To StevieGee..the school board members each represent their districts, they get paid a very nominal amount-something like $500 a month. They each are on numerous committees and attend endless meetings. To thsas...do you really think teachers are the problem with the budget. I am not a teacher, just a parent of two students that go to our neighborhood schools. it annoys me when folks who have no clue rattle on about essentially, "lazy" teachers. There are a few but for the most part teachers are some of the hardest working folks, I've ever met. Try working all day teaching 30+ students, grading papers, preparing for the next day, playing social worker, nurse, mom and dad. It's a true passion with most teachers and we should be thankful that there are still folks who WANT to do this job. I could never be a teacher.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this school continues to exist. The charter states that the school should represent the demographics of the surrounding areas. They have failed to do that, even with the significant amount of outreach, they can't get the enrollment numbers above 950. It's a reasonable statement to suggest that they have segregated themselves. Look at the schools demographics. Additionally, according to their charter, they should be financially solvent. They are not. I really don't care about the charter itself. What I do care about is the "occupation" of that school that all of us are paying for. If the District is not going to fulfill the court order, we should at least get Sac High back.

Mr. West, you certainly drank the kool-aid served up by your brother. It is impossible for you to be unbiased and impartial, as you have a financial stake in his becoming a strong mayor. You even spew the same words...status quo, jargon....gag me. Your brother has way too much baggage from his past indiscretions and illegal activities to ever allow this initiatve to pass.

Johnson's has had two education summits since taking office as Mayor. I attended the first summit with the expectation that I would hear innovative and thought provoking discussions about education. What I heard was that the only way to accomplish education reform was to support the strong mayor initiative and by closing failing schools and creating more charter schools. ALL of the speakers supported the idea of a "strong mayor". Nothing else was discussed except charter schools. Johnson is clearly aligning himself with national education bigwigs so that when the money falls from the sky he'll be around to catch it. He has no business, as Mayor, being involved in the education of my children.

So here are my observations.My immediate concern is why the mayor of Sacramento is even involved in the issue of education reform at all. He doesn't have an education background. He doesn't even have kids. As a Mayor, shouldn't he be involved in helping city council run the city. Why does he feel like it's his job to court the U.S. Secretary of Education? Oh..follow the money. That's his mantra...maybe the Secretary of Education can get Mr. Johnson to pay back all the money he owes CDE and SCUSD and Americorps. That would be a start.