I hate our local public schools

[summer]

I know hate is a strong word...but bare with me.

 

For some odd reason, our local schools rank amongst the top in the state. The school ratings also include a portion on how much money is spent per child in the district so that might have something to do with it, but I thought money was supposed to be evened out with the Robin Hood fund. Anyway!....

 

I am on the local PTA board. I am sickened by all the stuff going on there. The administration consists mostly of dumb, rude, partying, sexist, nasty people(I have personal experience with some and I have family working in the district, I guarantee, my assessment is right on). So, this new adminstration has decided to change up curriculum mid year this year. It has been very hard on the teachers, many of whom are excellent teachers who were doing a fine job. These teachers are having to work many late hours trying to read and figure out all the new curriculum changes. This one sweet teacher, an older lady, in her 60's at least, spent her own money on books for the classroom.

 

Now get this. A lot of the schools in our "affluent" area do not even have enough money for paper. They cannot print student assignments so now they have resorted to the teachers purchasing their own paper, or emailing the assignments to students at home and having the students print them off and bring them to school. YET, the district just did a vote to spend $30,000,000 on a new football stadium, to add to the other stadiums that are already in the district. This football stadium will be within 5 miles of 2 other equally fancy stadiums. The district spends millions of dollars each year on the football team, but I found out that some students cannot graduate on time without paying for outside classes because the high schools do not offer enough seats for the required classes for the students to finish them all in 4 yrs. This goes well with the lack of paper in the building. But if you want to toss around a football in a very expensive fancy stadium, you can do that.

 

I could go on and on about our problems in this district. But all I ever feel is shame when I am up there. I look to these very hard working teachers, and the wasted money on the stupidest things and the huge lack of academics and really wonder why the heck I pay taxes for this.

 

I could go on and on about this. About how they don't teach handwriting, spelling, or grammar...because they are supposedly not on the TAKs test. In math, they are a good 2 yrs behind the rest of the nation (and behind the TEKS) because they will not teach anything on a given year that is not on a TAKs test. They do no writing in 5th grade because it is not on the 5th grade TAKs test and the principal at the elementary school is not worried about the 7th grade writing TAKs test because the kids will be off in middle school by then. You get the idea.

 

I look at the parents around me who put me down for homeschooling and think about how they have no clue what is really going on there.

 

And the worst part is, my oldest goes to school there. I would like to never step foot in their schools again, not go to meetings and hear all of this (all the problems they have goingon), but, my son is doing well and really wants to be there. The social life for homeschoolers is very dim now where we live and I have to drive some ways just to take my DD to school. I am afraid if I were to force DS to homeschool, he would go along with it and be good and all, but I am afraid he would be so miserable. And our local public schools treat homeschoolers very badly when they try to return or enroll for the first time, so once I pulled him out, it would have to be permanent.

 

<sigh> thanks for letting me vent.

[battlemaiden]

:cursing:

 

:banghead:

 

:banghead:

 

:cursing:

 

That is how I feel after reading your post. How is it possible that there isn't enough money for copy paper? How? Really?

 

And football stadiums.... :banghead:

 

Wouldn't it be nice to somehow link funding for sports facilities to the cumulative GPA of all the atheletes?

 

Please don't ever quit. Mad is good in this situation. If you weren't mad at what you are seeing then you would only add to the problem.

 

Jo

[amy g.]

I started reading your post, and thought, "Wow, she has got to be in Texas."

 

I scrolled back up to see if you had your location listed. I didn't see it, so I continued reading, got to the TAKS part and thought, "Yeah, that's how it is here."

 

When I quit teaching, the district wanted to make sure that KINDERGARTEN students were being taught "test taking skills" every day.

That was almost 15 years ago.

[Tracey in TX]

Football stadium, TAKs, test taking skills daily...yep, she's a Lone Star mama!

 

I concur with everything you've said. Its reprehensible how much energy is spent on a ridiculous 35 question test and let the rest of learning go to the wayside. That's one of my primary reasons to homeschool. Standardized testing has become the central focus of the academic year. (Just received an email today discussing learning strategies for *next year's* TAKs :001_huh:)

 

Do you live in the metroplex? Our district is up for a stadium bond and wondered if it, too, had passed.

 

What do you think you'll do? I wondered what it would be like once my kiddos return to ps, if they eventually do.

[Mamagistra]

YET, the district just did a vote to spend $30,000,000 on a new football stadium, to add to the other stadiums that are already in the district. This football stadium will be within 5 miles of 2 other equally fancy stadiums. The district spends millions of dollars each year on the football team, but I found out that some students cannot graduate on time without paying for outside classes because the high schools do not offer enough seats for the required classes for the students to finish them all in 4 yrs. This goes well with the lack of paper in the building. But if you want to toss around a football in a very expensive fancy stadium, you can do that.

 

Obviously, you are in Texas! :cursing::banghead::angry::cursing:

 

This type of thing sickens me, too, as I know it has happened in more than one nearby district recently. :glare: As someone on these boards once said, I can't roll my eyes in a big enough circle!

[summer]

Tracy..I really thought that eventually, my children would return to public school. Now I realize it is no way going to happen that any of my non-public schoolers will return there. My only public schooler will likely be homeschooled before he graduates.

 

I am in the metroplex..yes...in LISD. Is that where you are?

[Julie in Austin]

That's what I was thinking--contact the media. Start with local TV news because a story about football stadiums vs. paper has great visuals. If that doesn't work (and maybe even if it does), write opinion pieces and send them to local newspapers.

[brehon]

Football stadium, TAKs, test taking skills daily...yep, she's a Lone Star mama!

:lol:

 

Lone Star mama here, too! The ISD I pay taxes to has one of the highest rates in Texas (Central Texas -- and, no, it's not Austin) even without all the blasted bond packages that pass on a distressingly regular basis. To be fair, I tend to vote in support of those bonds which deal with building schools or buying land to build schools (the population of the ISD is exploding). I do not, however, support bond packages for the enhancing, renovating, or building of *&^%$ football stadiums. A neighbor ISD built what has come to be known as "The Palace on Parmer" and now my ISD has stadium envy. Almost every year we vote on a bond to build a similar palace. Hmmph!

[Mama Lynx]

I started reading your post, and thought, "Wow, she has got to be in Texas."

 

I scrolled back up to see if you had your location listed. I didn't see it, so I continued reading, got to the TAKS part and thought, "Yeah, that's how it is here."

 

 

 

I did the same things. $30,000,000 for a football stadium? No money for copy paper? It must be Texas. If you're in North Texas, I bet I could guess the ISD. Then again, maybe not, 'cause it's not like those problems and attitudes are limited to just one.

 

Where I used to live, the high school down the street chartered a jet for their football players to take them to/from an away game. The school argued that yes, it was expensive, but this way the players didn't have to miss a day of classes with the long bus ride.

 

The band students rode the bus, btw. I guess classes aren't as important if you're in the band. :glare:

 

Argh. The whole system is so broken it's not even funny.

[Jami]

I did the same things. $30,000,000 for a football stadium? No money for copy paper? It must be Texas. If you're in North Texas, I bet I could guess the ISD. Then again, maybe not, 'cause it's not like those problems and attitudes are limited to just one.

 

Where I used to live, the high school down the street chartered a jet for their football players to take them to/from an away game. The school argued that yes, it was expensive, but this way the players didn't have to miss a day of classes with the long bus ride.

 

The band students rode the bus, btw. I guess classes aren't as important if you're in the band. :glare:

 

Argh. The whole system is so broken it's not even funny.

 

This school's mascot wouldn't be a Dragon would it? ;)

 

And I thought sports got preferential treatment in Nebraska....

[Lori C- Texas]

Yep! We are in North Texas and have the same issues. TAKS tests! :banghead: I am tired of hearing about and talking about that dang test! We homeschool all three of our kids but my oldest was in PS until the end of second grade. We have been homeschooling for 3 years now and TAKS test is still what I hear about from all our family and friends that don't homeschool. It amazes me that parents don't see anything wrong with their kids only learning what is on the TAKS test!

[Jann in TX]

I live just outside Wimberley. My middle dd goes to school there.

 

Our district will be bankrupt in 2 years because of the Robin Hood act. Apparently we are a 'rich' district...with 90% of people living at or below poverty line...

 

The determining factor for 'wealth' is NOT the money that can be legally taken from the people (taxes) it is on PROPERTY VALUE. Well--we have SEVERAL huge ranches that have enormous property values--BUT they are also TAX EXEMPT (ag exemption). They 'forgot' to figure that one in.

 

I do not like the amount of our school's budget that goes to athletics--but still when you look at the numbers they district has not misappropriated funds. The teachers (elementary) must purchase their own paper. Our teachers (and substitutes--since I am one) are the LOWEST paid in the area. Several of our buildings are barely meeting building codes. ALL are over crowded.

 

Drive 30 miles to a district that RECEIVES our Robin Hood money and you will find that they have plenty of paper for their students--and laptops and fancy stadiums and lots of fun electives and a LOW tax rate... UGGGGGGG!!

 

Contacting the media just does not work. We have even made the national news. NOTHING can happen until the legislature meets again--and that is not until JANUARY 2009. The Governor will NOT call a special session to talk about school finance reform during an election year.

 

School districts are suffering, students are getting a sub-par education and our state is raking in $$$$$ due to oil royalties...

 

ug.

[Mama Lynx]

This school's mascot wouldn't be a Dragon would it? ;)

 

And I thought sports got preferential treatment in Nebraska....

 

LOL, yep, you called it.

[Mamagistra]

If $30+ mil ain't enough to get your goat, have a look at one of the new local athletic complexes. Yes, the district sold the naming rights!

 

:eek::ack2: I could puke.

 

Hm...I wonder if I could get a little cashola for our very own Target Academy...or Amazon.com School of the Woods. :lol::lol::lol: Ugh.

[Debbie in OR]

Anybody read John Taylor Gotto's A Different Kind of Teacher? A large part of the book is dedicated to this "insider" kind of information about the way the dollar is used in the ps system. When I first read it 3 years ago, I kept thinking "No way...this can't be right!" However, three years and eyes wide open about the very things you just stated have convinced me that, at least for many of the schools out there, this unbalanced, insane funding apportioning is indeed happening. :banghead: It is maddening. And you are in a tough spot. (But at least you are not alone :grouphug:)

[brehon]

This school's mascot wouldn't be a Dragon would it? ;)

 

I went to high school in the DFW area and that was my first guess as well. I remember the football players received new uniforms every year with their names on the backs of the jerseys in addition to getting them drycleaned after every game.

 

Meanwhile, the varsity girls' soccer team (which I played on) had to wear the boys' soccer team's old uniforms. Talk about your wardrobe malfunctions!:tongue_smilie:

[Tracey in TX]

Tracy..I really thought that eventually, my children would return to public school. Now I realize it is no way going to happen that any of my non-public schoolers will return there. My only public schooler will likely be homeschooled before he graduates.

 

I am in the metroplex..yes...in LISD. Is that where you are?

 

We're in AISD--the Eagles mascot. Think our towns play each other :)

[chiguirre]

I have to say TX public schools were a very rude awakening. I grew up in the NE and while our schools weren't perfect (or even very good) they were mainly about education. Here all you hear about are the sports teams. Does no one win a science fair? Are there no National Merit Scholars? It's a bit of culture shock.

[Rich with Kids]

This sickens me and reinforces my decision to keep my kids home. I grew up in Richardson, Texas and am amazed that I graduated not just high school, but college. I have learned so much since I started homeschooling that I did not learn in ps. And I was a good student. I realized, even in the 80's, that what they taught us was how to take a test. I memorized enough to get good grades. My focus is not necessarily to have my dc know Algebra by a certain grade level, but teach them how to learn it. I hope I'm making sense. I'm pretty high on meds right now. :tongue_smilie:

[cin]

I'm in Ohio; in an "excellent' district. We don't have the money for bus service for the high school. :glare: There is a wreck in front of the high school every day. No exaggeration. Every day. And the taxes have gone through the roof, close to doubling in 10 years. 'They're building so many houses in teh disctrict'....And are these new residents NOT paying taxes?????? There has been a tax levy on the ballot every year, sometimes 2X, if the first one doesn't get passed. They THINK they've got us by the .... with the bus service, but the citizens have had enough.

 

And about the lacrosse, football, baseball, basketball teams? And cheerleading squads? I bet their not suffering! I will have to investigate the funding for those. They are certainly winning lots of games.