Anyone else here fuming over the Federal Education Jobs Act?

[Lifelong Protester]

I hope it turned out better for your district than mine. We are a rural, poor district, but in a 'vacation area' so we have a lot of pricey real estate that constitutes second homes for rich folks, most of whom want our school to close down (so our kids can ride a bus for 2 hours a day...) to lower their taxes on their SECOND luxury home.

So, because of Wisconsin's funding PROBLEM, we get screwed over and over in any of these federal 'grants'. We look 'wealthy', but the community is poor. Our state funding is low because we look, again non-resident-wise, wealthy.

We are going to get..(wait for it)...$315 to 'save a job' with this latest act. The governor, who is pro education but not running for re-election, decided to use the general aid format, not the Title I (which would have helped us because we are POOR, did I mention POOR??) for distributing the funds. Apparently the Congress gave only two choices. The two closest districts are getting 30-40 thousand each. We get $315.

So what is happening? We get a lousy $315, and schools that are fairly wealthy are getting millions. I am not exaggerating. Millions. Many schools up in vacation land are similarly getting the shaft. And we are districts who need the money. We are just hanging on. But I guess our kids are not worth it.

I am tired, tired, tired, of any federal money being handed out in "competitions". I just left a comment on the NYT page about RTTT funding (New York is "in"). Any time you set up a competition, you have decided there should be losers.

Are my poor rural kids not worthy? I'm sick of the 'winners' and 'losers' mentality. CRITERIA to meet to get funding is fair. This competition crap is rigged. And inherently not fair.

I just needed to vent. Sorry if this is too wordy.