perales Elementary, and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate) we ask you to please vote YES on Measure B.
Sally Whipple, Tenaya Garrett-Salvi, Sara Mooradian, and Paul Derksen
Moraga
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA