Maybe the district could consider using that "transportation stipend" that the district gives to its superintendent?

Maybe the new supe-designee could give a straightforward, honest answer..."does the superintendent receive a transportation stipend in addition to his salary?"

Actually, many district office staff receive a transportation and cell phone stipend (newly approved) as well. This was slipped in this past year without much fanfare.

You people are obsessed. It's pathetic.

Don't you have a job? Don't you get paid?

Oh, but these are *government* employees. Therefore, they should only be allowed to make $10 a day, and must wear sackcloth and eat chicken broth and bread crusts during their unpaid lunch break.

Ours and every other school district in the state are undergoing unprecedented funding cuts and our district administrators are giving transportation stipends to people who work in a school district that is all of 5 miles from one end to the other?

When this money could be spent on programs and supplies that are directly for students?

Listening to district office administrators chant "it's all about the students" and then spend money on themselves while cutting programs is pathetic, and it must stop.

I think this city is mismanaged just like most other cities. They spend the incoming revenue on themselves. Whatever is left over is what gets spent on the students and citizens. Looks like they are on the top of the food chain. When you control the incoming money , you decide who you dole out. Looks like there is no ethical person left to manage to manage citizens affairs and welfare. Thay take it from all of us and then turn around and treat us like good for nothing. iam frankly fed up with the city council , school district officials, other agecnies,etc. The top guys in the school districts and city officials live life at large at our expense (also our blood). I would like to see them take a pay cut or work (real) overtime for the same pay like the rest of us.

(To Kanank: How the city is managed and how the schools are managed are two completely different processes and different systems. City Council does not manage the schools.)

On busing: Having closed Slater and Whisman Schools, leaving no elementary on the freeway-side of Middlefield Road, the students stand out at their bus stops at 7:00 in the morning, rain or shine, getting up earlier than other students and not able to walk to a neighborhood school but having to rely on the bus. It is cavalier to now impose a price hike on these families, low-income or not; it is one more burden for the families who did not choose to live in a neighborhood where the school were closed. And saying that the district is all of five miles one-end-to-the-other - try walking a kinder and a second grader to Castro School from the Whisman neighborhood! These children are taking the bus out of neccessity, not out of choice. And then make the families pay MORE!? What a slap in the face.

I certainly agree with Jane.
Regarding the broad subject of School Buses: wouldn't it reduce traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, energy consumption, etc if we were to increase the use of school buses to include student. The roads are full every morning and afternoon of cars transporting students to school. This is a Global Warming issue and should be paid for by the State. It impacts all of us.

Some great ideas and input. I think state employees should be forced to cut back in tough times. Getting rid of perks and putting the money into student services and teacher support only makes sense. A bottom up review is needed.

I also like the idea of reducing the carbon footprint by bringing in more schools buses. Lots of cars shuttling back and forth 1-2 kids and idling forever around congested school parking lots makes no sense. If the city wants to get behind green, they might want to start with a problem such as this.

to Jane - let me clarify, I was referring to giving a $6K (source: SCC grand jury report) transportation stipend to school district administrators who very occasionally visit schools that are less than 5 miles apart. Yes I agree it is unreasonable and unfair to charge even higher fees to students to take the bus after their neighborhood school was closed.

The problem is that the district refuses to provide specifics about their spending, hiding these perks and others (health insurance coverage for trustees?!) behind broad categories.

Furthermore, there used to be several budget oversight committees (bond money, parcel tax money, budget committee) comprised of parents and community members. Those advisory committees that met monthly under the prior CFO now meet "as needed" which is maybe 2-3 times per year.

This district, despite their claims to the contrary, has NO interest in parent input or oversight.

To close reader above:

The federal and state deficit is sky-rocketing precisely because many federal state employees, and even city, have been robbing the state coffers for years with perks and over-time and benefits while their performance and productivity goes down. Then, when is comes time to retirement, they preempt it with a bogus disability claim. How do I know? Because I worked for the counties and cities in the past and now work for the federal government. I've gotten raises every year since 2001. My benefits are excellent. I can't be fired. I see waste all around me. Unless the public speaks out, nothing will be done about it.

Meanwhile, in the household struggling to earn a living in the private sector, let the moms and kids walk to school?

It's out of control and there needs to be public oversight and accountablility.