Dear Editor,

In response to the article ‘Oakdale Teachers Pack School Board Meeting’ featured in the Oakdale Leader on Wednesday, January 14, 2015, I would like to clarify a few points and add a little more clarity to the reporter’s presentation.

My name is Terry Trowbridge and I am a second grade teacher at Cloverland Elementary School. At the board meeting, I did say that I am a damn good teacher and I also related that the money being held in reserve by the district belongs to the teachers. What was omitted from the column was the following; I also stated that the reserved funds belong to the support staff and the students of our community. Another point that was not addressed is that the Oakdale Joint Unified School District has one of the largest reserves of funds in our county. Because districts withhold funds, a bill has made its way through the legislature that will limit reserve funds to three percent. The Oakdale Unified School District’s reserve far exceeds the three percent that will be mandated by the state of California.

In closing, I would like to remind the community that money held in reserve is not being spent on your children’s education nor is it being spent to attract highly qualified teachers to our community. Therefore, like me you also have a stake in how the funds are distributed or not distributed within our school district.

Thanks for your time and the opportunity to clarify my comments.

Terry Trowbridge