Save our schools please!

[Abui]

Originally Posted by Nagaredama

In 2004 California spent $7,748(1) per student. We were also the 10th largest economy in the world! Larger than Brazil, Mexico, Canada.

New Jersey spent the most per child in 2004, $12,981 per child.

We have a mandated funding problem. The only way to really solve the problem is through more taxes or the repeal of Prop 13 which caused this mess.

1. Source (www2.census.gov/govs/school/04f33pub.pdf)

The property tax is an anachronism from the agrarian past when land represented income. Today a home is not a guide to the income of the resident. The occupant may be a long-term resident living on a small income. Fairness: should your property tax double because a refugee came in with a suitcase of cash and bought your neighbor's house at double the market?

The Courts really took the willing self-sacrifice part out of property tax by ruling that all school districts must be funded by the state. That formula just led to funding gamesmanship (paid for attendance days) instead of education as an end.

The figures are spending per pupil not spending on pupil.

[Nagaredama]

Originally Posted by Abui

The property tax is an anachronism from the agrarian past when land represented income. Today a home is not a guide to the income of the resident. The occupant may be a long-term resident living on a small income. Fairness: should your property tax double because a refugee came in with a suitcase of cash and bought your neighbor's house at double the market?

Why should a corporation like say Chevron that owns some of the most valuable property in the world never be subject to reassessment because they never sell it?

Just because someone buys the house next door to you at double the amount doesn't automatically mean your house has doubled in value. How about reassessing all homes every year with a max increase in property tax of say 10-20%?

Why should new homeowners subsidize older homeowner?

Originally Posted by Abui

The Courts really took the willing self-sacrifice part out of property tax by ruling that all school districts must be funded by the state. That formula just led to funding gamesmanship (paid for attendance days) instead of education as an end.

This is already the case. Beverly Hills Unified School District gets the same amount of money per pupil from the State as Compton Unified. All school districts are State agencies.

[Elisheva]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

As many of you know the Terminator is proposing cutting $4.8 billion from our California schools. That will be the equivalent of cutting 107,000 teachers or increasing class sizes by 35%.

Please write your assembly members and senator to voice your opposition to this proposal before it's too late. You can follow the link to find your district and then click on "Find My District" in the left column.

Our kids are our future and we must invest wisely to secure a bright future for our state and country.

John,

I heard at a recent IEP Meeting that IUSD (Irvine) proposes to lay off 211 teachers.

Glad I'm not teaching right now.

[sdyeti]

I work in the Sweetwater Union High School District (basically Chula Vista/National City). It is the 2nd largest district in the state, behind LAUSD.

I teach high school chemistry and work with 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.

I agree with what you have said...we need to focus on the teaching and we do get so caught up in the politics.

Originally Posted by Jman

SDYeti what district do you work in and what grade do you teach. I have the parents/parent in laws who teach and all of them are so very tired of all of the politics. I know it's a pipedream but if somehow the whole system could be...started over. Get rid of the funding issues, the no child left behind thang, and all of the testing and get back to the stuff that really matters...TEACHING...the whole environment would be so much more condusive to turning out more well rounded and educated individuals. You will always have those who don't care to learn but its the people like my parents, SDYeti and the other teachers who've posted who put their blood, sweat, and tears into the system that can turn those kids around. If the teachers only reach 1 in 4 of the 'at risk' kids they've been successful. I'm not sure why these same individuals (the teachers and students) should be punished for the governments idiotic spending/taxing/or whatever issues. The teachers are not the problem its the system that needs to be fixed!

I know its a pipe dream and I know it probably can't be done but in my humble opinion its the only approach to fixing the problem that will work.

Teachers rock and without them none of us would probably be able to post an intellectual comment on here or for that matter even be able to carry on this debate. Just my .02 cents worth.....now go out and buy something bike related...or at least GO RIDE!!!!

[sdyeti]

You are welcome to come spend a week in my classroom.

Considering the average professional in California makes at least that much, I don't know if you can say we get paid too much.

We get the same state holidays as all other state workers. We get a week of spring vacation and two weeks at Christmas (I'm sure a lot of folks who have been at their jobs long enough have at least 3 weeks of vacation time). So, yeah, we get paid for working 10 months of the year which means unless we go get summer jobs, we still only get paid 10 months out of the year.

When I taught in AZ, my starting salary was $29K a year and my rent was $700. Do the math...it ain't pretty.

Originally Posted by Rivet

The average teachers salary in California is almost $58,000, that's for 9 months of work, not counting the crapload of days off they get. Not a bad gig trust me, my Ex was a teacher in the Capo district and she used tell me about the propaganda the Union tells teachers to espouse whenever they can. Her mother was also a teacher and got upset when she found out some of the stuff my Ex told me.

[Reedster]

Originally Posted by Elisheva

Glad I'm not teaching right now.

I'm glad that I am teaching right now. The budget things sucks and some teachers will lose their jobs and I really feel for them. But most districts are going to figure out ways to deal with a decreased budget without too many lost jobs. I teach in Moreno Valley and my district started by talking about 254 jobs being lost. The latest number is 52 and I think it will be substantially less than that.

Part of the reason that our per student funding is so low is because we have so many students. I don't know the numbers, but I'm sure that we have among the highest numbers of students when you look at the different states.

Another part is that our teacher salaries are relatively good in this state. I know lots will disagree with me, but I've looked at moving to other states and I would make 20K less in some states. There cost of living might be less, but it's not that much less.

Like SDYeti said, most of the students are good kids. Those are the ones that I am here to work with. I love working with my students.

And, like Rivet said, I like working 187 days of the year. When you factor that in my salary really is pretty special. If I worked 50 weeks I would make another 1/3. Of course, I'm one of those in the minority that will gladly trade time-off for money.

Now one of the great things about teaching is the hours. I'm about to go home and I'm going to ride my bike. I might do school work later, but then it will be dark, so I can deal with that.

~R

[Elisheva]

Originally Posted by Reedster

I'm glad that I am teaching right now. The budget things sucks and some teachers will lose their jobs and I really feel for them. But most districts are going to figure out ways to deal with a decreased budget without too many lost jobs. I teach in Moreno Valley and my district started by talking about 254 jobs being lost. The latest number is 52 and I think it will be substantially less than that.

Part of the reason that our per student funding is so low is because we have so many students. I don't know the numbers, but I'm sure that we have among the highest numbers of students when you look at the different states.

Another part is that our teacher salaries are relatively good in this state. I know lots will disagree with me, but I've looked at moving to other states and I would make 20K less in some states. There cost of living might be less, but it's not that much less.

Like SDYeti said, most of the students are good kids. Those are the ones that I am here to work with. I love working with my students.

And, like Rivet said, I like working 187 days of the year. When you factor that in my salary really is pretty special. If I worked 50 weeks I would make another 1/3. Of course, I'm one of those in the minority that will gladly trade time-off for money.

Now one of the great things about teaching is the hours. I'm about to go home and I'm going to ride my bike. I might do school work later, but then it will be dark, so I can deal with that.

~R

My statement doesn't reflect any negativity towards teaching. I became a teacher later in life when I realized that I had a gift for it. I adored my students and was good at my craft.

High School English was my content area. Rarely did I leave my classroom before 5pm. I was grading 600 papers a week at home. After years of great success in the classroom, I had misery at home: unhappy children who received less attention from me than my students at school. Hence, I set priorities and made changes.

I have great admiration for those that are still in the trenches daily. Good teachers work hard. I've been among your ranks and share your concerns.

[Reedster]

[quote=Elisheva;229454]
High School English was my content area. Rarely did I leave my classroom before 5pm. I was grading 600 papers a week at home. After years of great success in the classroom, I had misery at home: unhappy children who received less attention from me than my students at school. Hence, I set priorities and made changes.
quote]

I think that High School English is a very time consuming subject to teach. I did it for a year when I tried teaching the first time. The time that I spent grading papers and trying to get my students to write well ended up burning me out. I quite teaching shortly after that and it took me 15 years to realize that I wanted to try it again. Now I teach Special Education and work with students with moderate to severe disabilities. The students are great to work with and are so pure and true in their thoughts and actions. I still have paperwork and planning, but it is way less than when I was teaching English.

~R

[DeeZee]

[quote=Reedster;230585]

Originally Posted by Elisheva

High School English was my content area. Rarely did I leave my classroom before 5pm. I was grading 600 papers a week at home. After years of great success in the classroom, I had misery at home: unhappy children who received less attention from me than my students at school. Hence, I set priorities and made changes.
quote]

I think that High School English is a very time consuming subject to teach. I did it for a year when I tried teaching the first time. The time that I spent grading papers and trying to get my students to write well ended up burning me out. I quite teaching shortly after that and it took me 15 years to realize that I wanted to try it again. Now I teach Special Education and work with students with moderate to severe disabilities. The students are great to work with and are so pure and true in their thoughts and actions. I still have paperwork and planning, but it is way less than when I was teaching English.

~R

much respect for you folks

[KeepsWhatHappens]

I know four teachers and they don't get paid too much! They put up with so much crap (they teach middle school) and really just try and do the students some good. And the most complaints I here is all the BD they have to put up from the red-tape jungle they must work within with their district rules, principals, useless meetings, etc.

I'm always thankful that we have so many good teachers when their pay is relatively low. THANK YOU!!!

[Jman]

My mom was just telling me about this team building meeting her principle called (she's a 1st year principle) and my Mom said it was a pretty good one and people went away feeling fairly decent until about an hour later the principle handed out 10 pink slips to teachers!!!!! How's that for a slap in the face!?