Broward Co, FL: Art, music, and PE teachers told to take half pay, librarians get 20 hr week.

[madfloridian]

This is a heartbreaking comment from educator Susan Ohanian:

Broward arts, PE teachers are asked to take half pay. Cuts to programs including libraries mean jobs will be only 20 hours a week

Ohanian Comment: I admit it: This article made me cry. I just wonder what they think teachers are supposed to do. Look at what they're doing to the school library. Five years ago there were four employees. Now they are cutting the one person left to half-time.

Reader Comment: Yesterday, when I picked up my son from high school I saw my son's freshman P.E teacher. Mr. S stood in front of my car until my son gave him a thumbs up. Mr. S always has a smile on his face. I have watched this man for four years always speaking to the students after school never rushing to get into his car after a long day. This man is a role model. It is a crying shame how the state of Florida treats its teachers!

She then refers to an article in the Sun Sentinel:

FORT LAUDERDALE

Principals at dozens of Broward County public schools have given librarians and teachers of art, music and physical education a choice: Take a pay cut of almost 50 percent, or take your chances waiting for a job to open up at another school.

"I've been teaching for over a decade, and now I'm supposed to be living for under 20 grand a year," said Jason Hammett, a physical education teacher at Plantation Elementary School. "I have a newborn son."

Hammett said his principal called him into her office last week and said the PE program was being cut in half for next school year and so was his $42,450 annual salary. He could work four hours a day, 20 hours a week, and maintain his benefits. Should Hammett decide not to take the cut, he'll go on the district's surplus list, a pool of teachers vying for full-time positions based on job availability and seniority.

The district could not say exactly how many teachers were given the same choice as Hammett, but according to the Broward Teachers Union, it was offered at more than two dozen schools, including Stirling Elementary in Hollywood and Sawgrass Elementary in Sunrise. The district started laying off employees last week, as it battles a budget shortfall of up to $130 million. The School Board announced 461 non-instructional employees — secretaries, custodians, project managers and curriculum specialists — will get pink slips.

Art, music, libraries....can't afford such things anymore. First step to dumbing down everything.

As part of the budget-cutting process, individual school budgets must be cut by 6 percent — about $273,425 per elementary school, $492,371 per middle school and $808,932 per high school. What was cut was left up to the principal's discretion. Still, district administrators gave schools a list of guidelines on what to cut that included eliminating art, music, physical education and school librarians — a move that outraged parents, teachers and some board members.

And the state just voted to send more kids to private schools with vouchers which will take even more money from public education.

And the state is giving public money to 8 religious schools which turned charter to survive financially with taxpayer money. 8 Catholic schools and one evangelical school....getting public money now.

And in at least one county those who teach the arts are having salaries cut in half or being laid off...and libraries are barely going to survive.

[Posteritatis]

1. I'm surprised they even considered cutting phys ed teachers' pay. (nt)

[Dappleganger]

3. PE teachers aren't idolized unless they're also football coaches

around here. We know all of ours quite well and they're like family. Most of them really love what the do but have to pick up another job just to make ends meet.

[Dappleganger]

2. I should not have clicked this thread.

Every time it just makes me angrier and sicker.

We've known our PE teachers and librarians for nine years. If this happens in our county I'm going to organize something to fight it!

[madfloridian]

9. I hate to keep posting, but it's moving so quickly.

The attacks on public education are like a steam roller.

[Dappleganger]

11. Any other good blogs aside from the one you linked to

for FAST up-to-date information on changes in FL education? The Stop SB 6 Facebook group was very effective w/getting out information which came in handy in spreading the word. Thanks!

[n.michigan]

26. But the attacks are NOT met with union opposition-certainly not the sell-out MEA Of MI

[msongs]

4. 100's of billions for military/war profiteers while schools collapse nationwide nt

[Ishoutandscream2]

21. Yep!

[n.michigan]

28. Right. America- read looted. Democrats? Betray us.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. What kind of school system will Florida have when the dust settles?

[Posteritatis]

6. A fictitious one. (nt)

[Dappleganger]

12. Pretty much nothing.

If all the money is stolen to give to charter schools, we can pretty much count continued massive cuts and gutting of budgets.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I thought the board voted that down, Mad

I spent last weekend with teachers from Broward and thought they said this plan to reduce support teachers to half time had died. :shrug:

[madfloridian]

8. The date of the article is April 27. That's just 2 days ago?

By Akilah Johnson, Sun Sentinel

12:52 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2010

I had not heard it was voted down.

Ohanian's post was just yesterday. Don't know. :shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I could have misunderstood

Jet lag and all. :)

[madfloridian]

13. Here is more from yesterday...apparently still going on.

http://cbs4.com/local/broward.teachers.cuts.2.1663958.html

"Discussions, however, have many teachers in the district nervous. As many as 800 to 1,000 teachers could also lose their positions as part of a plan that would reduce art, music and physical education classes. Schools will be asked to cut their budgets by six percent. For elementary schools that would mean a cut of approximately $273 thousand per school; $492 thousand per middle school and $809 thousand per high school.

"Last year, we had 394; this year will be 800, if not 1,000," Notter said. "We've done everything we could to save jobs. It is painful, hurtful. I apologize even though Tally is the one to see what they've done with these reductions over time."

[WinkyDink]

14. NEVER CUT = Administrators' $100K+ pay. NEVER.

[pscot]

15. Just teach the test

and you can dispense with all those frills.

[Bluebear]

16. Exactly. We don't need well rounded children anymore, just test takers

Unreal, isn't it?

[Jakes Progress]

17. Corporate drones don't need no art.

Those that support this whole sale slaughter of Public Education are condemning their children and grand children to serf status in the corporate society.

No one but this administration could ever have done this much damage this fast.

[Dappleganger]

19. Our graduating senior would have quit school if she couldn't take art there.

One of the few things that really motivated her. She's a good student but art is where her heart is.

[Jakes Progress]

22. Obviously not a fit for the new corporate America.

She sounds lovely. I taught hundreds of kids who lived for their art and music classes.

Why do so many Americans profess a love for children but then act like they resent them. We can fund pro foot ball teams, stadiums, lavish salaries for ceo's. But it's too much to ask that we tax ourselves for our children.

[Dappleganger]

23. Thanks, she never fit into any mold.

She's going to cosmetology school, work for a little while then take her craft to a big city somewhere and find her way. Her goal is to have her own salon/art studio so she can display her work. She's taking solo art classes, too.

This is the little one who I sat down in front of the Impressionist exhibit at the NGA when she was 6 yrs old, with her prismacolors and pad and copied for over an hour. She's won recognition in a number of local art shows, too. Her drawing teacher is very disappointed that she's not going to a traditional college, but her ceramics teacher thinks she's doing just the right thing.

I was a bit disappointed that she didn't want to teach but she loves styling hair too much. We're certainly not going to stand in her way to work with her hands however she wants.

[dotymed]

46. Are administrators salaries

being cut? If not, they must be more important than students. "Christian" schools getting our tax dollars while P.S. students are being denied an education. Thank you Chamber of Commerce. Come on you 80% of Americans whose families are being told to sit at the back of the bus. Let's take to the streets. CEO's are paid 4000 times what a worker earns? How long before we all stand up and demand our country back? We have the numbers.

[awoke_in_2003]

42. that has been the goal...

since Nixon opened trade relations with china.

[sendero]

18. For all of you who "didn't see this coming"..

.. you will be seeing more and more and more of it. Not just teachers but anyone who works for the state or city or county, are going to see layoffs and pay cuts.

If you think about it they have two choices, they can lay off more and cut salaries less or vice versa. Either way, THE REVENUES ARE NOT THERE AND THEY CANNOT PRINT MONEY.

[Dappleganger]

20. Yeah but...forcing women back into the DARK AGES WILL SAVE US

Stupid legismonsters.

[madfloridian]

24. It is all working as planned. Bankrupt government, empty its coffers...

and turn it over to private business.

Bush started it, our party is finishing it.

[sendero]

31. Maybe..

... I'm not sure about that (I'm not sure it ISN'T true either). Either way, there is nothing you can do about it but try to prepare for yourself and your family.

[Catshrink]

35. I think Reagan started it.

Then came Grover Norquist and dream of Somalia in North America.

[awoke_in_2003]

43. Nixon fired the opening shot...

by opening trade relations with China

[roody]

33. There is plenty of money for the test publishers. And school administrators.

[sendero]

37. No...

.... there isn't. You can think so if it makes you feel better.

[roody]

44. It does not make me feel better.

[kcass1954]

25. No one in Broward - absolutely no one - is talking about anything but

education right now - at the hairdresser, in the mall, at work, in line at the grocery store, virtually everywhere.

And if the cuts in pay and hours aren't bad enough for you, here's the news from today...


Broward school district paid $47 million too much for cafeterias, audit finds

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-school-cafeterias-201004...

[madfloridian]

27. That is alarming. Fixed your link...

I could not get it to come up, so I did a search and found this at the Sun Sentinel.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-school-cafeterias-20100430,0,96424.story

"Taxpayers paid nearly $47 million more than necessary to replace 15 Broward elementary school cafeterias, according to a scathing new audit that says the School Board and administrators sidestepped state laws when awarding the contracts to six construction companies.

In one project, at Margate Elementary School, school district auditors say they found indicators of potential fraud when the $5.6 million contract went to a Pompano Beach firm, the only company to bid.

The report also accuses several companies of obstructing the audit by refusing to turn over records and of appearing to collude with subcontractors, which could result in higher costs for the work."

Education in our state is being controlled by extremists.

[n.michigan]

34. ACT and testing? Learn more to talk about- check this out

http://www.act.org/aboutact/pdf/AnnualReport09.pdf

Explains alot about the ambitions to test.

[madfloridian]

29. Teachers protest these cuts....but it doesn't matter.

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI85840/

Protesting seems useless now.

Such a cloud hanging over public education now.

[n.michigan]

32. In Michigan-MEA bad call to "support" the Dem/Repub SB1227 of a 3% retire tax to help districts-NO

MEA - SELLS OUT TEACHERS-allows union busting. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THE AFT IS DOING NOW IN DETROIT DISTRICT. Teachers need to march everywhere.


-this is in addition to what they are already paying so we are talking 7% from teachers -an unjust targeted tax or confiscation- which will in the words of their lobbyists- help lower the school districts contribution! This is already bargained and earned wages- a contract that they will throw out. I am convinced that the MEA is not working to really stop this. Their (phony) protest staging and website hype all happens too late. The calls from activist teachers for a protest in Lansing when the first bill was hitting the Senate met obfuscation and patronizing put down responses. They had problems being timely more than once. They should have called strong protest everywhere- NEA too- nationwide. Total FU of the teachers. Add the Democratic non-defense of teachers to the Republican privatization and its an onslaught is sickening. Teachers are sitting ducks (their fault for not raging?) amazing they follow the bull shit by these union compromisers who do them in. We believe they have 6 lobbyists. Who is Ed Sarcopolus? He is listed as the lead in government affairs for MEA. Would be interested to know more of them.

FIRE THE INEFFECTIVE MEA and save money. Fire the politicians. VOTE OUT ALL THE INCUMBENT DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS WHO HAVE CREATED THIS BUDGET and the maladministration of OBAMA.

Watch for Social Security and Medicare next- as we continue to support war evermore and screw the folks here. The people and the teachers need to hit the streets seriously. Since when in a country do we penalize teachers and not flagrant Wall Street/banking fraud or millitary loss of was it 4 billion that Rumsfeld could not find? We all know that Michigan is in the can because they've lost in the pension fund/stock market amongst other egregious things. Good question for Mike Cox who wants to be the next MI governor- are you suing for MI pension funds?

www.mea.org Let MEA know what you think of their call out to support this legislation to TAKE ON THE TAX to help school districts and other bad decisions made in Lansing- the rest is all decoration. They should be calling for protests not supplication. Worse than worthless.

The proposed bill history (there are others coming) on the topic: http://www.legislature.mi.gov /(S(1caeytm5rkzz4e45xgffjxn4))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=2010-SB-1227

Legislative analysis as the Republican Senate Bill 1227 and the Democratic House Bill work the final version out this week:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billanalysis/House/pdf/2009-HLA-1227-4.pdf

[n.michigan]

36. Here is the analysis of the Michigan School Aid SB1163 that they passed

This passed along with Race To The Bottom requirements early spring-


http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billanalysis/House/pdf/2009-HLA-1163-5.pdf

[madfloridian]

38. Thanks for the link. Heading to read it.

[OmahaBlueDog]

30. Where to start?

First, thank you MadFloridian for keeping this in the forefront.

As we've discussed before, we left Sunrise for Omaha in 2006. I've never felt better about that decision than I do reading this post.

You have always written from the paradigm of the methodical attack on public schools by the pro-charter school forces. I don't dispute that, but I'll also suggest that additional forces are at work.

a) The majority of Floridians (the "R" and "D" and "I" and "don't give a damn about politics") keep trying to run that state as if it is still a seasonal beach community and this is 1965. They steadfastly refuse to raise the money for schools and infrastructure necesary to run a state with millions of year-round residents. It's as true in Orlando, where they can't get freeways or light rail built despite near-constant gridlock, as it is in Broward.

b) They don't plan ahead in Florida. They let the developers have free reign for 50 years, did piss-poor urban planning, and are shocked that their roads are crowded and that they have schools in the wrong places.

c) State and county officials ("R" and "D" and "I") never seem to sock away any money when the economy is good (as it was in the early part of the decade), and then end up with their backs to the wall when things turn bad.

d) Florida revenue has always been based on the combination of sales tax and property tax, and never -- ever -- envisioned a scenario when property values would fall 50%.

In Omaha, this year, the libraries were going to have to seriously cut back. Anonymous donors came forward and saved the day. That's the only solution that I see in South Florida - short term. Business leaders, performers, and pro-athelets will need to asked to step up and fill in the shortfall.

[wolfgangmo]

39. I used to be an award winning music teacher.

I was also really good at grant writing. In my last year on the job I brought $250,000 in grants into the school. I was fired, er, non-renewed. Actually I was given a choice between taking on 2 other programs and working it into my day (3 times the work -3 different buildings a day - no money for transportation - pay frozen), going to 1/2 time at my building with my program cut so much that it basically stopped existing, or non-renewal.

I had been in education for 10 years and there wasn't a single year when I had any contract beyond 1 year with minimal salary and few benefits (no medical and I was "allowed" to participate in the crappy "retirement" account that didn't return a profit during the 90's - talk about bad management) and every year I had to re-apply for my job and go through interviews and compete. I decide to throw in the towel. I had a job working for VH1 music channel within 2 days at a higher salary, fewer hours, all travel expenses covered, full benefits, insurance, etc.

I have never looked back and now own and manage a medical clinic. I miss the music and I really miss the kids, but I don't recommend anyone become a teacher. It aint' worth it. You will lose money, sleep, and your future. If you are reading this and considering becoming a teacher do yourself and favor and find something else. Anything else. Get trained as an electrician or plumber or some other trade and then go to work with a transnational or other corporation. Or go to business school and learn how to become an amoral crook. Do anything except teaching.

MadFlo, I love your posts but they have convinced me that things are much worse now then when I quit / was forced out. Education in the US is dead and dying and with it will go the country in a single generation. It's sad but I think we need to look out for our families and find functioning countries to live in. My wife and I are looking strongly at Canada and at New Zealand. Both countries have lists of desired occupations that we qualify for and I hold commonwealth citizenship from my parents which streamlines the process.

It's time to abandon ship. The SS America is sinking. Time to drop your martini glass and get to a lifeboat.

[2Design]

40. I told teachers 5 or more years ago they were out to break the unions

Florida has gone above and beyond to break the amendments and laws and fund religion orientation schools - yes they remind me of the third Reich youth corps - these are brainwashing children in the rw xtains agenda - not REAL christianity and hasn't been for a long long long time

[Gumbyman2]

41. My next son...

I'm just going to name him "Bubba" or "Jimbo" and let him know that education in America is worthless since we are trying to win the race to the bottom. It is a race that apparently we are willing to win at all costs. Everything that made this country great is subject to budgets that are easily cut during the hard times while everything that makes this country sinister is subject to deregulation. I will tell him that he doesn't need to read, he just needs to show up to the factory and make toys for the Chinese children. It may be dangerous work, but I'll tell him it is his duty to make $5.00 a day, so that he can put gruel on the table.

For the son I have now, I refuse to have his school become an "Ozark Elementary School". He will learn how to read and write; he will learn another language. He will not marry his cousin. I will teach my son that politicians hide behind religion in order to hide their lying, cheating and stealing. I will make sure he is intelligent enough to know when someone is trying to take advantage of him; he will never vote against his best interest. He will be an independent thinker.

You know what? I think I won't have another son!

[Jefferson23]

45. Why don't they just cut to the chase and give each student a laptop

and send them off to a room for the day. Throw in a hall monitor, why bother with teachers at all?


After learning the amount of money Chris Christy plans to take out of New Jersey education, nothing surprises me any longer.

[formercia]

47. " First step to dumbing down everything."

That says it all right there.

There is nothing more abhorrent to the Dominionist-Reconstructionists, than a well-educated Serf.