Submitted by Allen Frances MD
Apparently, some Coronado residents don’t seem to realize just how wonderful our school system is- and how much it is now at risk. The first of my five grandchildren entered kindergarten more than twenty years ago; the last two will graduate high school this year. At every level, their education equaled the very best private and public schools in the nation and prepared them not only for success in college, but also to become responsible citizens, effective workers, and caring adults. My three eldest grandchildren all say their best teachers were at Coronado High School- not their professors at Harvard, Berkeley, and Duke.
A great school system takes many generations to build, but can be thoughtlessly destroyed in just a few years. School Board elections across the country, and now sadly also in Coronado, are being cynically exploited for political gain, turned into polarized battlegrounds, and have drifted far away from the sacred goal of providing our kids with the best possible preparation for college and for life.
One of my grandsons put it this way at lunch a few days ago: “As a student, the biggest error I see in our educational system is parents and members of the community harassing our completely capable school system with ideological nonsense and rants. For the sake of all students, staff, and the community, let’s leave curriculum and administration to the highly skilled educational professionals we are so lucky to have at CUSD.”
It is impossible ever to change the minds of the political zealots who are distorting the purpose of the upcoming School Board election. But three things can save our school system from their attacks: 1) high turnout among community members who appreciate how excellent our school system is; 2) the good sense of swing voters in rejecting irresponsibly extremist candidates; 3) the votes of home owners concerned about property values.
Coronado residents with no children and no interest in CUSD education nonetheless have a big personal stake in this school board election. The high property values in Coronado reflect three things- the beach, the climate, and the school system. Homeowners should vote with full awareness that messing up our highly regarded schools will have the harmful unintended consequence of sharply deflating our real estate market.
Allen Frances MD
