After reading the remarks of the LVUSD Board of Education in the June 23 Acorn, I decided to write a letter to the editor. It’s a real shame that the board appeared to gloss over the sacrifice of so many teachers in their article. Over the last few years many of veteran teachers decided to retire early or leave the district so that younger teachers could keep their jobs. My letter to the editor is reproduced from the Acorn on June 30 below.
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Says early teacher retirement helped
After reading the op-ed in last week’s Acorn, the Las Virgenes Unified Board of Education appears to have used the Save Our Schools (SOS) Campaign to take credit for rescinding 53 layoff notices to teachers and counselors.
It is true that the SOS campaign and other fundraising foundations have been very important in this achievement; however, the board appears to gloss over the impact of the teachers association’s early retirement program.
Although the SOS program did generate more than $450,000 in donations, it is very difficult to compare monetary sacrifices with personal ones. The creation of the early retirement program has led more than 30 teachers in the LVUSD to retire this year so that new and younger teachers can keep their jobs. This is in addition to the many teachers who have retired over the past three years. This tremendous sacrifice is noble and they did not receive the credit they deserve in the statement of the board last week.
As a graduate of the LVUSD system, I am grateful to the impact that my teachers had on my education. Although I graduated from Calabasas High School only four years ago, only a small handful of these influential teachers remain in the district. Yet it will be the students in the LVUSD system that will suffer from the retirement of these experienced teachers. In addition, many of the specialists in the computer labs, libraries and physical education have experienced large cuts in lost hours and health care benefits as well.
The sacrifices of these dedicated educators and specialists are as significant as the actions of the board of education. Their sacrifice deserves to be commended.
Alec Weisman
Westlake Village
Word from the Wise 