The Sonima (formally known as Jois) Foundation is no longer funding yoga at our schools after this current school year. In response to this, the Encinitas Union School District School Board and Dr. Baird have proposed taking $800,000.00 from the district's general fund to pay for the yoga program to continue next year. Please sign this petition to say NO.

We are not opposed to yoga. We are opposed to the use of scarce funds for yoga when our schools need more funding for essential subjects such as science, mathematics and the arts. This petition is about the responsible use of public funds particularly when classroom sizes are exploding. We are asked constantly to privately donate to the schools to help fund programs such as science and computers. To think of spending $800,000.00 on yoga is inappropriate and irresponsible. The Board and the Superintendent have a fiduciary duty to use our taxpayer funds to allocate to core subject matters, not yoga -- a non-essential recreational activity. It is particularly alarming, that Dr. Baird is on the Advisory Board of the Sonima Foundation (the organization that has funded yoga in the past and is now no longer going to fund it for our school district).

A small group of parents went to the EUSD board meeting last night and voiced our concern with this proposal. Because the topic was not an agenda item, the Board did not have to speak to the issue last night, and they did not. There was time allotted for public comment. Five people could speak on any one topic (for three minutes each). Six people spoke (two students spoke together) and were all opposed to spending $800,000 on yoga. This is money that could be better spent on things that are priorities of parents in our district.

Here are just a couple of ideas:
1. Hire 2 teachers for each school that could lower the class sizes of all of our students.
2. Pay for science, art, music, P.E. teachers (currently parents have to raise money to have science, art, music, and P.E. in our schools -- programs that are part of the core curriculums of other school districts). In fact, some of the schools in our district can't raise enough money and those children are missing out on some of these programs. Then any fundraising done at our schools can be used to pay for programs that are priorities to our families. If yoga is a priority, it could come out of the school's fundraising budget.

Parents also spoke to the need for balance and fiscal responsibility. Several suggested that the district do an in-depth survey to ask parents what their priorities are rather than moving ahead with something as big as an $800,000 yoga expenditure without input.

Please sign this petition and share with as many stakeholders as possible to stop this irresponsible spending.