I read the article last week in the paper that said the school district was laying off 63 teachers, 5 principals, and a bunch more support staff to equal 10% of all their employees. It distressed me. But I didn't get it. I couldn't imagine how they could possibly get rid of that many teachers. I am getting it now. And my stomach has dropped and churned multiple times today over the injustice of it all.
How does a district need to lay off so many teachers mid-year? It started this summer when it was discovered that the city mistakenly paid the school district $2 milllion dollars in taxes and the school district accepted the payment. The payment should have gone to the state. Then there was the 2.6 million of overspending because of "significant deficiencies" in accounting procedures. What's that mean? Sounds like someone should be fired to me and sent back to school to learn to mathematical basics.
To be fair, the former superintendent knew about all this,but he skipped town and didn't tell anyone about the mess. So when the school board approved the budget for this year, they were being fiscally responsible with the numbers they were given. And the new superintendent? I am relieved to see such wisdom and intelligence in his leadership. But still, school districts can't just have additional bake sales to stay afloat, and I've seen figures as high as 20 million in cuts projected over the next four years. The state of Michigan certainly won't be helping us. I don't know where that leaves this district except with bare bones education, giant classes, and year after year of declining enrollment.
So to stay afloat, 118 employees are gone. At H's school that translates into 3 teachers and a secretary. K's preschool is in a public school. Her school didn't lose teachers, just aides and a janitor. One of the first grade teachers at H's school got laid off. That means H's room of 23 bulges to 30 and a new classroom that is a 1st/2nd grade split will get created, midyear, with the first grade play looming on the horizon. There was also a second grade teacher who lost his job (the only male teacher in the building). And now the fifth grade teacher is coming down to teach the 1/2 split thus creating a 4/5 split classroom too. The principal and teachers are distressed. The official word of who got a slip came through Wednesday night, all changes need to be in place by Monday.
All I can think about is the kids...not so much at H's school. It's one the best schools in the state. Most of those kids have such motivated parents that they'll learn no matter what. But what about the other schools, the ones that can't make adequate yearly progress for No Child Left Behind (and this would describe over half the schools in this district). Don't they deserve smaller classes? More aides? Music, PE, Art, and Spanish? a clean school?
I'm sick of irresponsible adults. I want to cry and stamp my feet and yell at someone who can do something about this mess "It's not fair! Now give us back that money."
4 comments:
It's nice to know that parents feel as the teachers do. We are saddened at the loss of our colleagues over money not spent well or correctly. We are given few, if any answers and are told to read the newspaper. Many of the youngest teachers were telling their students goodbye and good luck today as they are assuming that they won't return. With 30-34 in classrooms already, our struggling students will struggle and be left behind in some of their subjects. It isn't fair that our children suffer for the mistakes of some adults. Thanks for caring and writing about it.
That is terrible. Terrible, terrible. But we grew up in Rockford and had classes of 30 all the way through Bloom (remember we had a split 2/3 grade class Mrs. Benson taught?), the numbers didn't decrease in middle school or high school. The smallest class I ever had was 6th hour English with Mrs. Courier. For some reason we has 12. Every other class I ever remember being in had between 28 and 31 kids. I even got bumped from physics because the class was over enrolled, so they just grabbed from the end of the list and offered me either Zoology or Anatomy for my science junior year.
This was, of course, way before NCLB. But as these things happen, even the private schools start busting at the seams. My mom still teaches at Lutheran, and she's overwhelmed with 30 kids in her classes too.
poo!
This subject is dear to my heart for so many reasons. 1) My kids; 2) my sister is an excellent teacher in inner-city Grand Rapids and feels the pinch and pain of budgets every day. I know another teacher who takes an art conference EVERY YEAR to NY or Florida, etc - all expenses paid by the school district (lodging, air fare, food, etc). Why do some teachers lose their jobs, while otehrs get fancy "conference" vacations?
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