unappellated eohippus writes to school superintendent

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x737863

Oh my.

The unappellated eohippus has been literary lately.

Horse with no Name  (1000+ posts)        Fri Mar-25-11 10:26 AM
THE UNAPPELLATED EOHIPPUS, THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF MOLOCH TO THE PRIMITIVES
Original message

School district sent home a letter today asking for ideas on how to cut the school budget

I just finished my letter to the superintendent. Help me folks! What am I missing?

>>>>start of letter

First of all, I want to commend you for asking parents for input on how to ease the budgetary constraints imposed by the state.

The easy answer was for Perry to accept the stimulus money. But that didn’t happen.

The next easiest thing would have been to raise taxes to a penny on the dollar. That, by itself, would have eased the entire burden to all of the schools in the state. It didn’t happen either. However, voters have no problems raising taxes to build sports stadiums that generate millionaires more millions, yet cringe over pennies spent on educating our children, but, I digress and put the disclaimer out there that I did not vote for this.

So, now schools have to depend on austerity cuts to survive, assuming it will be cheaper to lay ancillary staff off. We all know it is cheaper to add to the Medicaid rolls and Food stamp rolls than it is to pay an extra penny on the dollar. I hope that you can hear my sarcasm. Not to mention the cost to the children—it isn’t monetary but it should be looked at very carefully.

With all of that in mind—school cuts should NOT come at the expense of people losing their jobs. While it may fix the school problem, it creates more unemployed and underemployed which doesn’t solve the larger problems that we face as a state and as a nation and significantly impacts it negatively.

Presently, our children go to school Monday through Friday, from 8 until 3:15.

That is 36 hours and 25 minutes per week. School is in session for 40 weeks a year. IF school started at 7:55 am and ended at 5 pm—a normal workday for most—and ONLY went to school Monday through Thursday, which is a total of 36 hours and 20 minutes per week, it would save 40 days a year of lunches, fuel for the buses as well as wear and tear, electricity, water, etc. It would give the same amount of education to our kids in the four days; generate a substantial savings to the school district without impacting existing jobs. Without knowing exactly daily expenditures for the school, I can imagine that shaving 40 days of expenses off of the year would be helpful.

Personally, with the budget crisis in the schools, we NEED to discuss other options. But, the sad truth is, that sacred cows will NOT be slaughtered. Our teachers and administrators will be the ones that pay the price. The main objective of school is education. Period. We need to remember that when we have the school budgets on the chopping block. Ultimately, at the end of the day, at the expense of EVERYTHING else, education needs to be preserved.

We need to look at the extracurricular activities—sports, band, etc. ANYTHING that is NOT related to education and it needs to go. The expenses of transporting students to and from these events, the sometimes inflated salaries of coaches, utilities, uniforms, etc. all contribute to the bottom line in the school budgets. They are extracurricular. That is where the cuts should start—at least on a statewide basis, and arguably on a nationwide basis. There is NO reason that booster clubs cannot figure out how to run the sports programs on corporate sponsorships and that the competitions, etc not be sanctioned and paid for by school districts—but instead be run like Little League organizations. I also understand this is one sacred cow that won’t be touched. Governor Mark White was run out of town on a rail when he dared to enact No Pass No Play.

However, things are different now. We have an educational crisis like none we have ever seen. Drastic measures will have to be taken to save public education. There is a nationwide assault on schools. As a taxpayer, as a citizen, and someone who understands that our students are the key to our future, I do not want to see our schools privatized out to the highest bidder—which is the ultimate goal at this point. I want my grandchildren to be taught more than how to scan items at Walmart or how to better serve corporate America.

I was on the front lines for the corporate takeover of hospitals. Bottom line now is profit—and that profit is made by cheaper and less experienced staff, understaffing, and an incessant battle cry to cut more and more while profits soar. The end result is health care that nobody can afford and patient dissatisfaction.

I hope you ready for this fight. I have been avidly watching the battles across the nation on education. The agenda is very clear. I have to say that I am heartened by the response to the assault on teachers in Wisconsin. It has been one of the high points. The assault on education in Detroit is a low point.

Good luck.

There's primitive responses, all of them liking the unappellated eohippus' literary work, but as one can easily imagine what those responses are, no point in loading them up in the boat and bringing them here.

[GOBUCKS]

If anyone reads this, when they get to her second sentence, where she slams the governor, it'll go into the crackpot file. Democrat moonbats just can't grasp the idea that normal people don't think the way they do.

[vesta111]

If anyone reads this, when they get to her second sentence, where she slams the governor, it'll go into the crackpot file. Democrat moonbats just can't grasp the idea that normal people don't think the way they do.

It must frustrate the teachers that put out notices to the parents that their the kids, need to brings their own paper and pencils, crayons etc. to school as the class cannot supply them due to budget cuts.  The books the kids are reading, history or science are 5 years old.

The new history books the kids get , if a parent reads them find blatant inaccuracy's, or large gaps in history, they can complain but the teachers are TOLD what to teach.

Mean while the school gets money for an indoor swimming pool. all new rehab of the inside gym and a new tennis court.   

Where is the money to equip a science lab, high tec equipment for kids in the 1ST grade that catch on faster  to computers and other technology.

It is the very young that can be taught anything, they can pick up a foreign language very fast, Computers are a breeze to some 8 year olds.

Why all the school money goes for the kids that have 1-2 years in the school playing sports and the kids that have have 12 years ahead of them in school have to go without  the high tec   education they can absorber easier then older kids is one heck of a mystery to me.

[BEG]

If they decrease school by a day how would the children whose only access to food is their school eat?  What about those poor parents who can't afford daycare?  What will they do with their kid on Friday. What about the "chillens"!!!!

[GOBUCKS]

If they decrease school by a day how would the children whose only access to food is their school eat?  What about those poor parents who can't afford daycare?  What will they do with their kid on Friday. What about the "chillens"!!!!

The only objective this DUmmy has is to prevent even a single layoff of a union teacher, regardless of the financial condition of the school district.

Oh, and yes, by the way, it's "chirren".

[JohnnyReb]

It's according to where you live but where I live, if they dropped the federal money and the free meals it would be a wash and the local district could do as they please.....until Holder, Ayers and Obama heard about it.