Layoffs of these positions. Personnel have been identified, but names not released to public. 74 TAs, 29 certified positions, 11 office psnl, 9 classified. 123 persons, so far. may expand. http://claytonnews-star.com/school-board-authorizes-rif-of-personnel-p1892-106.htm
I can understand being frustrated or disappointed with the school system, but as I am living through my spouse's unemployment for the second time in the last 2 years, I have to say that I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I personally hate to see people lose their jobs, especially in education. It always hurts the kids in some way. Flame away...I just come at this from a different view and it is not pretty.
While I would be the first to admit that there is considerable waste and bloat in the education budget, I also believe that taking a chain saw to do the surgery is overkill. Employers who look to come here look to see if they'll have an educated workforce, not just next year, but for the next generations to come. If they see that the state and our county do not value education or choose to not invest in education, they go elsewhere. The conservative legislators approach is to decimate public schooling by defunding it through offering massive tax vouchers for unlimited and largely unaccountable charter schooling that favors the few, at the expense of many. If the legislature will allow the sales tax to remain as is, the education budget will be far better off.
Does JoCo still have the double dipping administrators who retire and collect their pension, but then return to work and also collect a check?
Having gone through unemployment myself recently, it is not fun. However, while I don't want to see anyone suffer, there are several in the administration that I would like to see go. It's all a numbers game with our school system. They find the money for what they want and make cuts where they want. I am so glad that once this school year is done, I will be done with the public school system here in Johnston County. I will still continue to speak out for the AIG students as I feel they are the ones that are currently getting lost in the system. Other than the AIG Center, which I am sure will be closing at the end of this year, the AIG students only receive the bare minimum that the state requires, which isn't a whole lot. Our county's brightest students are leaving the public schools in droves and those that are left will not be able to continue carrying the academic achievement level on their backs alone. I really hate that TAs are being lost. More administrative positions need to be cut instead. Croom has stated that any position in central office cut will hurt students but it's my opinion that what is going on in the classroom affects the kids more directly and losing TAs and teaches will hurt more. Cutting more of his staff that comes up with the ridiculous mandates of what teachers need to be doing in the classroom instead of just letting them teach is what is needed.
:iagree: no flaming necessary! I wish the budget allowed for more TA's. I have been in some classrooms (K - 2nd grade) where the teacher has no TA, and it does affect the kids. With younger kids, the classroom runs so much more efficiently with two adults. I think TA's sometimes are not perceived as valuable as they really are.
Praying for those that will be affected. Having once been a TA, I know they must be nervous. Some of those TA's, that is their only source of income, and it will be hard. Will be thinking about my friends in the school system.
Charter schools are not the problem Hat. There are a very small number of them, they operate on much smaller budgets, and are absolutely just as accountable (in some cases more so) as any other public school. There's only one in joco. We get the operating expense money for those students, while all the other schools in the county still get funded for land and buildings and sports and cafeteria and buses, even though our kids AREN'T USING THEM. You think that's why staff is being cut? Ridiculous. We are not the problem. We are an example of better performance with less money. Right now, we're doing it better than you and you don't like it. The fat cat status quo comfortable establishment education system better take note: we are here to stay, so get used to it. We're a public school, and we're fighting for a more level playing field. I don't care what you think you know about public schools and charter schools, but you've proven to me with comments like the one you made above that you know very little about charter schools and only repeat the misinformation spread by the ncae. Sorry, bud, but those lies ain't gonna fly here. You keep posting them, and I'm going to keep shooting them down....
Wow Hat you've got this so wrong that I'm convinced you know little about the current legislation also. There are not, have never been, and will never be "vouchers" for charter schools. They are funded out of the same general state (and to a small extent, like 1100 bucks per kid, the county) education fund. You may be surprised to learn that charter schools are not included as recipients of lottery funds. Not one charter school in north carolina has ever gotten a dollar from the lottery. Right now there are 100 charters in nc. I'm actually not in favor of unlimited charters, but I think that the difficulties in opening one will keep the number lower than some might expect. As far as vouchers go, they are a concept that applies to private schools only. The idea is that a parent/tax payer would be able to apply some of the taxes they pay that go for education towards tuition at a private school. There are thousands of private schools. Now that would pull some money out of the public school system for sure. If you want to complain about something, at least try to know what it is you're complaining about. When will you complain about the ineptitude and outright failure of the establishment education system and the billions they've wasted over the last few decades? You should have some inside knowledge of that....
