School Board Is a Bit Too Giving

Now that we have passed the season of giving, I would like to express an opinion on giving by the Santa Paula Elementary School District board. The board has terminated the contract of the superintendent of schools with little thought as to the expense of the taxpayer.

Evidently tax money and its spending are of little concern to the school board majority. As I understand it, the district bought out the superintendent’s contract at a cost of $96,000 plus lawyers’ fees and an additional stipend for a temporary superintendent--which is well over $100,000.

As taxpayers, we work hard to give our elected officials our tax money for schoolchildren and expect it to be spent as prudently as we would spend our own money. Money is just not that easy to come by.

I understand that the superintendent’s last day at work would have been the end of April due to accumulated vacation days. This means that they spent $100,000 because they wouldn’t wait 4 1/2 months! Surely the two attorneys must have pointed this out to the board, but only one board member had the sense to say no.

With such high rollers as our four elected officials, we certainly need to remember this waste the next time these people run for office.

GENE S. BUD DICKINSON, Santa Paula