Get Schooled

By blackbird

December 17, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this

the people who do this type of thing with taxpayer money and i would also throw on the compromised local media who refuse to report on it even when is handed to them on a silver platter. i mean really, the misuse of travel funds to at least the tune of around 9,000 dollats for 1 year coupled with the admission by a board member that they did so as a favor to the super’s friend seems like a slam dunk. how does anyone that works for this system ever trust anything they say? the web traffic on this site shows that this is a major concern in the community but nothing has been addressed.

http://thehallmonitor.wordpress.com

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By Ernest

December 17, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this

I’m not sure I would call budget cuts ‘controversial’. They are a reality in today’s economic climate. Labor costs are the largest expenditure for any organization. Given school systems cannot operate at a deficit, it only makes sense that layoffs may be necessary. When you look around the country and see the cutbacks other school districts have already done (10% cuts in CA, major teacher layoffs in Dallas, etc.), I think we are at the tip of the iceberg in GA.

We the citizens control who represents us on local BoEs and in the state legislature. If we don’t use our collectively powers to elect those that will represent our communities while being fiscally responsible, we only have ourselves to blame.

By I HATE GEORGIA

December 17, 2008 9:59 AM | Link to this

THANK GOD THAT I AM LEAVING THIS SORRY STATE THIS AFTERNOON!!! YOU PEOPLE ARE RACIST, UNEDUCATED, HATEFUL, STUPID, AND ALSO MOST OF YOU ARE IN NEED OF SOME DENTAL WORK. AND YOU WONDER WHY YOUR STATE LEADS THE WAY IN TEENAGE PREGNANCY BUT IS LAST IN SCHOOL TEST SCORES. GOODBYE IGNORANT GEORGIANS AND I HOPE TO NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!!!

By PJ

December 17, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this

To I HATE GA: Bless your heart. Y’all come back now, hear?

By jim d

December 17, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

Hmmm,

Connecticut:

Number of Teen Pregnancies, Girls 15-19, 2000 7,420

Teen population, Females 120,767

Georgia:

Number of Teen Pregnancies, Girls 15-19, 2000 27,370

Teen population, Females 314,220

HAVE A SAFE TRIP, and we hope the plane leaaves on schedule.

By I HATE GEORGIA

December 17, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this

I will jim d. thanks for posting those facts for me. I know the truth hurts.

By transplant

December 17, 2008 11:14 AM | Link to this

it appears that the chickens have come home to roost. All the years of over spending and waste have finally caught up to the state and now is trickling down to school systems. How sad really.

Meanwhile Georgia still paddles school children when there is no educational merit to that practice.

Go figure!

By jim d

December 17, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this

Hate,

doesn’t hurt as bad as you may think when you consider mean income.

By jim d

December 17, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

Hate,

BTW, that difference amounts to a meager $12,753 a year difference per household.

It would seem then that poverty levels not only affect educational outcomes but teen prego rates as well. Perhaps Mr. Obama can fix all of that for us too by simply redistributing some of the wealth From Con. to Ga. Whatta think?

By gwinnett educator

December 17, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this

any word on the school board vote in Gwinnett??

By Joy in Teaching

December 17, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this

Who would I over throw?

I would overthrow about 90% of the entire U.S. Department of Education. The amount of growth that that particular department has had since 1980 is astounding.

I’ve always found it interesting that those particular talking heads know how to best improve my local school. In fact, all of their interfering with NCLB have contributed to a group of kids who do not have to do much of anything other than pass a test in order to be “successful.” Who cares if they can’t do anything else? Well, their teachers, parents, and local communities do, but we aren’t allowed to do much else besides teach to the test.

And so we are left with a group of kids who feel successful, but who cannot read, write, do basic math, behave, or interact successfully with others.

By jim d

December 17, 2008 12:09 PM | Link to this

Gwinnett ed,

according to their website the vote is to take place today in a special called meeting.

By Sarah

December 17, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this

We need to convince more people to vote and vote to help our state, not just help individuals.

By Ernest

December 17, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this

JimD, you may have already heard but Gwinnett voted to opt out. You can read about this at: Gwinnett Schools Opt Out

I’m sure the blog topic tomorrow will be on this and the possible impact and repercussions.

By gwinnett educator

December 17, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this

I knew about that meeting and after napping (left work sick today) I see that the board has unanimously approved the plan.

By Ernest

December 17, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this

This is something controversial. I just spoke to a buddy in CA, whose wife is a teacher. She teaches in LAUSD. He indicated she was told their health benefits may be eliminated and they may be paid with IOU’s if the economic climate does not change. He also mentioned that 1st graders won’t be test due to lack of funds.

He mentioned LAUSD has a teachers union albeit somewhat weak. As he understood it, when layoffs occur, they will shift people from the central office into school administration, the current school administrators may get shifted to the classroom, and the last hired teachers will more that likely be laid off. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not sure if we’ve seen the worst of it in GA yet. Think, if Speaker Richardson’s GREAT plan had been implemented, we could have already seen massive layoffs in schools systems throughout the state.

By V for Vendetta

December 18, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this

Wow. This was the best we could muster for a blog about overthrowing the establishment and recreating the system as we see fit.

Pathetic.

And we wonder why things are the way they are.

By VOICE

December 18, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this

V, Once again I agree. Truly pathetic!

But, here goes: I would overthrow every school board and replace them with boards comprised only of educators. Furthermore, each school would be run in a similar fashion as our colleges and universities. Isn’t it interesting how people from all over the world try to gain admission to our colleges and universities, but U.S. k-12 still lags behind?

Simply put, students would apply for admission, and they could be accepted or rejected based on academic and behavior records. This system, like our public colleges/universities, is not disciminatory. School systems would then establish schools for the rejects/left-overs who would attend school together. Therefore, the students who are really trying to learn can do so without constant disruptions, bullying, etc..

What do y’all think??

By catlady

December 18, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this

I’d get rid of state level politicians, administrators, and GABOE staff who don’t have a clue, but expect the real educators to make their idiot ideas work. I’d overthrow state level politicans who offer me a $100 pay off each year while making “austerity cuts.” I’d get rid of people at every level who are “administering” things they have never taught. I’d get rid of anyone who suggests another cure du jour (such as uniforms, single sex schools, flashy superintendents who are supposed to “save” the county, Max Thompson, Reading First, word walls, values education, Harry Wong, Singapore math, direct instruction…. I could go on and on.) And a permanent ax to anyone who had anything to do with implementing NCLB.

By ironmaiden

December 19, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this

Catlady, You speak the truth for so many teachers. I have steered away from this site because there seems to be little relevance for a teaching profession that has been picked to pieces by admin mandates. Parents should care because we can barely prioritize our students. I actually work two jobs: the one the taxpayers pay for; the one forced on me by county control freaks. Meetings and documentation of meetings everywhere. No choice of professional learning curriculum. Hall duty, parking lot duty, lunch duty. Barely time to ponder methods/motives. My suspicion is that it is all contrived to keep us from thinking. Stepford Teachers?? No Child Left Behind = No Teacher Left Unprogramed!!

By jim d

December 20, 2008 3:24 AM | Link to this

V,

A bit disheartening, yes?