Students learn hard lesson in school budgets

[Pale Blue Dot]

Source: MSNBC

In a survey of 546 local superintendents late last month by the American Association of School Administrators, 99 percent said rising costs and shrinking budgets were hurting their school systems.

Three in 10 superintendents said they were laying off or reassigning teachers to
save money; even more, 33 percent, said they were eliminating or reassigning support staff, such as janitors and maintenance workers.

Nearly half — 44 percent — said their districts were cutting back on field trips, while 37 percent said they were cutting back on heating and air conditioning and 31 percent said they were buying fewer supplies.

“While school systems are working hard to limit programming cuts, the sharp increase in costs will have a negative impact on children, especially disadvantaged children, unless the states and federal government act quickly to provide relief,” said Randall Collins, the association’s president.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26012346/

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The situation is very bleak in state and local governments.

[ulysses]

1. funny how the economy doesn't affect NCLB requirements for AYP.

[Cronus Protagonist]

6. 10-4 on that POV AFAIK it's ROTM

n/t

[femmocrat]

2. I'm praying we go to a 4-day week.

Sounds like the best idea ever!

We are already at bare-bones level. I don't know how much more they can cut. Of course, everyone blames it on the teachers' union and that "lucrative" contract we got.

[Dr.Phool]

12. Floriduh made 12th grade optional a couple of years ago.

The dumber you grow them, the more likely they are to be republicans.

[awoke_in_2003]

3. An educated work force

is a well paid work force. The assault on education began with higher education, now it is trickling down.

[Hestia]

4. What I do not understand is how can they be at a loss? The personal/real

estate taxes keep going up, even in this market believe it or not, so if they are getting
more money, where's the loss? I feel that each and every school district needs to have
their books looked over with a fine tooth comb. This is no sense in this.

[truedelphi]

8. I think Homeland Security requirements are demanding

More security here, and more security there: and not necessarily giving over the funds to the local community to help with it.

I went through my County Court building last week. Two years ago, you just walked in and went where you want. Now they have two security people in uniform, an airport style security counter with conveyer belt, and someone to scan you.

All this for a rather small county - there are only 85 K worth of people living in this county.

More policemen in the building too.

And everyone very very serious about it all. I was admonished for having a glass bottle of tea on me in my backpack. How was I supposed to know it was forbidden?

[donco6]

9. That's not how it works here.

The state sets the level of our funding on a per pupil basis. THEN they go to property taxes to see how much the existing mill levy will provide. THEN they "backfill" the remainder with direct state funding.

If the state's economy is bad, they simply lower the funding per pupil. Property taxes stay the same, but state aid is reduced.

My district is audited every single year. You're welcome anytime to "fine tooth comb" it.

[hack89]

10. Health care benefits are a huge part

the cost of health care has increased well beyond the inflation rate year after year.

[kimmylavin]

11. The taxes may be going up...

But that doesn't mean anyone's paying.

I heard that in California, you can go for six years without paying property taxes - acquiring fees, of course - before any legal action can be taken against you.
When faced with the choice between paying expensive property taxes or paying your mortgage, higher grocery and gas bills, etc, most people are simply not paying property taxes.

That's one of the contributing factors in the budget going from $14 million to $4 million in the town where I work.

[Dr.Phool]

13. They keep slashing funding from the federal and state level.

Schools are more expensive to maintain. New schools need to be built.

Not to mention that most districts have been operating on a shoe string for years.

[Pale Blue Dot]

21. Bingo. This is what the Bush administration "tax cuts" did.

They shifted the burden from federal to state and local governments.

[central scrutinizer]

17. Not if your state has a property tax increase limit built in.

Thank Harold Jarvis and Prop 89 (I think) in California, which was copied with Measure 5, here in Oregon in 1990. Also depends on how your schools are funded - here it is a mixture of property, lottery, general funds from income tax.

[MichiganVote]

19. Well for one thing the hidden inflation that we have in our society that affects schools

at all levels. Not all public programs are compelled to provide pricey programming such as special education(which the Fed's has never fully funded), transportation, food, health care, specialized programming for 'bullying programs' and a whole host of other items. Everything has gone up.

Sure school finance directors will cite health care a huge budgetary issue but for most schools the biggest ticket item is transportation to and from school for students. To attract top administrators Districts pay out more compensation as well. Gain in pay for teacher contracts averages between 2-3% so that is not a big deal.

Every district in my county has made personnel cuts, cuts to supplies, utilities and secretarial or janitorial support. Everyone's budget is cut except those school districts whose property taxes are high due to the effect of McMansions.

Essential instruction is taking place, class sizes have risen, benefits are down, jobs are cut or reduced to part time. This then results in reduced union contracts and altho' not everyone agrees with unions in education---the NEA is the ONLY entity that consistently holds the Dept. of Education's feet to the fire.

In short, its a Tsunami of the debt that the US has accrued under George Bush, his tax cuts and the fact that as a society we don't support our public schools.

[depakid]

5. Fast forward: Seniors learn hard lesson as younger voters slash their subsidies

Payback's a bitch.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. A REAL lesson in budgets would ask them to take $1 billion from the Iraq fiasco and

distribute it hypothetically to each of the 546 districts where superintendents were surveyed. They would be asked to allocate that $546 billion, and track the effect on their own districts, their own quality and possibility of instruction, the national economy, and the local economy of their districts.

You want guns and butter trade-offs, neo-classicists? There's one. Work it.

[XemaSab]

14. I propose saving money by getting rid of school administrators

:P

[donco6]

15. Never mind.

I'm not having the best day.

[XemaSab]

16. Me either.

That was a semi-facetious remark. :P

[Earth_First]

18. Our school cut the 4th grade band and art programs ...COMPLETELY!

No 4th grade band program (which a recent graduate of the district stayed local to teach in her local community; has now been let go) and the after school arts programs have been eliminated.

Arts & Music are always the first to go.

Let's not discuss the 'cuts' to the sports programs...

[bemildred]

20. But we gotta stay in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anything else would look "weak".