Where is the money going in JCS?

Discussion in 'Discussion Group' started by teachourchildrenwell, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

    I am unsure how Obama and all of that was even relevant to the discussion but the base dollar amounts are still the same.

    Getting back to the real problem. Please let me know if this is correct. The school in question is McGees Middle School which is grade sixth through eighth. In one class parents are having to fill in to tutor students who do not understand the subject because the school is stating that they do not have the funds to have smaller tutoring sessions for these students who are in need of it.

    Is the above paragraph correct? And is this the problem that was originally posted?
     
  2. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

    All Children First seems to have some great ideas, knowledge and questions. If someone can update us that would be great as a child's education is so vital.
     
  3. LI-bratz

    LI-bratz Well-Known Member

    according to central offices McGees is a title one school However, & I quote you can not label a middle school title one this from the horses mouth.

    As for the programs such you have listed I know they are in other schools I have seen them & PTA I believe at Polenta purchased this program as well (if memory serves)

    As for PTA here in Middle school sad very sad. You can not get parents to participate in hardly anything. I know I am involved in other aspects & it is always the same people. As for the teacher in question. These issues have been brought to this teacher as well as her administrator & upwards. Nothing is still being done. It is a very sad situation for the students involved & I thnak God my child is not one of them but I have seen first hand how this is being handled.
    I can tell you the Pta really does nothing at this school so there really is no $$$$$ from there that is due in large to lack of parental support. Parent advisory board I honestly do not think we have one there are no names posted anywhere & in the three years I have been there I have never seen letters welcoming parents to try & join since children would be moving up & out.

    Sorry for jumping around that is my thought process this late at night.

    I probably should not have tried to figure out what the person who started this post was trying to get at but if I read between the lines based on what I do know about the school that is where I am speaking from.

    It is frustrating that this Super makes as much $$$$$ as he does & the performance of this county has gone down hill.
     
  4. LI-bratz

    LI-bratz Well-Known Member

    I can tell you from what I do know about what you posted the answer is YES
    this is Middle 6-8th & yes parents are tutoring

    as for obama I asked their people that is why I brought it up I met some people that work for him & jsut asked if they knew & that is what I was told. Then I had a minute to research & posted the right thing........not that his salary really should matter I think the poster was trying to make an example
     
  5. All Children First

    All Children First Well-Known Member

    I work with my school's budget, so I have learned how the schools get their money. I know that some schools must "rob" their other funding sources to pay for copying budgets. Some teachers insist on worksheets every day, etc.; because the copiers are leased (this eliminates maintenance costs that can be quite high due to high volume of use), schools are allowed a specific number of copies per machine. I have taught at schools that spend thousands of dollars to cover the overage. (And the same teachers continued to make WAY too many copies all year while others, like myself and my teammates, stayed way under budget.)

    I agree, Madonna, that the problem has now emerged as a specific issue at a specific school although the original post included the entire county and the need for remediation, better teacher pay, money for supplies, etc.
     
  6. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

  7. teachourchildrenwell

    teachourchildrenwell Active Member

    You bring up alot of great points!! I was told that Orchard was available at McGees, however the students that I am helping are not using this program.

    I do not agree that it is the classroom teachers fault for these students (who are very smart) to be struggling in LA or Math. However, when the standards were raised (2 school years ago) the students were not afforded the foundation to be successful. That is what I mean by "close the skill gaps". These were the children that were struggling 2 years ago, just passing the EOG on the low end of level III. Now, with the higher standards in place, they fall short of passing.

    The payroll issue was brought into this discussion group because this is a public school, and we are the public. We can voice our concern over misuse of funds.

    As far as the Title I status, I do not think McGees is a Title I school.

    Finally, this is not just a school issue. As there are children in every school struggling. It is just the matter that each school handles the problem with a different program, and some are more successful than the other.

    Remember, the entire County is in District Improvement. EVERY SCHOOL DID NOT MAKE AYP.
     
  8. Cleopatra

    Cleopatra Well-Known Member

    So is mine. My son is AIG, Duke TIP, and he's going to Europe this summer as a Student Ambassador. I make him go to tutoring just because it is there.

    But, tell you what. IF there was a need I would do whatever possible to make it happen. Cut back somewhere, get a job - I have a friend who had two daughters going to Sylvan and she picked up a PT job doing admin for Sylvan. See, there are ways. There are high schoolers, college students, etc that would like to pick up some extra cash. I'm raising X grand right now so my son can go overseas this summer, for 20 days. That's alot more than Sylvan but it is nothing compared to his future and how he will benefit from that immediately and for the rest of his life.

    And no, I'm not offering to tutor. Do you think I'm that smart? I argue with strangers on the internet. :lol:
     
  9. teachourchildrenwell

    teachourchildrenwell Active Member

    :hurray: Very funny!! I try not to argue with anybody, maybe I don't belong here! Random acts of kindness -- That's what I say. . .
     
  10. Cleopatra

    Cleopatra Well-Known Member

    One more thing to add, and I have seen this myself. The transition from elementary school to middle school can be tough. Kid that were at the top of their game, can quickly fall behind. I saw my own son struggle last year. Keep in communication with the teacher, watch for those emailed progress reports, ask your child to see their work, check their homework. Buy workbooks and utilize free online education resources. Do HW as soon as they walk in the door, right after snack and chat while the material is still fresh in their mind. If the teacher is the problem, keep squeaking but coming onto a public forum to blast the Super was not helpful and I could not even figure out what the whole issue was until li-bratz explained it.
     
  11. Cleopatra

    Cleopatra Well-Known Member

    You'll be fine... you just came in with both guns blazing. Save those for the trolls!
     
  12. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

    I agree with Cleo that the transition is hard. I have a child in the same programs as Cleo.

    Don't worry. The 4042 family will try to help in any way possible. Now that I (we) understand the situation better it helps.
     
  13. rjfields

    rjfields Well-Known Member

    I'm late on this but I think they could save me a ton of money if they would stop sending me stuff in Spanish. I get almost everything my son's school sends home twice. Once in English and once in Spanish. Then when I go to the school they have all the signs in English and Spanish.




    WE SPEAK ENGLISH! get it right people, I don't move to Italy and expect all the signs to change for me!!!!!
     
  14. teachourchildrenwell

    teachourchildrenwell Active Member

    These parents can not even get a meeting or a phone call back from the teacher or Addinistrators of the school. Email progress reports would be great, but are not offered. Again, this school does not have the money.

    Blasting Dr. Parker is needed. He is making the salary, and carries the job description that states he is accountable to serve us the public. When the public can not get answers at a local school level HE IS SUPPOSE TO STEP IN. The Board is to become involved only after all other areas have been tried and refused.

    Again, our school budget is large and can more than afford to give these children what they need. Again, his salary was brought up because we are tax payers and it is OUR money paying his and all others salaries. I do not care if some comes from the County, and some comes from the State. It is all coming from our TAX DOLLARS.

    Finally, EVERY SCHOOL IN JCS IS NOT MAKING AYP.

    EVERY SCHOOL IN JCS IS ON A DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT UNDER NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.
     
  15. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

    teachourchildrenwell,

    I will tell you that by bringing up Dr. Parker's salary time and time again it seems as though it is personal and he would probably say the same. Please leave that portion out and concentrate on what is actually needed for the children at this school.

    I keep giving you advice on staying on topic and you keep going off topic. Are you really trying to help the children?
     
  16. teachourchildrenwell

    teachourchildrenwell Active Member

    I also agree with both - transition is hard on the students. On a positive note, the Elem schools and the Middle school also realize this. I know that various Middle schools in our District have formed partnerships with the Elem schools to bridge the gap on this difficult transition. Hopefully, these efforts will help the students become more successful!:grouphug:
     
  17. teachourchildrenwell

    teachourchildrenwell Active Member

    How can we leave any issue on overspending out when it is a issue of not having the money for programs needed within our schools? I appreciate the fact that the Super needs to make a reasonable salary, but overspending is exactly that overspending. Don't read between the lines, you agreed with Lil Bratz and they basically confirmed what I have been saying all along!

    You do not know me, but I would not be on this forum if I did not care about children. I would not be tutoring children for free, I would not attend boring board meetings, and I would not go to the Commissioner asking for a larger school budget. Stop trying to discredit my efforts for the children. My opinion is just that my opinion, and it has always been the same. Do not tell a tax payer that we do not have the money to help these children when there is misuse of the budget money!! Again, talk to the Board Members, and they will tell you that last year our numbers were terrible in LA and Math. They will also share that parents are concerned, and that they are informed on a daily basis that parents are being told there is no money for additional programs. One issue (salary/overspendind) is directly related to the other (no money to help our children)

    I am not bashing Dr Parkers efforts - I am clearly stating that if we can afford to pay him such a large salary we should be able to invest more into our children.
     
  18. Madonna

    Madonna Well-Known Member

    And I am not bashing you or discounting that you are helping the children. I am just suggesting that to find a solution you might want to stop discussing his salary. I know this from past experience with him. He will take it as a personal issue.

    If we are to find a solution we must think outside the box. Yes, duplicate payments are not acceptable but they were found and corrected. Happens in every single corporation.

    Concentrate on solutions without getting into his salary and I'll bet some can be found.
     
  19. LI-bratz

    LI-bratz Well-Known Member

  20. LI-bratz

    LI-bratz Well-Known Member

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