Posted on 02/14/2010 2:22:07 PM PST by Steelfish
By TERENCE CHEA SAN FRANCISCO – The nation's public schools are falling under severe financial stress as states slash education spending and drain federal stimulus money that staved off deep classroom cuts and widespread job losses. School districts have already suffered big budget cuts since the recession began two years ago, but experts say the cash crunch will get a lot worse as states run out of stimulus dollars.
The result in many hard-hit districts: more teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, smaller paychecks, fewer electives and extracurricular activities, and decimated summer school programs. The situation is particularly ugly in California, where school districts are preparing for mass layoffs and swelling class sizes as the state grapples with another massive budget shortfall.
The crisis concerns parents like Michelle Parker in San Francisco, where the school district is preparing to lay off hundreds of school employees and raise class sizes because it faces a $113 million budget deficit over next two years. "I'm worried they're not going to have the quality education that's going to make them competitive in a global society," said Parker, who has three kids in district elementary schools.
Around the country, state governments are cutting money for schools as they grapple with huge budget gaps triggered by high unemployment, sluggish retail sales and falling real estate prices. A recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 41 states face midyear budget shortfalls totaling $35 billion. "The states are facing a dismal financial picture," said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
They should be cutting useless administrative jobs, but you know it’s the teachers getting the axe, not the drones.
Why don’t we send Mexico a big bill for educating for free in our public schools millions of their citizens and millions of anchor babies.
“They should be cutting useless administrative job”
You said it! And they would get cut and cut deep if the schools were still run by the communities and the parents. The way they should be.
Public employees used to make low salaries in exchange for job security and good benefits. Now they have (relatively) high salaries + job security + better benefits than most of the residents they serve. Something has gotta give.
Another myth is that more $$ = better education. It doesn’t and never did. No amount of $$ can make up for poor student and teacher attitudes.
Of course. The goal is to cut in ways that really hurt. No art, no music, no phys ed, no gifted and talented, less sports. That way a lot of taxpayers cry Boo-Hoo and vote a tax increase.
If they cut administrators, people would catch on that the budgets are ridiculously bloated.
In the olden days, there was something called "the rule of law." That's when cops, ICE, DEA, and the FBI did their jobs.
Instead cities like San Francisco put out the Welcome mat for illegal aliens.
As well as useless and worthless teachers.
>>Public employees used to make low salaries in exchange for job security and good benefits. Now they have (relatively) high salaries + job security + better benefits than most of the residents they serve. Something has gotta give.
It is starting to in some places.
Central Falls Rhode Island Fires Every High School Teacher
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2451038/posts
as we have known, much of the “stimulus” money was given to the states last year so that they could delay making tough choices last year. now this year they are having to make these choices.
the “stimulus” money was never intended to stimulate the private sector.
Just package up the school districts together and creat a REIT, do an IPO, take the money, and be rid of the problem.
What does that mean? That they might not be able to compete for jobs with illegal aliens? That's right, lady. That's right. So maybe you should vote for politicians who don't bow down to illegal aliens.
When teachers and administrators can retire at age 50 with near full salaries indexed to inflation and cushy benefits, when hard times hit, there’s not a lot of money leftover to pay current teachers and kids do suffer.
It’s the same situation Gubmint Motors found themselves in.
But, interestingly enough, the education UNIONS aren't feeling any sort of financial pinch at all.
My suggestions: Cut 50% of all administrative staff from the top down, eliminate ESL classes, cut the ridiculous insurance benefits, give vouchers to parents so they can send their children to good schools, eliminate free breakfasts and lunches - parents can pack their kiddos lunch and feed them breakfast at home, eliminate all district office personnel except for one top administrator, one secretary and one person to coordinate supply purchasing, eliminate all administrative and board travel and expense accounts, eliminate all school district vehicles paid for by taxpayers.
Michelle, how much of someone else's HARD EARNED money is your fair share to propaganize your little libtard, freeloading, snot nosed pieces of . . . .
PAY FOR YOUR KIDS EDUCATION YOURSELF.
Surely there is something listed below that could be cut.
• Accountancy, Board of • Acupuncture Board • Administrative Hearings, Office of • Administrative Law, Office of • Adoptions Branch, Department of Social Services • African American Museum, California • Aging, California Commission on • Aging, Department of • Agricultural Labor Relations Board • Agriculture, Department of Food and • AIDS, Office of • Air Resources Board • Alcohol and Drug Programs, Department of • Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board • Alcoholic Beverage Control, Department of (ABC) • Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority, California • Analytical Chemistry, Center for • Animal Health and Food Safety Services • Apprenticeship Council • Apprenticeship Standards, Division of • Arbitration Certification Program • Architects Board • Archives, California State • Arts Council • Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus • Assembly, California State • Assembly Democratic Caucus • Assembly Republican Caucus • Athletic Commission • Attorney General • Audits, Bureau of State • Automotive Repair, Bureau of • Barbering and Cosmetology, Board of • Bay-Delta Authority, California • Behavioral Sciences, Board of • Binational Border Health, California Office of • Biodiversity Council • Biogeographic Data Branch • Blind, Office of Services to the • Board of Equalization (BOE) • Boating and Waterways, Department of • Braille and Talking Book Library • Building Standards Commission • Business, Transportation and Housing Agency • Cal Boating (Department of Boating and Waterways) • California Exposition & State Fair • California Business Investment Services (CalBIS) • California Earthquake Authority (CEA) • Cal/EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) • CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) • CalGOLD (Business Permit Information) • California Broadband Initiative • California Coastal Commission • California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth • California Council for the Humanities • California Cultural and Historical Endowment • California Digital Library • California Geological Survey • California Highway Patrol (CHP) • California Institute for Regenerative Medicine • California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts • California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) • California Science Center • California State Association of Counties (CSAC) • California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection • California State Fair • California State Library • California State Parks • California State University (CSU) • California Tahoe Conservancy • California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) • CaliforniaVolunteers • CalJOBS • Cal-Learn Program (Department of Social Services) • CalOHI (California Office of HIPAA Implementation) • Cal/OSHA (Division of Occupational Safety & Health) • CalRecycle (Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery) • CalSTRS (California State Teachers' Retirement System) • Caltrans (Department of Transportation) • CalVet Home Loan Program • CalWORKs Program (Department of Social Services) • Career Resource Network • Cemetery and Funeral Bureau • Central Valley Flood Protection Board • CERES (California Environmental Resources Evaluation System) • Charitable Trusts, Registrar of • Chief Information Officer (CIO) • Chief Information Officer Archives, Office of the (OCIO) • Child Abuse Prevention, Office of • Child Support Services, Department of • Children & Families Commission • Children and Family Services Division • Children's Trust Fund, California State • Chiropractic Examiners, Board of • Citizens Compensation Commission • Climate Change Portal (Energy Commission) • Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy • Coastal Conservancy • Colorado River Board of California • Communicable Disease Control, Division of • Community Colleges Chancellor's Office • Community Services and Development, Department of • Conservation Corps • Conservation, Department of • Constitution Revision Commission • Consumer Affairs, Department of • Contractors State License Board • Contracts Register Program, California State • Controller, California State • Corporations, Department of • Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of • Cosmetology, Board of Barbering and • Court Reporters Board • Courts, Administrative Office of the • Courts of Appeal • Cyber Safety for Children • Dams, Division of Safety of • Data Exchange Center (Department of Water Resources) • DataQuest (Department of Education) • Deaf Access, Office of • Debt and Investment Advisory Commission • Delta Protection Commission • Delta Vision • Dental Auxiliaries, Committee on • Dental Board of California • Denti-Cal • Developmental Disabilities, State Council on • Developmental Services, Department of • Disability Insurance, State (SDI) • Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program • DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) • Education Audit Appeals Panel • Education, Department of • Education, Office of the Secretary for • Education, State Board of • Educational Facilities Authority • Elections Division (Secretary of State) • Electronic and Appliance Repair, Bureau of • Emergency Medical Services Authority • Emergency Services, Governor's Office of • Employment Development Department (EDD) • Employment Training Panel • Energy Commission • Engineers and Land Surveyors, Board for Professional • Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Office of • Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) • Fair Employment and Housing Commission • Fair Employment and Housing, Department of • Fair Political Practices Commission • Film Commission • Finance, Department of • Financial Institutions, Department of • Fire Marshal, Office of the State • Firearms Division, Department of Justice • Fiscal Services (Department of General Services) • Fish and Game Commission • Fish and Game, Department of • Fleet Administration, Office of • Food and Agriculture, Department of • Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of • Franchise Tax Board • Gambling Control Commission • General Services, Department of • Geographic Information Systems (GIS), California • Geologists and Geophysicists, California Board for • GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Council, California • Government Claims and Victim Compensation Board • Governor's Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons • Governor's Mentoring Partnership • Governor's Office • Governor's Office of Homeland Security • Guide Dogs for the Blind, Board of
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