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Behind the Whiteboard |
Is California Protecting Education?
on August 4, 2009
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My dad was a high school teacher during the budget cuts in the 60's. He said his district needed to cut teachers, so they hired an administrator to oversee...
My dad was a high school teacher during the budget cuts in the 60's. He said his district needed to cut teachers, so they hired an administrator to oversee firing the teachers. Of course, that administrator got paid the salary of 2 teachers.
Despite the above gallows humor, I don't see how California can continue it's testing "accountability" and school "program improvement" requirements. How can they hold teachers accountable when they're cutting resources, instructional days, and raising class sizes? AND think of how many more teachers and educational services California could retain if it didn't have to develop, score, and administer standardized tests?
While I've left the state to work someplace that was hiring, I hope that California's teachers don't allow themselves to be held "accountable" for state fiscal irresponsibility.
on Aug 11, 2009
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Anyone who is following the budget issues in California knows that the cuts are detrimental to many state workers. I watched the news when Governor Schwarzenegger announced that California's legislature had finally passed a budget. He said that he felt proud that they were able to protect education. Shortly thereafter, a breakdown of the cuts was shown on the TV screen — education took another $6 billion cut. I don't know how cutting $6 billion means protecting education, but I'd like for you all to see how this affects one school in Sacramento.
At my former school in the 2008-2009 school year, we had 62 teachers, four administrators, four counselors and 33 classified staff. Due to the budget cuts, for this upcoming school year, six teachers were laid off, one counselor will be laid off, administrators will take 12 furlough days, classified staff will take three furlough days and teachers will take six furlough days. Additionally, there is talk about not having a school resource officer and having an administrator laid off. In a school where discipline is already an issue, one less administrator and no police officer will make for utter chaos.
Let's look at the situation even closer by examining this school's Algebra 1 classes. Last school year, there were roughly 35-38 students in each Algebra 1 class. Next year, the school is going to be down one teacher, so class sizes will increase and potentially create some serious and dangerous situations. On the academic front, Algebra 1 is the minimum math class required for graduation. The California content standards that teachers are required to teach are significant to that class. There is so much material required to be covered that by teaching a textbook section a day and not taking any breaks or skipping sections, a teacher can just barely make it through the Algebra 1 curriculum in the 185 school days. If teachers are now required to take six furlough days, that's six lost days of instruction, and this means the already quick pace of the curriculum has to speed up even more.
Governor Schwarzenegger says he has protected education — anyone else see an issue here?
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Comments
on Aug 11, 2009
My dad was a high school teacher during the budget cuts in the 60's. He said his district needed to cut teachers, so they hired an administrator to oversee firing the teachers. Of course, that administrator got paid the salary of 2 teachers.
Despite the above gallows humor, I don't see how California can continue it's testing "accountability" and school "program improvement" requirements. How can they hold teachers accountable when they're cutting resources, instructional days, and raising class sizes? AND think of how many more teachers and educational services California could retain if it didn't have to develop, score, and administer standardized tests?
While I've left the state to work someplace that was hiring, I hope that California's teachers don't allow themselves to be held "accountable" for state fiscal irresponsibility.
