Bottom-line corporate guru in the school superintendent's office

Dear Editor,

Fantastic! The school system strikes again. Superintendent Bill McCabe needs to curtail school expenditures so he has a brilliant idea to reduce class-time school hours to four days per week. Just like every other bottom-line, corporate guru he needs to cut back on spending so he'll simply pass it on to the tax paying consumer.

I've written several times about how unfriendly our school system is to parents but this takes the cake. If he thinks it's tough at the district level he should sample what's going on at the home front.

Who's going to watch the kids and what will that cost parents? Our school system hasn't been parent-friendly for 60 years, but of course that's when most moms stayed at home to actually raise children.

There is little-to-no consideration for whom they serve. It's our school system that creates a need for boys and girls clubs. And of course, an economy that demands both parents to work.

If cuts come from "salaries" as Superintendent McCabe says, will it affect his pay also? Somehow, I doubt it.

Our governments answer is always more taxes! With more taxes we can solve anything. Mr. McCabe calls his solution "educated guesswork." I call them all idiots! But, we keep struggling to pay the bill so maybe we're all idiots, too.

J.R. Froelich,
Oakhurst

Return our taxes or reduce our school class sizes

Dear Editor,

After reading the July 10 article "Bass Lake District makes cuts" and attending several Bass Lake School District board meetings, I feel I need to express my concerns.

Parents from numerous schools were asking for intervention for primary class-size reductions. The district has voted to increase class sizes from 20 to as high as 32 students in third grade.

Changes being made at Bass Lake School have many parents feeling the district will eventually close that school. A Wawona representative left the board meeting after discussing a $56,000 deficit that parents are being asked to fill to keep their school afloat. They helped write a $42,000 grant to offset this deficit, and were informed it would not.

Why are cuts being made when there is money to cover those costs? Their budget shows they have a $1.6 million reserve or approximately 18 percent. They are only required to have a 4 percent reserve, which is $350,000. That leaves $1.2 million that should be spent before we start cutting vital programs. That money is our taxes given for public education. Parents and community members are being asked to make cuts and sacrifices when the district has the financial reserve to pay for the current fiscal emergency.

I feel the school board is not utilizing the tax revenues they have been allotted for the purposes intended. If this is the case, please return our unused tax revenues so we can utilize that money properly for our children's education.

Ronda Clarke,
Oakhurst

The candidates should stand up to Big Oil

Dear Editor,

It's extremely interesting to watch the march of fuel costs. Exxon, Mobil, etc. would have you believe that there is a shortage, as in the '70s, and most recently there is a push back to the 55 mph speed limit.

There is absolutely no shortage in oil in this country. There now exist numerous reports of U.S. oil reserves exceeding that of all other countries combined.

But there is a marked limitation in refining capacity in this country. Don't get me wrong, I am all for green technology, but if you listen to the candidates, they'd have you believe that the technology does not presently exist. That also is incorrect.

For example, a company out of San Jose is currently producing solar cells, at one-tenth the cost of previous cells. Certainly this will dramatically reduce the cost of solar systems for homes and businesses.

The oil companies have failed to expand their refining capacity, I believe on purpose, to artificially maintain or raise fuel costs. It's insane that they can report record profits on the backs of the working man.

I wish any one of the candidates would have the nerve to stand up and call it as it actually is instead of pretending that there is a problem. I only imagine that each of them is heavily invested in the oil industry, and as fuel costs rise, their wallets fatten as well.

James Starnes,
Oakhurst

45 mph on Road 426? What were they thinking?

Dear Editor,

I was pleased that the speed limit on 426 was raised, however, I think that road 426 between Highview and highway 41 should not be 45 mph, it should be closer to 35 mph as one of the curves would be too dangerous to take at the new posted speed. Almost all of our school kids have to travel that way. I sure hope the powers that be re-think it.

Linda Skov,
Oakhurst