The economy and schools

[BMW]

In our county at least 4 schools are shutting down. My children have taken notice. They are ps right now, 4 are coming home next year. My middle school kids talked about teachers being watched and interviewed and critiqued for lay-offs. Many programs get cut and more cuts on the way. Fund raising has run it's course... people just aren't buying extras anyway.

 

So, my older teen turns to me, talking about her younger brother who has loved "school activities", field trips, sports, etc. and says that she would want him to be able to go to ps for those things. I laughed and said, those things wont even be there next year. Field trips have been cut and those that have been in place, we send money to school to help pay for. Charter school enrollment has increased rapidly where I live (the homeschool in a program type). (yeah, that can be a hot topic)

 

Anyway, I explained that I am paying for whatever activities the children do out of my pocket anyway and they can get a great education right at home. Here's to homeschooling! But, if homeschooling starts drastically increasing (not sure that it would everywhere...), I think states might want to oversee it and push people into the charter type programs, where the state has some control still and can set up monetary gain off of children... hmm...

[Aggie]

I wish they would cut out field trips all together. There are a few kids who will learn from a few field trips, but generally, ime, they are a waste of time and money.

 

It never occurred to me that the economy might encourage more control over homeschooling for monetary gains. It seems the main issue is control and not money. I don't know, though....

[Tinkerbell11599]

One of the ps near me has been talking about school 4 days a week instead of 5. I have heard through our local news media that due to budget cuts in NYS, some positions may not be filled in ps like elementary school librarians and such. It is their way of cost cutting.

 

In our school district budget vote about 2 years ago, they wanted to re-do the football fields in astroturf!!!! What about better equipment for the schools for the kids to learn!!!!!!!! That proposition got defeated!!

 

JenC from Upstate NY

[Paula in PA]

In our school district budget vote about 2 years ago, they wanted to re-do the football fields in astroturf!!!! What about better equipment for the schools for the kids to learn!!!!!!!! That proposition got defeated!!

 

JenC from Upstate NY

 

Lucky you. The one in our local school district is still being pursued. They won't let it go even though most of the local population has made it clear they think the idea of spending money on fake turf is ridiculous. :glare:

[BMW]

What works in my favor in all of this is that my children sometimes think that the ps has "all the good stuff" like the sports and field trips. Now that it is deflated, they are easier to bring back home. If I'm going to pay for my child's education anyway (it cost over $300.00 to enroll 2 children in high school last year, with PE clothes, locker fees, class supply fees, etc.) well, I'd like to decide how I spend the money!

 

That said, it's kind of sad for the children who don't have parents able to make another choice. They are getting stuck in larger class size student teacher ratios and handed fund raisers several times per year.

[Soph]

"... responsibility for our children's education must begin at home." President Barack Obama (last night)

 

 

I've been tracking this kind of stuff for several weeks now. I, too, want to know how the economy will effect the public schools and ultimately the homeschool world.

 

Many districts across the country are considering a 4 day school week, among other things. This will cause all kinds of problems, especially as more people are looking for work and will need someone to watch the kids...

[cathmom]

I heard a 4 day week when the gas prices were so high - one less day the buses are running. But also one less day of power, less $ for hourly employees, maybe saving on subs, etc.

[FO4UR]

I would love to be in charge of education on a nat'l level right now. I could fix it ALL, I tell ya'

 

Cut all spending aside from teachers/staff salaries, and the survival stuff like light bills. use last years' textbooks and let the parents fund raise for the astroturf and such.

 

There. problem solved.

 

(I wish congress was as smart as me):tongue_smilie::lol:

[AnnetteB]

:iagree:

[Unicorn.]

They cut the music and art teachers to half time here, but spent our 2 million dollar general fund money on a new AstroTurf football field. The district is now broke, teachers are leaving, etc. but hey! they got their pretty (ugly) new field!

 

ETA: Forgot to mention that they also redistricted the local elementary schools and made them all K-5 (they were k-1, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th campuses before). They had to buy new playground equipment for all of them, but weren't in the least concerned about stocking the libraries!

Edited February 26, 2009 by Unicorn

[joannqn]

What works in my favor in all of this is that my children sometimes think that the ps has "all the good stuff" like the sports and field trips.

 

That's interesting. My kids think just the opposite. Those poor kids in public school only get 1-2 field trips a year vs 1-2 (or more) per month. My kids see that they are going to fun classes like drawing and taekwondo rather than sitting in a classroom. We are heading to the park after doing an hour or two of school rather than still sitting in the classroom. Worse case, they are at home playing together, or on the computer, or on the wii rather than still sitting in the classroom. They think they've got the best situation and have no desire to attend public school.

[MrsMe]

Yes, I tire of them saying (& doing it) that they'll have to close the schools. "The poor children" they say, but yet they have stuff they don't need like the PP said, about the heart monitors and all the junk that could be cut out. How about computers? IMPO no elementary school needs computers. They should be learning to write themselves and looking things up in a good old book. There's so much wasted money it makes me sick then what they screw the kids by closing a school. Typical government.

[Margaret in GA]

What I see happening with a 4 day school week are the schools scrambling to offer or create child care. Where I am they already have before and after school care that is held at the schools. So what on earth will be different? How will that save money?

 

As a homeschooler that obviously doesn't mean anything to me, but I can see it being a real problem for some people.

 

 

Unless you qualify for subsized care, you have to pay for the afterschool program at school here in Georgia. That's why Boys and Girls club, etc are successful. They are free.

 

Margaret

[KarenNC]

In the next county over, they are cutting 500 teachers, but won't touch the *middle school* athletic programs (football, etc).

 

I am expecting that in the next 2-5 years we will see the option of a virtual charter school in our state, because it will allow the public education department to obtain funds for students without having to provide the physical plant, transportation, food and all the expenses that go with that. I'm just hoping it's something decent like K12 because it's an option I may be interested in down the line.

[ElizabethB]

I wish they would cut out field trips all together. There are a few kids who will learn from a few field trips, but generally, ime, they are a waste of time and money.

:iagree:

 

If you're mainly doing them for fun and experience, fine.

 

I only learned something at 2 field trips, and those were both at the college level when we had studied the topic extensively before visiting and had an individual speaking who was both knowledgeable about what we had learned and the things they were showing us.

 

1. In my thermodynamics class, we went to see a power plant. We had spend most of the semester studying things that make a power plant work, then the explanations focused a bit on the engineering behind it all and also how they all worked together and how different types of coal interacted with the process. It was really cool to see what you had previously thought was worthless knowledge being put to work.

 

2. In one of my biology classes, after studying several things related to sewage plants, we went to see a sewage treatment plant, and got detailed explanations of how this particular plant worked, and how different types of waste and amounts of waste being treated would require different set-ups. It was very smelly, but interesting.

[mom31257]

My dh teaches at a public high school. There are teachers that aren't getting a contract offered for next year, but I don't think some of them would have any way. He said the school failed an outside inspection on classroom management. They've also been coming by duty areas and checking off whose not there when they are supposed to be.

 

They plan on not replacing teachers who leave on their own and they are increasing the class size to 38. My dh doesn't think 38 desks will fit in his room. He's really concerned about that many to teach. He's not gifted certified, so he has all regular classes, no honors or AP. He applied this week for the certification classes, but we don't know if the money will be there next year for them to offer them.

 

When he got his contract, he signed and turned it in the next morning. It's not an easy job at all dealing with some of the kids he has, but he's very thankful to have a job!

[cathmom]

What bothers me is how much land they think they need to build a school here. Acres and acres and acres...

[TXMomof4]

My dh teaches at a public high school. There are teachers that aren't getting a contract offered for next year, but I don't think some of them would have any way. He said the school failed an outside inspection on classroom management. They've also been coming by duty areas and checking off whose not there when they are supposed to be.

 

They plan on not replacing teachers who leave on their own and they are increasing the class size to 38. My dh doesn't think 38 desks will fit in his room. He's really concerned about that many to teach. He's not gifted certified, so he has all regular classes, no honors or AP. He applied this week for the certification classes, but we don't know if the money will be there next year for them to offer them.

 

When he got his contract, he signed and turned it in the next morning. It's not an easy job at all dealing with some of the kids he has, but he's very thankful to have a job!

 

 

THIRTY-EIGHT KIDS! Holy Guacamole! He has my prayers!

 

If you want to be disgusted with a ps system, google Dallas ISD. It's enough to make you puke. Our superintindent makes over a million a year, but somehow managed to "misplace" $64 million - and he still has a job. 600 teachers were fired, but not him! Quite enough to convince me my kids are better at home.

[Ohdanigirl]

What about personal responisibility? When I was living in SoCal they had the 6AM-6PM program. It was supposed to help families in which both parents had to work. The children stayed at school during these hours to keep them out of the streets, they provided homework help, food, and lots of games for free...sounds good. But I saw a lot of parents who enrolled their kids, and were at home. Call me old fashion, but I don't use babysitters when I'm at home. It may or may not be much oney, but it could be put towards educating kids and not sticking them with 35 other students. Sad.