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• Delta Blood Bank questions Sacramento group hosting drive

• Are you ready to get wet?

• Lodi seeks residents' feedback on General Plan

• Galt high school district to vote on reducing developer fees

• Regional Roundup

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (75)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (43)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (31)

ADVERTISEMENT

One program shouldn't jeopardize many

On Jan. 10, 2008, the Galt High School Board promised to build Liberty Ranch High School without borrowing any money.

Galt parents, students and community members need to be aware that the board plans to borrow over $2 million to complete a Career Technical Building at the Liberty Ranch site, essentially breaking its earlier promise not to borrow money. Even under the least costly scenario, this loan will encumber our district for at least the next 15 years, with interest of over $1 million for a total cost of $3,142,938. Annual payments would amount to $210,000.

So what is wrong with a Career Technical Building? Nothing, as long as we can afford it. However, just like a family who must live within their means, this project is simply not within our budget given the current financial circumstances. Just this year, the board faced many difficult decisions to balance the district's budget.

Due to financial constraints class sizes were increased at all schools, many academic programs were denied funding, department budgets were squeezed, and some elective courses were eliminated — all of which affected the quality of education in the classroom for our students.

And now the board is considering borrowing money which will exacerbate our budget shortfall. How will they balance next year's budget with an additional $210,000 loan payment AND more state cuts; with further increases in class sizes, elimination of counseling services, elimination of more electives, reduced maintenance at the three schools sites, elimination of library services, and cuts in English language learners support curriculum?

So what can be done? The board needs to hear from you, the public, that you don't want your children's schools encumbered with a loan that will impact the quality of education within Galt High School District for the next 15 to 30 years. Our students deserve the best educational opportunities that we can provide them, but we can't let one program jeopardize the quality of education available to all students.

Attend the special board meeting for this topic on Oct. 26 and make your voice heard on this ill-conceived loan.

Galt Joint Union High School District Staff Concerned About the Fiscal Future of Our District
Alex Bauer, Gayle Alvarado, Craig Anderson, Phillip Arieas, Thom Bradley, Oscar Corona, Sean Duncan, Steve Gardner, Franki Hernandez, Alejo Padilla