NJ - Education Crisis

[TeresaNJ]

You wouldn't be saying this if you had a child in the NJ public school system. The public school education quality is about to go down. As for turf fields, yes they are being installed like wildfire. Unfortunately the people who don't get to make decisions and are not using budget money inappropriately are the ones, who are going to be hit hard: custodians, security, secretaries, and teachers.

How do you know if I have a child in the NJ public school system? Psychic, are you? In my opinion, the quality has been going downhill for years, and I speak from having children in the NJ public school system. We need to get back to teaching, get rid of the special programs for special needs kids and all of their one on ones, get rid of the assistants to the assistants, the multiple department heads, the assistants to the nurse who do nothing other than take attendance and escort late kids to their classrooms, and on, and on, and on.

I wonder how I and the majority of my classmates were able to learn in a classroom of 50 students, with no assistants, and go on to graduate high school and college with honors, and live productive lives. The teachers unions have ruined education, and the people who are paying the taxes for it have had enough.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Christie doesn't care about public education in NJ. His own kids go to private school.

He's smart. Now if charter schools were given the green light, you'd see competition among teachers, and better quality education.

 

[eliza61]

How do you know if I have a child in the NJ public school system? Psychic, are you? In my opinion, the quality has been going downhill for years, and I speak from having children in the NJ public school system. We need to get back to teaching, get rid of the special programs for special needs kids and all of their one on ones, get rid of the assistants to the assistants, the multiple department heads, the assistants to the nurse who do nothing other than take attendance and escort late kids to their classrooms, and on, and on, and on.

I wonder how I and the majority of my classmates were able to learn in a classroom of 50 students, with no assistants, and go on to graduate high school and college with honors, and live productive lives. The teachers unions have ruined education, and the people who are paying the taxes for it have had enough.

So what happens to the poor kid who has a learning disability or autism or aspergers or a physical disability. I guess we go back to the 19th century where we simply lock them away? Unless the family is rich enough to afford private help? Do these kids not go to school or do you throw them in with the 35 other kids where they are sure to fail? exactly what do we do with them???

 

[scanne]

He's smart. Now if charter schools were given the green light, you'd see competition among teachers, and better quality education.

You seem to be quite snarky with your comments.

Look at the big picture. Christie's cuts are hurting families, children, your neighbors, friends, etc. NJ requires all teachers to take continuing education and document everything each school year. Every five years teachers have to have earned at least 100 hours of continuing ed. Plus each teacher must be highly qualified to teach his/her subject area.

Shame on you for not looking at the big picture.

I'm a teacher at risk of losing my job due to these cuts. I've been in my position for 12 years. I teach music - which is mandated by the state (see NJ Core Curriculum Standards) and I still may lose my job because of the cuts.

There are better ways to balance the budget, fix the deficit. But it would mean that Christie has to take into account ALL government employees, including his buddies making $400+ and not being taxed on it. This is greed, pure and simple. And it's hurting the children....

Something needs to be done, but not Christie's way.

 

[MM27]

He's smart. Now if charter schools were given the green light, you'd see competition among teachers, and better quality education.

Actually studies have shown that students in charter schools on average do no better than students in public schools.

Any significant differences occur because many charter schools have grossly extended school hours, some have classes on Saturday and the teachers are pretty much raising the children. My job isn't to raise them, my job is to educate them.

 

[eliza61]

You seem to be quite snarky with your comments.

Look at the big picture. Christie's cuts are hurting families, children, your neighbors, friends, etc. NJ requires all teachers to take continuing education and document everything each school year. Every five years teachers have to have earned at least 100 hours of continuing ed. Plus each teacher must be highly qualified to teach his/her subject area.

Shame on you for not looking at the big picture.

I'm a teacher at risk of losing my job due to these cuts. I've been in my position for 12 years. I teach music - which is mandated by the state (see NJ Core Curriculum Standards) and I still may lose my job because of the cuts.

There are better ways to balance the budget, fix the deficit. But it would mean that Christie has to take into account ALL government employees, including his buddies making $400+ and not being taxed on it. This is greed, pure and simple. And it's hurting the children....

Something needs to be done, but not Christie's way.

I feel for you scanne. Teachers are always made the scape goat. We never look at the "big picture" We always want the "magic bullet" fix. Just like they did in Rhode Island (or was it Mass.) instead of looking at why kids are failing, blame it on the teachers and fire all of them. I'm waiting with bated breathe to see what's going to happen next year at that school.

 

[IDoDis]

How do you know if I have a child in the NJ public school system? Psychic, are you? In my opinion, the quality has been going downhill for years, and I speak from having children in the NJ public school system. We need to get back to teaching, get rid of the special programs for special needs kids and all of their one on ones, get rid of the assistants to the assistants, the multiple department heads, the assistants to the nurse who do nothing other than take attendance and escort late kids to their classrooms, and on, and on, and on.

I wonder how I and the majority of my classmates were able to learn in a classroom of 50 students, with no assistants, and go on to graduate high school and college with honors, and live productive lives. The teachers unions have ruined education, and the people who are paying the taxes for it have had enough.

Wow. Just... wow.
I invite you to come spend one day in my classroom or any other classroom that has students with multiple disabilities. You would bow down and honor that teacher after just 6 hours.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Everybody want cuts, but nobody wants something that impacts their lives cut. The replies on this board demonstrate why our country is broke...

 

[SamRoc]

On the bright side i did get hired today by the board of ed for a permanent position. Have been waiting a long time. Living here in Jersey is expensive.My property taxes went from $4000 to $7800. Everyone in the neighborhood hired a lawyer and fought it and they did get lowered to $6000.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

How do you know if I have a child in the NJ public school system? Psychic, are you? In my opinion, the quality has been going downhill for years, and I speak from having children in the NJ public school system. We need to get back to teaching, get rid of the special programs for special needs kids and all of their one on ones, get rid of the assistants to the assistants, the multiple department heads, the assistants to the nurse who do nothing other than take attendance and escort late kids to their classrooms, and on, and on, and on.

I wonder how I and the majority of my classmates were able to learn in a classroom of 50 students, with no assistants, and go on to graduate high school and college with honors, and live productive lives. The teachers unions have ruined education, and the people who are paying the taxes for it have had enough.

What do you suggest we do with children who need special assistance? Lock them up in closet? Tell them...eh, we're not going to spend time educating you b/c it costs too much and since your considered below average....here...here's some busy work......seriously?

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

So what happens to the poor kid who has a learning disability or autism or aspergers or a physical disability. I guess we go back to the 19th century where we simply lock them away? Unless the family is rich enough to afford private help? Do these kids not go to school or do you throw them in with the 35 other kids where they are sure to fail? exactly what do we do with them???

THANK YOU!

 

[scanne]

Everybody want cuts, but nobody wants something that impacts their lives cut. The replies on this board demonstrate why our country is broke...

I think you're incorrect.

I understand the need for cuts. I'm willing to take cuts. Freeze my salary. Lower my salary by 1%, 3%, 5% even! Make me pay a little more towards my health benefits.

But cut my position so that big shots up in Trenton can make over $400k per year and not be taxed on it? That, my friend, is where the problem is. GREED!!! So if you're one of those lucky ones that's making oodles of $$$ and have been reprieved of your tax responsibilities, good for you.

Don't judge until you walk in the shoes of those going through the crisis.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

What do you suggest we do with children who need special assistance? Lock them up in closet? Tell them...eh, we're not going to spend time educating you b/c it costs too much and since your considered below average....here...here's some busy work......seriously?

Wouldn't that choice be the parents to make? Why is it someone else's responsibility? Why does the government have to attempt to fix everything?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I think you're incorrect...

Umm, I live in NJ. I am living through the same economy, the same crisis. I don't judge, but what I am saying is true. If it were the administrator's jobs being cut, you would be fine. If it was some other person losing their job that you never heard of, you would be fine. But if fixing this state hurts you, it is wrong.

Sorry, but I am all too correct...

 

[eliza61]

Wouldn't that choice be the parents to make? Why is it someone else's responsibility? Why does the government have to attempt to fix everything?

We're not asking them to fix any thing. we are simply asking for the same thing every other citizen gets. Why shouldn't a child with disabities get the same opportunity a so called "normal" child gets? If my child goes to public school he is entitled to the same level of education as a fully abled child. I believe the ADA ensures that.

Sorry if you believe a child with autism should some how be able to thrown in a class room and simple "deal" with the class.

Why do I have to bail out the casinoes? why can't the owners fix them, themselves. why is the government so happy to "fix" trump but not a kid with a physical disability?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We're not asking them to fix any thing. we are simply asking for the same thing every other citizen gets. Why shouldn't a child with disabities get the same opportunity a so called "normal" child gets? If my child goes to public school he is entitled to the same level of education as a fully abled child. I believe the ADA ensures that...

This, "We can do everything for everyone" experiment has failed. Our economy is crumbling. Soon we will have a complete collapse, then these kids will die in the streets of starvation.

But, hey - keep preaching about how we have to spend whatever it takes. Yeah. Whatever it takes. Well, the cash register is empty.

 

[eliza61]

This, "We can do everything for everyone" experiment has failed. Our economy is crumbling. Soon we will have a complete collapse, then these kids will die in the streets of starvation.

But, hey - keep preaching about how we have to spend whatever it takes. Yeah. Whatever it takes. Well, the cash register is empty.

Oh so that's the answer, some kind of "survival of the fitess" death match. If your kid doesn't pass the "able" specifics, oops sorry we don't feel like he's viable so we're going to kick them out.

That experiment was tried in Russia with millions of oprhans left in their cribs also. That proved to be a huge failure also.

So I'll officially go on record as saying that I rather live in a broke state rather then ever discard a person because they are no longer deemed "worth" educating.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Oh so that's the answer, some kind of "survival of the fitess" death match. If your kid doesn't pass the "able" specifics, oops sorry we don't feel like he's viable so we're going to kick them out...

LOL - I like it. Great idea. Let's propose this.

Seriously, I didn't say that we should do these things - just that we have to start looking at life through a more realistic lens. The government cannot do as much as they have. They will do as much as the people demand to stay in office, but if we don't stop demanding so much, we will all witness the complete collapse of our nation. Not something like the great depression - our nation's solvency was never questioned then. We are talking war, death, starvation, anarchy. America will become a third world country overnight.

We can stop it, but not if we continue to ask for so much.

 

[eliza61]

LOL - I like it. Great idea. Let's propose this.

Seriously, I didn't say that we should do these things - just that we have to start looking at life through a more realistic lens. The government cannot do as much as they have. They will do as much as the people demand to stay in office, but if we don't stop demanding so much, we will all witness the complete collapse of our nation. Not something like the great depression - our nation's solvency was never questioned then. We are talking war, death, starvation, anarchy. America will become a third world country overnight.

We can stop it, but not if we continue to ask for so much.

It is a very interesting problem. I think what I worry about is this "one size fits all" or "magic bullet" mentality we seem to be fostering. We have gotten too use to having a immediate fix.
I wonder if the Govenor has thought of his ramifications of axing school and township budgets?
Studies historically have shown that what happens is that schools end up make cuts not to administrative items but items that directly impact on the students.

So let's say hypothetically we do get rid of special education, what do we think is going to happen in 10 years when we have a huge population of uneducated, non self supporting adults? do they magically go away? Nope, 9times out of 10 ten the state ends up supporting them anyway? and if wice are going to look at it realistically, then we have to realistically factor in what it will cost the state, when parents can't afford to send their kids to private school. Let's even go draconian and cut all funding to hospitals, does that make the very middle class people without health care suddenly get well or say "Gee, now I can pay that medical bill"?

What I see is people saying "yes, now we can finally clap our hands and every thing will be all better as soon as we have to stop funding social and educational services"

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Wouldn't that choice be the parents to make? Why is it someone else's responsibility? Why does the government have to attempt to fix everything?

Because, depending on the situation, if a child is severely handicapped or has autism and has to be sent to a school for that specific need busing ALONE for that ONE child could be close to $30000! If it was my child, I don't have $30000 alone just for busing

Also...all of the "assistants and aides" that you want to cut out, wow, they work HARD! I just graduated with a degree in education/special ed and psychology. I took night classes and was with the same group of females for 2 years. One of my friends in my class was an aide in a special school for kids who were classified as E.D., usually about once a week she would come in with stories of how she was peed on, pooped on, showing us bruises, scratches, etc. But she loved her job (I couldn't do what she did and continues to do). What would happen to the kids that she worked with if she were let go?

There are children in wheelchairs they need ramps and elevators, there are children who have learning disabilities where they need to be in a classroom with only maybe 2 other children and more one on one time in order to reach his potential. Thats just the way it is. Others may need computers and manipulatives in order learn.