SJB Council Funded Summer Program for Four Years
Editor,
In Wednesday’s front page article,” San Juan Kids Lose Summer Activities,” the Free Lance reported on the SJB summer enrichment program. The article stated that the summer enrichment program was no longer being offered because the grant that funded the program has expired. This statement is incorrect. As a city councilmember from 2002-2006, I strongly supported the city funding a summer enrichment program and it “was budgeted” each of the four years I served. The summer program offered performing dance classes, art classes, physical education activities and much more. Our local theatre, El Teatro Campesino, personnel contributed to this wonderful summer program. One of the main goals of the summer enrichment program was to offer a good program at a reasonable price to our children (somewhere between $5 and $10 dollars a day – parent cost). As a professional educator, I’m very disappointed with SJB City Council nixing (cutting) this past budgeted “Line Item.” I find it very disheartening to think SJB City Council has eliminated this funding ($5,000) from it million dollar ($1,000,000) budget for our children. The City is probably spending this money on more legal fees (disputing the Inspector General Audit report of the U.S. Department of Commerce- E.D.A. water grant) or paying another consultant.
Chuck Geiger, San Juan Bautista
