I have been researching this kind of thing for our area and it you would NOT believe how much this is happening. During a time when all you hear is that the US can't compete in the global market because our students are prepared for standardized tests but not for the real world, they are cutting more and more educational programs. I find page after page and article after article that give examples of how school districts are balancing the budget by cutting teachers. AAAAGGGH!

This is happening while the Superintendents make 6 figure salaries and have personal automobile allowances and get OVER 10% RAISES!!!!!, but the teachers only get 1.3%. AND are made to feel guilty about that!

Don't be sorry about ranting. More people should. Those professionals that we trust our children to everyday (teachers) are just pawns in the great financial chess game school boards and districts play, when they should be the queens!

I encourage everyone who has a child. PAY ATTENTION to your school board. They are the ones that allow these things to happen. It starts with them.

Our tiny little school district is dealing with a $1.2 million dollar budget shortfall for next year. I don't know how the frak they came to that number. These are two schools in the district and like 2 classes per grade in the elementary school. They are planning on cutting 15 elementary teacher positions.

Where these 15 positions are going to come from is beyond me. Instead I have weird dreams where we get odd letters from the superintendent saying that they were able to balance the budget with all of the Box Tops for Education and milk caps they received from families.

Our kids are suffering because of bad policy that gets blamed on the recession. People vote down needed bonding bills because they don't want to "pad the teacher's pockets" with more salary, as if they've ever really talked to a teacher - if they had they'd find out that teachers don't make jack crap for money. My daughter has gym twice a week; when I was a kid we were in gym every single day. We also had art and music class - my daughter has neither, unless you count her teacher doing little projects with them when time permits and they aren't studying for another standardized test.

My blood, it boils. Sorry to rant like this on your blog. I should write a post about it and it get it off my chest, but I've been beaten down with so much grief that I don't think I could muster up a post at this moment.

Is anyone in charge thinking about the kids?

(have been having problems posting comments on the mu.nu system tonight - with your and Helen er, Shannon's blogs)

Our tiny little school district is dealing with a $1.2 million dollar budget shortfall for next year. I don't know how the frak they came to that number. These are two schools in the district and like 2 classes per grade in the elementary school. They are planning on cutting 15 elementary teacher positions.

Where these 15 positions are going to come from is beyond me. Instead I have weird dreams where we get odd letters from the superintendent saying that they were able to balance the budget with all of the Box Tops for Education and milk caps they received from families.

Our kids are suffering because of bad policy that gets blamed on the recession. People vote down needed bonding bills because they don't want to "pad the teacher's pockets" with more salary, as if they've ever really talked to a teacher - if they had they'd find out that teachers don't make jack crap for money. My daughter has gym twice a week; when I was a kid we were in gym every single day. We also had art and music class - my daughter has neither, unless you count her teacher doing little projects with them when time permits and they aren't studying for another standardized test.

My blood, it boils. Sorry to rant like this on your blog. I should write a post about it and it get it off my chest, but I've been beaten down with so much grief that I don't think I could muster up a post at this moment.

Is anyone in charge thinking about the kids?