School budgets and layoffs

[findingdeadbeats]

I have attended board meetings and have worked on school budgets.

Our local district covers 100% of the premiums for their board members. As does the local elementary school who claims to have no money for students. I find it hard to believe that a board member at a K-8 school is working a full-time job for said school and should have 100% paid health insurance. And, they do! They cover ONE school in that case, not an entire suburban district or anything. And, the remote members phone in via speaker phone and don't appear in person. So, they never even leave home...

[zibazinski]

In Pinellas county, school board members get a teachers salary but I don't know about health insurance. They also vote themselves raises. They claim it's a full time job. I pretty much figured that they can't get a job doing anything else, kind of like TSA agents, and get on the school board.

[Deleted]

The governor of CA is talking about knocking off 15 instructional days because of the budget woes. Since it has to be negotiated with the unions it'll be interesting to see what actually happens.

[Sum Dum Gai]

In Pinellas county, school board members get a teachers salary

Holy crap! Do they get the step raises, bonus for having a master's degree, and all that? In our county that could be a pretty decent middle class salary, up around $60-75k.

[zibazinski]

Not in Florida. If you don't have a union, and we don't, salaries are crapola. But, yes, they vote themselves raises. A school board member with a masters, puhleeze. We have the usual suspects. Like they couldn't get a job anywhere else. We had an actual teacher one time and the other board members made her life a living hell because she did things like refuse her raise because teachers didn't get one so why should board members?

[zibazinski]

I wish the school year had been shortened when my kids were in school. I'd have loved that extra time with my kids. I'm all for starting after labor day and ending before memorial weekend.

[Deleted]

I'm in So Cal and our school year already has been shortened.. This year, Memorial Day Weekend now includes tomorrow and Friday as "no school" days... so it's a 5 day weekend instead of a 3 day weekend... last year, Thanksgiving break was the entire week! and summer break is now starting 3 days earlier than it shows on the calendar they sent out at the beginning of the year... [image]

DS' preschool runs on the public school calendar. I can't believe how much shorter the school year is now than when I was a kid. It's hardest on the poor kids who tend to fall back academically in the summers.

[zibazinski]

They usually attend summer school or a head start program. At least some do. That's also how they get fed in the summer.

[Deleted]

That's also how they get fed in the summer.

My school district partners with the local parks & rec to provide free lunches to any kids at schools and parks during the summer. You don't have to be in school or income qualify.

[swamp]

May 24, 2012 10:16:45 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

That's also how they get fed in the summer.

My school district partners with the local parks & rec to provide free lunches to any kids at schools and parks during the summer. You don't have to be in school or income qualify.

Our local school does it too. I believe it's a federal program for areas with a certain percentage of the residents living under the poverty level.

I'm good with feeding kids and it's one of those programs I happily pay for. Yes, I know that parents should feed their own kids, but the reality is that some don't, and this is the next best thing.

[michelyn8]

she never gives A's in the first semester because she felt it made the kids work harder throughout the year to earn one later.


I would have had an issue with this statement. Either the child earns an A or they don't. Lowering their grade so they'll work harder is a ridiculous idea. The material changes throughout the year and what they may grasp in week 5 is usually going to be less difficult than what they are expected to grasp in week 25 (especially in subject like Math and Science). Knowing they are capable of an A in the beginning will motivate them to keep working to maintain their grades IMHO.

[Sum Dum Gai]

I would have had an issue with this statement. Either the child earns an A or they don't. Lowering their grade so they'll work harder is a ridiculous idea.

I totally and completely agree, however I wasn't going to punish my daughter for bringing home B's just because her teacher is an idiot.

[zibazinski]

I hate when teachers pull this carp, it gives us all a bad name. I always told my students they started off with an A and if THEY blew it, it was up to them.

[cubefarmer]

My high school son is in private school and they are still on a waiting list to get in, but I noticed about 15% fewer parents donated to the annual fund and the financial aid awards were lower (they went from being 33% of the tuition to 20% of the tuition - I am one of the poor people on aid). The school claims to have no debt and there is still an endowement fund that is doing okay. Max class size is still 10. Nothing appears to have been cut. They are still using the food service company that only uses organically grown locally sourced freshly prepared food. The cafeteria is run like a restaurant with a chef. Kids are all issued laptops (other private schools here the parents have to actually purchase a laptop, but not at this school). I was really happy with my son's teachers this year - absolutely outstanding teachers - across the board. Also this school's school year is about 10 days shorter than the local public schools. Can't complain.

[zibazinski]

You don't have all the bs that a public school has to deal with so your children can actually learn.