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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
More budget problems
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DeKalb County schools is offering buyouts to 189 veteran central office employees.
DeKalb has been wrestling with financial problems. Like other systems, DeKalb is trying to deal with high fuel and utility costs and funding cuts from the state. But DeKalb has also been hit with a declining enrollment.
As some of you may remember, DeKalb already cut back on running some buses and eliminated a popular German program in two elementary schools.
I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these budget problems, for DeKalb and other school districts. What other cuts do you think systems will make?
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Missing the first weeks of school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It happens every year. The first day of school comes and officials count their enrollment. By the time Labor Day rolls around, the number of students increases by several thousand.
Lots of kids miss the first days of school. In Gwinnett County, more than 5,000 students have enrolled since the new school year began. Last week I visited a school in Atlanta and saw lines of students and parents waiting to register.
Some of these people are taking advantage of No Child Left Behind transfers. Others just moved to the area and were not aware of August start dates. But that can’t account for everyone.
These late arrivals force teachers to review classroom rules. Teachers must review material new students missed, taking away learning time from students who showed up on day one.
Why is the start date for a new school year no longer sacred? What message does it send to students when their parents let them miss the first few weeks of school?
