[SoHappy]

Our morning paper was talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger's visit to a neighboring town yesterday. The public high school band from a city 60 miles away "welcomed" him with a fight song.

I'm not cool with this. California schools are facing serious budget issues. Yet somebody thought it was a good idea to pack up the entire band and their teacher and chaperones and drive them 120 miles (round-trip) to welcome a political candidate?

I just don't think school days or school funds should be spent on political endeavors. Am I off-base here?

 

[daylily]

No, you're not offbase here. The more I think about it, the more outrageous it seems that a high school band would show support for a political candidate. Shouldn't schools stay out of politics? Even if the CA schools were flush with money this would bug me, particularly if I were a parent at that school.

I know I would flip my lid if George Bush (or any other politician) visited my city and my kids lost instructional time to welcome him.

 

[SoHappy]

I'm especially upset after finding this:
California Education Code 7054 (a) states, "No school district or community college district funds, services, supplies, or equipment shall be used for the purpose of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure or candidate, including, but not limited to, any
candidate for election to the governing board of the district."

and section c states:
(c) A violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor or felony punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both, or imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.

 

[2tired2clean]

Is it possible this wasn't entirely about politics? I mean the man is a famous actor.

 

[5796]

maybe a fat donation from arnold was made to the school?

could that be possible?

 

[SoHappy]

Definitely about politics. It was a campaign stop.
From the article,"In his 13-minute speech, the 56-year-old actor declared his love for California and chastised Gov. Gray Davis..." etc.

But I just realized that at least they didn't have to pull kids out of class for this event -- it was yesterday (Sunday)and in my SAHM mind, today was Tuesday. Duh.

But they must've spent class time practicing, arranging things, etc.

 

[TiredX2]

Seems really wrong to me. Honestly, esp because he's already famous. Seems like wasting school money not only on a partisan issue, but on just going to see a movie star. If they needed a band, couldn't the actual local one do?

 

[JessicaS]

I don't think a band would go all the way out there just for that. Surely they were in that area for some sort of competition or something.

Taking a band somewhere is a HUGE PITA. They have to worry about very expensive instruments and uniforms in addition to everything else a school group has to worry about on a trip. They probably had another reason for being there and just made an extra stop.

I was in band in high school and college and that isn't something they would normally do, UNLESS he gave them lots of $$$$$ for new instruments, then heck ya they would do it.

 

[JessicaS]

Quote:

candidate for election to the governing board of the district

That sounds like school board elections and stuff like that, or am I reading that wrong?

 

[DaryLLL]

Quote:

Originally posted by daylily . I know I would flip my lid if George Bush (or any other politician) visited my city and my kids lost instructional time to welcome him.

I do not think teenagers should be trotted out to support any candidate (esp Republican!

) But, speaking as an unschooler, believe me, meeting and greeting a political candidate would be worlds more educational than hours in class with a dry old history book!

 

[SoHappy]

Well, there was an article in today's paper about it.

Yes, they went there solely to play for Arnie's rally, at the invitiation of a politician in the town they visited. And it sounds like they shouldn't have.

You can read the article online at:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/san...ws/6896581.htm