"Changing the ratio to 25:1 would mean the schools would contribute no money and the state would contribute less, but would make the program "self sustaining" for the district."

This is a good thing. It saves 1.6 million, and a class with 25 students is still manageable. K-3 classes with 25 students are not ideal but are still okay.

4th and 5th grade students already have more than 30 students in their class, and so do 6-8 graders. Why would the board want less than 30 students in 9th grade? It does not makes sense to me.

"In delaying the payment, Cazares said the risk is that it doesn't look good to investors if the district would seek to issue debt. To make up for the delay, the district would have to pay $1.5 million in fiscal year 2010-11."

The board should not have approved the funding of programs without the funds. Where are they planning to get the 1.5 million in 2010-11?

It is not responsible, and items like Barton reading, etc should not be financed if the funds are not there.

I voted YES on G but it failed. The board needs to come to terms with the reality that people rejected the tax, and therefore the items placed to be funded by it should NOT be funded by money we have to pay later.

Fund only what can be self-sustaining. Unbelievable that our board is making poor decisions already, this is scary.

9th grade classes are not all 20 students. Most are larger, but English and Math classes have been kept smaller to help 9th graders in the transition to high school, and make sure they get a solid foundation for later courses in those subjects.