LAUSD really does it this time
Apr. 15th, 2009 08:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gategrrlHere's what I'm talking about with the LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District)--yesterday, the school board voted on what to do with the stimulus money they've been granted by the state:
What they did was this:
Los Angeles school district officials moved forward Tuesday with plans to lay off more than 5,000 teachers, counselors, custodians, clerks and other employees, but the battle over funding will rage on for weeks -- affecting who goes, who stays and what schools and classrooms will look like for students next year.
[snip]
The board action affects about 3,500 newer teachers who have yet to earn tenure protections as well as administrators, nursing staff, library aides, computer programmers and others.
The teachers will lose positions as a result of larger classes, which could rise from 20 to 24 students in the early grades. Sixth-grade classes would rise to 35 students. The average high school class would be larger still.
*****
The bolding is mine.
I'll have to wait and see how this affects Little Guy's school. See, our school system is very top-heavy, so I've been told, with tons of money usually going to admin in LA while the schools themselves and the teachers don't have enough cash for school programs like Art, Music and other fun stuff. You know, the stuff that made school life bearable when my generation was in school? The stuff that the wonderful Baby Boomers benefited from? (I'm a 1965 baby, so am right at the tail-end of that)
Yeah. Mermaid is NOT staying in a school when the classes get that large (they're already at 35 children per class, average, in Middle School).
What they did was this:
Los Angeles school district officials moved forward Tuesday with plans to lay off more than 5,000 teachers, counselors, custodians, clerks and other employees, but the battle over funding will rage on for weeks -- affecting who goes, who stays and what schools and classrooms will look like for students next year.
[snip]
The board action affects about 3,500 newer teachers who have yet to earn tenure protections as well as administrators, nursing staff, library aides, computer programmers and others.
The teachers will lose positions as a result of larger classes, which could rise from 20 to 24 students in the early grades. Sixth-grade classes would rise to 35 students. The average high school class would be larger still.
*****
The bolding is mine.
I'll have to wait and see how this affects Little Guy's school. See, our school system is very top-heavy, so I've been told, with tons of money usually going to admin in LA while the schools themselves and the teachers don't have enough cash for school programs like Art, Music and other fun stuff. You know, the stuff that made school life bearable when my generation was in school? The stuff that the wonderful Baby Boomers benefited from? (I'm a 1965 baby, so am right at the tail-end of that)
Yeah. Mermaid is NOT staying in a school when the classes get that large (they're already at 35 children per class, average, in Middle School).
no subject
Date: 2009-04-15 08:07 pm (UTC)Everyone was calling for the Superintendent to be fired or resign, but he's still there. He did take a "reduction in pay" that annually equals more than what many people I know make.
Meanwhile, hundreds of teachers and others were fired and I'm pretty sure classes were enlarged.
I heard a tidbit on the news about many school districts going to a four day a week schedule. In theory, it saves the school money on fuel costs and the like. But how many parents are now having to pay more for daycare an extra day? It's just passing the buck for the parents to pay their school taxes and for daycare when school's not open.
It's insane all around, and will hurt the students later on. They're already handicapped with so many sporting the "someone else will take care of it for me" attitude.
no subject
Date: 2009-04-15 08:54 pm (UTC)There's a book a teacher wrote called "Dumbing Us Down". Very interesting read.