How We Actually Honor Laguna Beach Taxpayers

FUEL and LBUSD Advocacy
Written By Emily Rolfing

There is a pattern emerging at LBUSD board meetings. The board majority has repeatedly framed decisions around the financial contributions of this community — citing the district's $90 million budget, SchoolPower's annual giving, and community scholarship donations as context for governance decisions.

The numbers are real. The community investment in our schools is genuine and extraordinary. But the framing is wrong, and it matters.

FUEL President Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal addresses this directly. Public schools are funded through property taxes and local contributions because education is a core public good — not because financial contribution creates authority over student experience. The way we honor taxpayers is not by invoking how much they give. The way we honor them is by delivering what they are paying for: an exceptional public education system where every student thrives.

Our students are not beneficiaries of charity. They are the reason the system exists.

Watch Shaheen's full statement below.

This is a statement from FUEL President Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal addressing a pattern of governance framing at Laguna Beach Unified School District board meetings. FUEL attends every LBUSD board meeting and advocates for student-centered decision making in Laguna Beach schools.

Emily Rolfing
Next

March 26 Board Meeting: What's on the Agenda and What We Are Watching