Districts Warn of Deeper Teacher Cuts

[Catshrink]

Districts Warn of Deeper Teacher Cuts

School districts around the country, forced to resort to drastic money-saving measures, are warning hundreds of thousands of teachers that their jobs may be eliminated in June.

The districts have no choice, they say, because their usual sources of revenue — state money and local property taxes — have been hit hard by the recession. In addition, federal stimulus money earmarked for education has been mostly used up this year.

As a result, the 2010-11 school term is shaping up as one of the most austere in the last half century. In addition to teacher layoffs, districts are planning to close schools, cut programs, enlarge classes and shorten the school day, week or year to save money.

<snip>

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan estimated that state budget cuts imperiled 100,000 to 300,000 public school jobs. In an interview on Monday, he said the nation was flirting with “education catastrophe,” and urged Congress to approve additional stimulus funds to save school jobs. “We absolutely see this as an emergency,” Mr. Duncan said.

More (warning - it's kind of depressing):

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/education/21teachers.html?hpw

[MichiganVote]

1. Well gosh darn Arne if you'd take your snout out of a few of Washington's panties, you might

actually work for a living and create some of that change you're so fond of. No idea about education, no management skills. A jock with a social conscience. Total fail.

[Catshrink]

2. I'm leery of the kind of change Arne has in mind.

I like Harkin's idea - if we can bail out Wall Street, why can't we bail out schools?

[MichiganVote]

14. Oh hey now, if the plebians want education for their kids, why should the elite pay for it

Afterall, when they want to fly, they don't need public air transportation. When they want education for their kids they sign their kids up for private instruction. They don't drive much, certainly not to get to somewhere to make a living. Need to get somewhere quick? Call up a helicopter. Need medical help, got good insurance or just pay whatever, whenever.

So what good is public education to wealthy elites? They don't give a damn. They say 12 years of education to put a kid behind a counter is worthless to them.

And you know what? They could make it right.

[Fridays Child]

3. Remember this?

We can borrow from our great grandchildren to go to war for oil but school districts must stay on budget. :nuke:

[Catshrink]

6. I sure do.

[Starry Messenger]

7. Vividly.

Looks like it's still in style, sadly. x(

[RC]

4. How much money could they save with deep cuts in administration instead?

Most teachers don't need 2 to 1 supervision. In fact most teachers don't need much supervision at all.

[Catshrink]

5. Please explain "2 to 1 supervision"

We certainly don't have two administrators for every teacher or one administrator for every two teachers. Our support staff is stretched very thin as it is. We could use another assistant principal but that had to go.

Cutting administration won't save nearly as much as people think. This is along the lines of "cut waste in government" and "make the illegals pay their taxes" and "make Congress pay taxes." It's magical thinking - dreaming there's a huge pot of money to be found "over there." It's not there, certainly not enough to put a dent in the crisis. Saying so trivializes the issue.

[tonysam]

9. The ones who need the supervision are the principals

who basically get away with anything short of murder in public school districts around the country.

[Dinger]

8. Oh God arne,

Fuck you.

[maryf]

10. K&R

don't believe Arne for a second though!

[maryf]

11. dupe nt

[DailyGrind51]

12. Diminished enrollments in my district are threatening job cuts, also.

[old mark]

13. Keep watching Christie in NJ - he seems to be showing the way for Republican governors

to destroy their state's education departments and privatize the whole school system, while also weakening union power and state employees organizations and increasing high salaries for his top people in his government.


mark

[Rex]

15. Trying so hard to let public education fail...I guess America doesn't

want to be the leaders in smarts anymore, actually a title we gave up long ago imo. Public schools are easy targets, because it is just working class people. Not the elite that send their kids to awesome private schools for 100k a year.

[mzteris]

16. how is "arne" to blame for the economy, exactly??

And though you may not like his theories of education, he is trying to get more money for ALL teachers and schools.

"Secretary of Education Arne Duncan estimated that state budget cuts imperiled 100,000 to 300,000 public school jobs. In an interview on Monday, he said the nation was flirting with “education catastrophe,” and urged Congress to approve additional stimulus funds to save school jobs.

“We absolutely see this as an emergency,” Mr. Duncan said. "


So - how is this his fault again? :shrug: