Sharing of Parental Funds for Schools

In reference to the article about the Newport-Mesa schools (“28 Newport-Mesa Schools Share Alike--Up to a Point,” (April 16), I feel that the parents who have volunteered their time and money to the schools their children attend should be applauded rather than criticized for their efforts. I am a parent of a child in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and a teacher in the Garden Grove Unified School District. (A volunteer has the right to decide where his or her money goes!)

The school where I teach receives thousands of dollars from the government. School Improvement Program funds come from the state, and Chapter 1 funds come from the federal government. Schools receive federal funds according to the students’ scores on the MAT-6 test given each year and the socioeconomic status of the families in the area. Schools are not asked to share Chapter 1 funds with other schools.

Our government funds are used for free lunches, free breakfasts, field trips, teachers’ aides, additional office help, program facilitators, and classroom supplies and books. Schools in less affluent areas in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District also receive these same funds and are not asked to share with schools who do not receive them.

I feel that government funds, rather than money raised by parent groups, should be shared equally by all schools!

JUDY T. BROWN

Newport Beach