We could all sit here and gripe about who's to blame for the current budget shortfalls; however, that wouldn't do anything to change the fact that the Simi school district is now faced with some dire decisions.

There is no question that these are difficult times and that citizens are continuing to be taxed to death and that everyone's budget is being stretched to the limit. For the people who live in the district who don't have any kids, they are already paying enough.

The question that I wish to raise is whether or not we, the parents of children currently in the district, are doing enough.

Having lived in the San Fernando Valley previously, our family paid the same property taxes; however, additionally we were burdened with paying for private schools because the public schools where we would have sent our children were completely unacceptable.

We since relocated to the Simi Valley area because we were able to send our children to the public schools here with complete confidence in their education and safety. This enabled our family to save thousands per year that could be put toward our home and other things.

When your child attends private school, in addition to the tuition, there are a multitude of mandatory fundraisers and separate fees, including the purchase of textbooks. In this district, the level of direct financial participation by parents of schoolchildren is minimal to nonexistent.

Why is it that day care can cost upwards of $100 per week and the education of your children cost nothing?

The current budget shortfall should be closed by imposing fees and some sort of monthly commitment on behalf of the parents of students in the district. A mere $20 per month per student ($1 per day), which is what our family receives for our recycling each month, would go a long way to fixing the problem.

Though I'm uncertain about the legalities of the proposal, I'm certainly not unclear about the feasibility and moral responsibility of the issue.

I would like to be the first to volunteer for this program and challenge other parents to stand up and do the right thing for our schools, our children and our city, and not let our kids be cheated. It's our responsibility as parents and adults. Robert Andrews Simi Valley