The Washington Post is reporting on the issue of parent-paid aides as we discussed in an earlier article.  In the previous article, the Times was describing how the union and other school system officials were getting rid of parent-paid aides and teachers despite the complaints from parents and students.  This Washington Post article is reporting on the ingenuity of a concerned mom and how she successfully raised enough money to spare the jobs of three teacher's aides. I guess I am not as cynical as the hard-core New Yorkers and Union laborers, but I tend to see this as a step in the right direction.  Teachers are always complaining that there isn't enough parent envolvment in schools and that students need to know that their parents care by the support that they show.  Isn't this a prime example of parent envolvment?  Isn't it a great way for parents to show their support of the hard working teachers in their school systems? Granted, we wouldn't want the government to come to rely on the donations and fundraising efforts of parents to staff our schools, but will it really come to that?  I think that for those politicians who insist on removing the parent-paid aides from the classroom, that perhaps they ought to spend a day in a kindergarten class with no help.  Maybe, they should volunteer to have the budget for their aides cut instead.  Come on, America, it's time to show our support of educators!