School cuts!

[Jusmar]

The school district that I go to is having massive budget issues. Not like "oh we are $ 5000 out of budget" or " we need to stop our annual paper burning parties". The budget is 24 MILLION dollars over budget! I wonder is this happening else where out side of Texas and what should be done about it?

[Michael Archer]

Damn, that sucks.

 

This is why we need to take education out of the hands of the government and give it to the profit-making industry, where it rightfully belongs. Education is too important and too valuable to give to the government.

[Bjossi]

There are cuts planned here as well. They plan to merge schools together, even elementaries and kindergartens, which would form a sort of "elementary kindergarten".

[Jusmar]

@bjossi We already have that "elementary school" is k-5 and middle is 6-8 high is 9-12. At least I only have 2 years to go...

They cut the transportation budget, which is the biggest deal for me because it effects the band that I am in. It went from $38,660 to 660. The best part is that the $660 that is split over 6 schools. Woo now we have $110 to play with for the whole year! @ Michael I like you idea the gov just seems not very with-it at the moment.

[BTGBullseye]

It's a country-wide problem... That's why you should always go to a charter or private school if you can. (support the good schools)

[Axeldeath]

Really? We haven't been getting any school cuts over here.

[BTGBullseye]

Really? We haven't been getting any school cuts over here.

Are you in the US?

[Doom Shepherd]

Betcha they still find sufficient funds for the football team. Priorities, don'cha know.

 

I grew up in one of the poorest counties in Pennsylvania, both my parents were teachers and I've been around the blook a few times, and I think I can safely say that when it comes to education, money is helpful, but it's really considerably less important than mnotivation.

 

My father would say "you can have the best schools, best teachers, best materials, and most money in the world... and it won't make any difference if you're trying to teach a lump of protoplasm that does not want to learn."

 

(I don't think I need to point out how that particular group seems to have grown in recent history...)

 

On the other side of the scale, a motivated mind can make up for a lot of lacking resources.

 

Ideally, yes, you want both... but the world is rarely ideal.

[Axeldeath]

Really? We haven't been getting any school cuts over here.

Are you in the US?

 

Nah, points to avatar. NZ

[xxxxxxxxx]

The school district that I go to is having massive budget issues. Not like "oh we are $ 5000 out of budget" or " we need to stop our annual paper burning parties". The budget is 24 MILLION dollars over budget! I wonder is this happening else where out side of Texas and what should be done about it?

 

All of the staff at my school got their pink slips last month. It's closing down.

[Fujin]

The public school system sucks anyways.

[Serbdude]

Damn, that sucks.

 

This is why we need to take education out of the hands of the government and give it to the profit-making industry, where it rightfully belongs. Education is too important and too valuable to give to the government.

 

...which would make education even more inaccessible to America's growing class of working poor and likely ensure that their children will NEVER get out of poverty and potentially live a worse life then their parents. Even many middle class families will have troubles affording it as the costs for educating one student will skyrocket (same reason why Americans pay big $$$ for healthcare) as logically they will seek a huge profit out of it. If you mean by using private contractors working for the government then that will mean taxes will have to be raised or a much more basic (can it really be any more basic?) system. Also these companies will emphasize skills related directly to the marketplace and would remove ones that aren't.

 

The government should handle education, but the problem with the US is that the US spends too little on education and works too little at improving it which is part of the reason why America is in a decline.

 

How many developed nations have a privatized education system?

[Doom Shepherd]

Apparently, the makers of "Waiting for Superman" would disagree.

 

Personally, I think one of the biggest problems with education is that the people making the big decisions about education are politicians, sociologists, psychologists... ANYBODY but educators.

 

And that is why we have the students with the highest self-esteem in the world... despite it being entirely undeserved. They can shout "We're number one!!!" but they can't SPELL it. (Some slight exaggeration for rhetorical purposes.)

 

I find it amusing, but not surprising, that in studies of student self-esteem, the group with the lowest self-esteem (Asian kids) tended to be the highest achievers.

[GoodOddsAgainst]

We have such a stupid ass Superintendent here in good old Idaho. The jackass wanted to fire a bunch of teachers so he buy us all laptops so that we could then take all our classes online. For one, the laptops would have been the 100 dollar variety and would have struggled just to run W98. Two, what college would want to take students who took their education over the internet and probably cheated on half of the assignments. Three, the cost of buying a laptop and maintaining the upkeep (computer problems, viruses, hardware breaking) would highly out way simply paying teachers. It wasn't until I read on this guys history that really got me worried. Our district elected a guy who took his classes online. On the bright side, some hero vandalized his car. Way to go free speech, and other illegal activities!

[BTGBullseye]

We have such a stupid ass Superintendent here in good old Idaho. The jackass wanted to fire a bunch of teachers so he buy us all laptops so that we could then take all our classes online. For one, the laptops would have been the 100 dollar variety and would have struggled just to run W98. Two, what college would want to take students who took their education over the internet and probably cheated on half of the assignments. Three, the cost of buying a laptop and maintaining the upkeep (computer problems, viruses, hardware breaking) would highly out way simply paying teachers. It wasn't until I read on this guys history that really got me worried. Our district elected a guy who took his classes online. On the bright side, some hero vandalized his car. Way to go free speech, and other illegal activities!

If it CAN'T run Win 7 x64, then it isn't worth buying. Ever.

 

Cheating on online courses isn't as easy as you think, and usually it isn't really even cheating... (I have online math classes for my Community College)