Comments:
catie
i support teachers and i regularly vote down things that would mean giving schools more money and here's why. i know that schools have plenty of money. the problem is how the money is spent. no school district needs several administrators that make well over 100K a year. until my state changes the way they spend school money, i won't vote for them to get anymore. also, i've never known anyone to gush over a teacher. they must be like celebrities where you live.
[2005-03-28 17:56:03]
i support teachers and i regularly vote down things that would mean giving schools more money and here's why. i know that schools have plenty of money. the problem is how the money is spent. no school district needs several administrators that make well over 100K a year. until my state changes the way they spend school money, i won't vote for them to get anymore. also, i've never known anyone to gush over a teacher. they must be like celebrities where you live.
saru-san
Yes, it's always nice for people to gush about how wonderful and important and necessary you are, as they hand you your food stamps. And then tie your hands behind your back (metaphorically) so you can't accomplish anything because you're too embroiled in stupid politics and the kids are allowed to run amuck. And then bitch about how you shouldn't complain because, hey, look at all the vacation you get!<br><br>And then I'm pretty sure they kick you in the groin.
[2005-03-28 18:19:56]
Yes, it's always nice for people to gush about how wonderful and important and necessary you are, as they hand you your food stamps. And then tie your hands behind your back (metaphorically) so you can't accomplish anything because you're too embroiled in stupid politics and the kids are allowed to run amuck. And then bitch about how you shouldn't complain because, hey, look at all the vacation you get!<br><br>And then I'm pretty sure they kick you in the groin.
Christopias Spritopher
Actually, for some odd reason that vacation does something to the math they use to assign food stamps and thats why I can't get them and have to work a second job. Oy.
[2005-03-28 18:23:20]
Actually, for some odd reason that vacation does something to the math they use to assign food stamps and thats why I can't get them and have to work a second job. Oy.
Paula
I love you...could never forget you and certainly hope you never end up under a bus. Reading you diary is one of the high points of my blog reading session.
[2005-03-28 20:41:07]
I love you...could never forget you and certainly hope you never end up under a bus. Reading you diary is one of the high points of my blog reading session.
Margaret
Voting down bonds because of admin salaries is asinine; those people don't get punished or suffer, it's the kids and the teachers! Make a ruckus like we're doing in my district about our district reorg, which appears to be pulling support out of the buildings and putting more admin at the district office. Parents and teachers, we need to get off our derrieres and fight for our kids and schools and NOT let these bureaucrats get their own way. As I said before, failing levies and bonds IS NOT the way to send any message; excuse my language, but it's chicken shit.(takes little if any work or effort on the person's part and has huge, negative consequences on the innocent)
[2005-03-28 21:21:21]
Voting down bonds because of admin salaries is asinine; those people don't get punished or suffer, it's the kids and the teachers! Make a ruckus like we're doing in my district about our district reorg, which appears to be pulling support out of the buildings and putting more admin at the district office. Parents and teachers, we need to get off our derrieres and fight for our kids and schools and NOT let these bureaucrats get their own way. As I said before, failing levies and bonds IS NOT the way to send any message; excuse my language, but it's chicken shit.(takes little if any work or effort on the person's part and has huge, negative consequences on the innocent)
Alex Vance
It's a strange fact, but during the Great Depression, when money was scarce, America built thousands of magnificent public schools as part of the WPA program. My elementary school was one of them, and it had amazing murals and everything made to the highest standard.
Today, America is immeasurably wealthier, yet the schools are literally falling apart.
I have no expertise in educational matters, but my suspicion is that a divide has been opening up between the taxpayers who finace public schools, and those whose children actually use them.
Nowadays, the wealthiest people (and thus the main source of tax revenue) have few children, and send their kids to private schools or boutique school discricts. The poorer people, tend to have more children, pay less in taxes, and are often recent immigrants. This creates an US versus THEM phenomenon. People now treat school bond measures almost like foreign aid: something given to subsidize strangers rather than build up one's one community. I think the controversy around Spanish language instruction is a case in point here.
[2005-03-28 22:20:57]
It's a strange fact, but during the Great Depression, when money was scarce, America built thousands of magnificent public schools as part of the WPA program. My elementary school was one of them, and it had amazing murals and everything made to the highest standard.
Today, America is immeasurably wealthier, yet the schools are literally falling apart.
I have no expertise in educational matters, but my suspicion is that a divide has been opening up between the taxpayers who finace public schools, and those whose children actually use them.
Nowadays, the wealthiest people (and thus the main source of tax revenue) have few children, and send their kids to private schools or boutique school discricts. The poorer people, tend to have more children, pay less in taxes, and are often recent immigrants. This creates an US versus THEM phenomenon. People now treat school bond measures almost like foreign aid: something given to subsidize strangers rather than build up one's one community. I think the controversy around Spanish language instruction is a case in point here.
breathtaken1
I think Alex made a good point. I also think that Catie has some points in that money is often spent in truly asinine ways. That makes the cry for help ring false.
[2005-03-28 22:26:01]
I think Alex made a good point. I also think that Catie has some points in that money is often spent in truly asinine ways. That makes the cry for help ring false.
Spritopias
I submit that administrators are not overpaid.
[2005-03-28 22:41:34]
I submit that administrators are not overpaid.
Rachel
I submit that only my counselors and my school nurse are overpaid, but that's just my school. I gush about teachers, but that's because I truly respect you guys. I think the school system is corrupt, and that teachers get the bad rep for it, even when it IS politics that drive schools to the ground. I love you! You're the bestest teacher ever. You should move to Tejas.
[2005-03-28 23:56:34]
I submit that only my counselors and my school nurse are overpaid, but that's just my school. I gush about teachers, but that's because I truly respect you guys. I think the school system is corrupt, and that teachers get the bad rep for it, even when it IS politics that drive schools to the ground. I love you! You're the bestest teacher ever. You should move to Tejas.
catie
i would never say that teachers shouldn't make more money, but here are some facts about the teachers i know: they all own their homes, they go on amazing vacations (and get to write them off on their taxes), they've never needed any sort of public assistance, and they tend to retire at a relatively early age. also, i may have mis-wrote when i said administrators, i meant superintendents. as an aside, the only good part about going to a museum is the walking around because if you walk fast enough you can almost pretend there's a breeze going.
[2005-03-29 11:14:29]
i would never say that teachers shouldn't make more money, but here are some facts about the teachers i know: they all own their homes, they go on amazing vacations (and get to write them off on their taxes), they've never needed any sort of public assistance, and they tend to retire at a relatively early age. also, i may have mis-wrote when i said administrators, i meant superintendents. as an aside, the only good part about going to a museum is the walking around because if you walk fast enough you can almost pretend there's a breeze going.
Christopias Spritopher
Considering the hours put in by Superintendents and their education levels and then juxtaposed against what people running similarly sized organizations make, they really do not make a lot of money. The basic problem, Catie, is that all of your 'facts' and 'what you know' about teachers is largely outside of the norm or apart of the mythology in this country concerning teachers. Most teachers are married to someone else and that is why they own their own homes and go on vacations, single teachers or teachers doing the earning do not own their homes. Concurrently, most of the teachers in that catagory in Kentucky receive some sort of financial support from the state. What do I know, I'm just an idiot.
[2005-03-29 15:08:07]
Considering the hours put in by Superintendents and their education levels and then juxtaposed against what people running similarly sized organizations make, they really do not make a lot of money. The basic problem, Catie, is that all of your 'facts' and 'what you know' about teachers is largely outside of the norm or apart of the mythology in this country concerning teachers. Most teachers are married to someone else and that is why they own their own homes and go on vacations, single teachers or teachers doing the earning do not own their homes. Concurrently, most of the teachers in that catagory in Kentucky receive some sort of financial support from the state. What do I know, I'm just an idiot.
catie
look, obviously i cannot comment about kentucky. i can comment about the teachers i know in california. i know single, never married teachers who own homes in the san francisco bay area. i know teacher couples who have put their children through college. i know teachers who are the sole financial providers for their families and own their homes and go on vacations. without exception, the teachers i know live comfortable lives. what i don't understand is if kentucky needs to provide assistance to most teachers, why don't they pay them more to begin with?
[2005-03-29 21:10:51]
look, obviously i cannot comment about kentucky. i can comment about the teachers i know in california. i know single, never married teachers who own homes in the san francisco bay area. i know teacher couples who have put their children through college. i know teachers who are the sole financial providers for their families and own their homes and go on vacations. without exception, the teachers i know live comfortable lives. what i don't understand is if kentucky needs to provide assistance to most teachers, why don't they pay them more to begin with?
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