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if this isnt the fastest way to get your child killed....
monkeybomb:
First off I'm a teacher (off-track) and totally with you. My facts are more based on the enourmous wastes funds I see daily. I see it everywhere, the waste is just sickening. Where I teach there is an exccess of funds, because it is one of the lowest middle school in the state. The money is spent so poorly you would go postal if you were here. There are 8 assistant principals. Each pulling down 6 figues plus there are other administators making Jjust as much. They don't do much and the money could go elsewhere. Our district is one of the biggest in the US(2nd I think). There is more money spent on unhelpful things than acctual classrooms.
The whole thing needs to be restructured in a bad way. The cost of administrators is outragous and the money spent on books is as well. Don't get me wrong books is the second best use of money after teachers it's just that it is speant poorly. The way it works in California is that major programs are sold to districts and schools at top dollar to friends of politicians and board members. Everything purched by the schools and individual class teachers must be at the highest retail price for teachers to be reimbursed. Here is one small example. If a teacher wants to buy a game of connect four for their class they can you get it themselves at toys r us for 5 bucks. Or they can use the catalog agreed on by the board (politics) for 20. That is 75% waste on the purchase.
Here's a more concrete example of a program change based on connections. Our (California) reading scores are near the bottom in the country. So what can we do about it. Well we went back to the old method of teaching Phonics. Did we buy the cheap materials readily available or reproduce a program already owned by a district. Nope. They spent Millions and Millions on the "Language!" program. Here's the big suprise the owner of the program was best friends with the govenors (Pete Wilson) wife. They demanded that every middle school and high schooluse the program and charged a fortune for each book. That came directly out of the individual schools budget. Wait, the best part, the program SUCKS.
Instead of paying $85 for each math book, why don't we use a standard set of problems that can be owned by the state Teachers could then suplement the problems with current texts. These would cost 20 bucks per student and the core problems would only cost the printing. By the way I may be shot by the publishers and vendors who are rich of this system.
I won't even beging to discuss the problems with special education (what I teach).
I may be dead wrong about there being "enough" funding, but I'd like to see the system run efficiently before we go get more. Otherwise it will just be stolen like the rest of it.
Shape D.:
--- Quote from: Dartful Dodger on April 27, 2005, 03:15:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: Zero_Hour on April 27, 2005, 02:59:24 pm ---Indeed, the "Old West" is often looked back with fondness for their overwhelming civility. :P
--- End quote ---
Indeed, the "Old West" is often looked back with fondness for their school shootings. :P
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They had schools in the old west?
--- Quote from: fredster on April 27, 2005, 03:25:46 pm ---A plan would be nice.
Since people don't seem to like this one, what would be the plan?
It's very easy to complain, you don't have to have answers to do that.
How about kick out all the students in a fight? How about prison time for guns and drugs at school?
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most schools now have a no tolerance rule. you get caught with weapons in school youre expelled.
ChadTower:
That teacher said unhelpful.
Stingray:
Okay you guys definitely have me on administrators being both too numerous and overpaid.
-S
ChadTower:
--- Quote from: Stingray on April 27, 2005, 04:13:37 pm ---Okay you guys definitely have me on administrators being both too numerous and overpaid.
--- End quote ---
Seriously, think how much you could do with the $150,000 (salary + benefits) one of those guys makes... and he doesn't produce a thing.