State Buget busting my budget!!!

[peekinglemer]

I work for the State and I am worried about lay-offs too. We had planned on a long November vacation and right now everything is on hold until we find out more.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

You have to be creative. Our PTA wrote grants for some other expenses at our school(technology and some other things) and then the school used the money budgeted for those things to re-hire the assistants. Our school has multi-age classrooms, so we really need that extra adult to facilitate 2-3 different curricula simultaneously

The teachers we are losing would cost about $1.2 million per year. I am not clear on the ins and outs of payroll - I don't know what kind of leeway (if any) the principal has to move money around. If we are allowed to buy supplies for the school and she can then use that money for salaries instead of paper towels, trash bags, etc. then I'll go to Sam's every week. I'll go buy paper at Staples. I'll do whatever. But I don't know what kind of rules they have about that sort of thing.

 

[Monny2AE]

We're going through the same thing here in MD. They've given notice to 80 educators in my district. Class sizes are expected to dramatically increase and support staff will be nonexistent which puts a great deal of stress on the teachers that DO have jobs next year. My son had a huge K class last year (31 kids) and it was chaos. This year he has 18 in his class and it's made such a difference. I'm afraid next year will be back to chaos again.

I'm a former teacher turned family child care provider and I'm feeling the trickle down effect from all of it. I have 3 daycare kids who's parents are teachers and 2 of them have been given notice that they have no job for next year. They've lost their job and in turn I lose 2 daycare children and a chunk of my income.

It's effecting everyone but I truly worry most about how it's going to effect the children in the classrooms. If a teacher is overwhelmed by too many kids, not much is getting done, stress levels rise and more time is spent on classroom management than instruction.

 

[torinsmom]

The teachers we are losing would cost about $1.2 million per year. I am not clear on the ins and outs of payroll - I don't know what kind of leeway (if any) the principal has to move money around. If we are allowed to buy supplies for the school and she can then use that money for salaries instead of paper towels, trash bags, etc. then I'll go to Sam's every week. I'll go buy paper at Staples. I'll do whatever. But I don't know what kind of rules they have about that sort of thing.

I don't know how they did it exactly, and we are in NC, so the same "rules" may not apply. I know the school receives a certain amount of money from the state and county. They have to budget for things like technology, office supplies, books, etc. Our PTA wrote grants and got some of those things covered so the school could re-hire 2 assistants. For us, it was probably a matter of $60-$70,000 max. We are a small school(238 kids), but we have an amazing group of parents. I don't know what will happen next year. We haven't gotten our allotments yet, but the principal said it doesn't look good.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I don't know how they did it exactly, and we are in NC, so the same "rules" may not apply. I know the school receives a certain amount of money from the state and county. They have to budget for things like technology, office supplies, books, etc. Our PTA wrote grants and got some of those things covered so the school could re-hire 2 assistants. For us, it was probably a matter of $60-$70,000 max. We are a small school(238 kids), but we have an amazing group of parents. I don't know what will happen next year. We haven't gotten our allotments yet, but the principal said it doesn't look good.

If they really do axe HALF of the teachers the school won't survive. It just won't. I don't know how any school can teach 800 kids with 29 teachers, let alone high school kids who are taking AP courses and specialized Arts instruction.

I did talk to a mom in another part of the state (FaceBook is magical that way) who broke PTA rules and hired a couple of teachers with PTA money. It is a huge no-no per the PTA by laws, and she also said it put her in a really bad spot because PTA moms are not intended to be HR managers.

I can't imagine many of the teachers will want to stay if they lose their insurance and other benefits, even if we can sort out a way to apy them something. They really need to be recognized as employees of the district. I think we might be able to use private money to bring in part time, adjunct staff. But how many of the current teachers can afford the cost of living on a part time salary? One of the Theatre teachers has 4 young kids. Part time adjunct work isn't going to cut it for him. I am hoping for a miracle. I am hoping the people who have a solid working knowledge of the rules are figuring out how to get around these cuts. I have e-mailed the legislators and the board trustees and they all thanked me for my input. Like they give a rat's hat.

 

[torinsmom]

If they really do axe HALF of the teachers the school won't survive. It just won't. I don't know how any school can teach 800 kids with 29 teachers, let alone high school kids who are taking AP courses and specialized Arts instruction.

I did talk to a mom in another part of the state (FaceBook is magical that way) who broke PTA rules and hired a couple of teachers with PTA money. It is a huge no-no per the PTA by laws, and she also said it put her in a really bad spot because PTA moms are not intended to be HR managers.

I can't imagine many of the teachers will want to stay if they lose their insurance and other benefits, even if we can sort out a way to apy them something. They really need to be recognized as employees of the district. I think we might be able to use private money to bring in part time, adjunct staff. But how many of the current teachers can afford the cost of living on a part time salary? One of the Theatre teachers has 4 young kids. Part time adjunct work isn't going to cut it for him. I am hoping for a miracle. I am hoping the people who have a solid working knowledge of the rules are figuring out how to get around these cuts. I have e-mailed the legislators and the board trustees and they all thanked me for my input. Like they give a rat's hat.

Maybe they are getting rid of teachers with a more experience and a higher salary and will hire teachers fresh out of school that make less money? I know in NC they are buying out teachers who are close to retirement and hiring new teachers to take their place. That could save them up to $20,000 per year per teacher they replace. It sucks because I worry about my job. I just got a Masters and am about to finish National Boards. I hope they don't decide I am too expensive. NC teachers get paid so little that going back to school is the only way to survive.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Maybe they are getting rid of teachers with a more experience and a higher salary and will hire teachers fresh out of school that make less money? I know in NC they are buying out teachers who are close to retirement and hiring new teachers to take their place. That could save them up to $20,000 per year per teacher they replace. It sucks because I worry about my job. I just got a Masters and am about to finish National Boards. I hope they don't decide I am too expensive. NC teachers get paid so little that going back to school is the only way to survive.

From the budget proposals that have been released, they plan to force the school to operate with 29 teachers instead of 58, period, the end.
I hope you don't lose your job. What a mess the country is in.

Here in SW Florida, the economy is so bad that many people moved back north.
Foreclosed & empty houses = less taxes, so many teachers got laid off because the schools lost students. Other city/county personnel like fire, police, library, etc., got laid off too. If there's no money to pay them, how can they keep all their employees? It's a catch 22 - they're needed, but there's no money. It's just another reminder that many jobs are not as secure as once thought.

At the library they have even started unpaid furlough days to reduce expenses.

Our city offices have been doing furlough days for the past year or so. Every time there is a holiday, they tack a furlough day on as well. As far as I know police and fire haven't been reduced, but libraries, city hall, etc. have been impacted. The city budget is a whole other ball of wax.

 

[StitchBuddy]

Well, we are still in a community that is growing. So we are expecting around 1000 more students in our district next year and we are still laying off teachers and lots of them! We are trying to raise school/property taxes by $20-$40 a month depending on the value of your property. That really isn't that much. People just don't get the connection between property values and schools. Plus, here in Texas the state doesn't give each district the same amount of money per student, if it did our district would be fine. What a mess! I am glad my own child only has a few more years in school. I really feel for young families.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Sorry, iheartdisney, but it's not the unions....it's the state negotiators who decided to promise more than they could deliver

1) As an ex-school board member, I heartily disagree.
2) The teacher unions worked hard to get board members elected.
3) Then, they came after us for more and more benes and pay.
4) Fortunately for some of us, we had principles.
5) We said, "No!".

6) Sure, it was the politicians and school boards.
7) But, it was the unions who got them elected.
8) Then demanded favors.

 

[johnadam]

You are right governor is really a tough person.

Another victim of the Texas state budget cuts, here. I work for a Pre-K grant that got completely slashed in the budget. They are working on getting it reinstated, but we won't know until the end of May if that's happened. The real victims are the little pre-k kiddos I help, and their teachers who I mentor. Our grant works by mentoring pre-k teachers in public, headstart, and private childcare (the childcare centers have to be low income to qualify). I work exclusively with childcare teachers-- these teachers are generally uneducated and receive low pay (close to minumun wage), but most of them really care about the kids, and through our grant we are able to teach them how to effectively teach their kiddos. I have childcare teachers with no more than a GED who are using dialogic read aloud strategies with their kids, engaging them in shared and interactive writing, and using assessment results to pull small groups of children for instruction. It's wonderful to see ! The lawmakers will be extremely sad that they cut our grant when in a few years, their costs to retain children in grades K and 1 go through the roof ! It's really sad that governor Goodhair seems to hate four year olds . --Katie

 

[torinsmom]

From the budget proposals that have been released, they plan to force the school to operate with 29 teachers instead of 58, period, the end.
I hope you don't lose your job. What a mess the country is in.



Our city offices have been doing furlough days for the past year or so. Every time there is a holiday, they tack a furlough day on as well. As far as I know police and fire haven't been reduced, but libraries, city hall, etc. have been impacted. The city budget is a whole other ball of wax.

I am pretty lucky. I work in a Montessori magnet school, so teachers need state certification AND Montessori certification. That's not easy to find, and I have great evaluations. If I was in traditional school, I would be more worried.

It is really a mess. I don't know when the higher ups will realize that they are hurting our children, and they are the future of our country.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I think for Texas the logic goes like this: There are a ton of kids in private schools, and those kids will be successful and lead the nation in the future. The nearly 5 million kids in Texas public schools are worthless and should be grateful for any education that comes their way. At least that's the message I am getting.

 

[v.t.]

I have e-mailed the legislators and the board trustees and they all thanked me for my input. Like they give a rat's hat.

Thank you for e-mailing, I think it does help. I know in our district the school board wants to hear from parents and they want parents to attend meetings and speak up, about good things as well as bad. The problem is that the state continues to add more testing, mandates and regulations while not giving anymore revenue. Our district has received the same amount from the state for the past 6 years. When you combine that with inflation, how do the expect districts to survive?
The legislators are not going to change things unless the public lets them know they are not going to re-elect them if things don't change!

www.schoolpriority.com is a good place to start.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thank you for e-mailing, I think it does help. I know in our district the school board wants to hear from parents and they want parents to attend meetings and speak up, about good things as well as bad. The problem is that the state continues to add more testing, mandates and regulations while not giving anymore revenue. Our district has received the same amount from the state for the past 6 years. When you combine that with inflation, how do the expect districts to survive?
The legislators are not going to change things unless the public lets them know they are not going to re-elect them if things don't change!

www.schoolpriority.com is a good place to start.

I think they expect the districts NOT to survive, which paves the way for them to amend the TX Constitution.

I think as voters, us threatening them falls on deaf ears. It appears that they have plenty of votes from people who truly, truly hate public education that the rest of us don't matter. Add those votes to the votes of the truly uneducated people who can be duped into thinking these guys have their best interests in mind, and the legislators are golden.

We have a PTA meeting tonight. Should be scary to hear what's coming down the track.

 

[MrsPete]

Question...if a teacher doesn't have a contract for the next year can they draw unemployment over the summer?

No. Also, a first-year teacher who doesn't receive a contract for the next year cannot draw unemployment. Teacher-jobs are unique, and it's hard to compare us with other jobs, but it's fairly close to say we're "seasonal", with the season being 10 months out of the year. If your contract's up, you're not unemployed -- you just finished working what you were promised.

Maybe they are getting rid of teachers with a more experience and a higher salary and will hire teachers fresh out of school that make less money? I know in NC they are buying out teachers who are close to retirement and hiring new teachers to take their place. That could save them up to $20,000 per year per teacher they replace. It sucks because I worry about my job. I just got a Masters and am about to finish National Boards. I hope they don't decide I am too expensive. NC teachers get paid so little that going back to school is the only way to survive.

Yes, several teachers at my school are considering taking the early retirement buy-out . . . but where are the new teachers going to come from? We don't have masses of people here waiting for teaching jobs. Also, they're talking about taking away the masters and National Board supplements.

From the budget proposals that have been released, they plan to force the school to operate with 29 teachers instead of 58, period, the end.

That sounds impossible. I really suspect they're talking about worst-case scenerio so that y'all'll be "happy" when you get 40 teachers.

 

[SFWife]

I think for Texas the logic goes like this: There are a ton of kids in private schools, and those kids will be successful and lead the nation in the future. The nearly 5 million kids in Texas public schools are worthless and should be grateful for any education that comes their way. At least that's the message I am getting.

Thats a pretty broad stroke you're painting there. The main budget issue I see within school districts is that they are getting all this money from the state and federal government, but by the time it reaches the teacher/student level its gone. We have a very very bloated TEA, administrators are making insane amounts of money, Superintendents making multiple 6 figure incomes, poor accounting of money spent, and yet people wonder why spending keeps going up and up "per student" yet test scores decline year after year. Simply put, that money isnt being spent on students and quality teachers. It's being spent at the administrative level and the schools are left with the meager scraps left over.

Not only that, but there is a HUGE drain, particularly in Texas, of illegals who are not only stealing time and space in our schools from legal citizens and residents, but a majority of them are also getting free/reduced lunches, free pre-k, free after school care, and now we've decided that the schools need to feed these families children dinners and during the summer too. I remember enrolling my daughter in her first grade class in Carrolton/FB ISD and as we were waiting in line, not only was I the ONLY parent who spoke English, my DD was the only one with a birth certificate. You can't make a case for illegal aliens and their children being a beneficial part of any school district.

Sounds harsh, but the fact is that these people feel like they should get everything for nothing and that this country owes them for breaking the laws. If we didn't have to shell out tax payer dollars for their food, medical care, housing, education, etc. just think how much more would be available for the other people who legally belong here and should have access to these programs. If you don't believe me, go check out any number of their staged protests and walkouts in downtown Dallas, where the Mexican flag is all you will see. If Mexico is so great, please go back to drain the resources of your own country instead of becoming a burden on this one.

 

[bnhasak]

I am married to a PA teacher and also have 2 special needs kids in PA public schools. We had them in private the past 3 years but the private schools did NOT have the resources or training to help my kids who are highly gifted but also have special needs (Asperger's and Tourette's).

My kids are now in a very highly regarded public school, in an affluent (high tax base) community. My son is in a kindergarten class of 19!!! What will the numbers be like after our lovely Governor takes even more teachers away? My daughter is in a class of 17 in 1st grade.

My husband barely makes enough for us to be above qualifying for state aid/welfare. If we were to have another child we would sadly qualify for food stamps. That is how "wealthy" and overpaid PA teachers are.

To blame all the budget problems on the educators is disrespectful and harmful.

I truly think the Republican agenda (at least in our state) is to privatize schools. They promote the charter schools like the savior of the education system and they are a FAR cry from that. Private schools have their merits but aren't a realistic solution to our educational problems. Why are they funding religious schools and cutting public schools? It doesn't make any sense.


So many are just lashing out at teachers for "summers off" or "high salaries" when that is FAR from the reality. When many of these "parents" don't even want to parent their own children yet the teachers are to blame?

I don't think anyone should begrudge a teacher for after 16 years (or more depending on the school district) of service finally getting a pay increase and living above the welfare line? In private sector there are raises and increases just the same. There are golden parachutes and matching 401K's and many other benefits that teachers aren't afforded. How they can characterize all teachers as wealthy when that is the minority of teachers who have only attained decent salaries after YEARS of struggle. I often tell DH that I would much rather us make a bit more now then waiting around for the big "bump" in the future. Our debt is going to be monumental by the time he gets any pay increase but that is how the system runs. Teachers on an individual level never got to write the rules of the game, but are getting vilified for doing their jobs and for following those rules.

Most private sector jobs don't require continuous schooling at personal cost only to then get paid like you work at a Starbucks or Target and get treated with less respect than a babysitter.

I am just so worried about my kids future with the direction the country is headed.

There is always money for wars and aid to foreign countries, but our kids have to take a cut?? Our teachers??? The politicians never run out of per diems or car allowances or campaign funding, but our kids don't deserve an education?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

MrsPete, the "worst case" budget was actually BETTER than the revision! In the first draft we were looking at losing a crap ton of "full time employees", in the second draft we were losing MORE people than in the first draft, and it was narrowed to TEACHERS, not FTE's. The board has appointed a "Citizens Commission on the Budget", a 10 member group to try to come up with ideas and suggestions that won't include things like murdering the magnets. The problem is the commission has no power whatsoever, they are just in an advisory capacity. So, they can tell the board to cut things other than teachers, and the board can totally turn around and reduce our teachers by half.

SFWife, I completely agree with you about the drain the illegals cause. But the legislators would rather ignore that issue. They have chosen to look the other way for so long that now I don't think they could address it if they wanted to. I do wonder what would happen if they passed a bill stating that effective August 2011 only legal US residents are eligible to enroll in public schools. Not only will it not happen this year, it won't EVER happen, but it is interesting to think about.

 

[Telcogirl]

Yes, it is sad and no one seems to care. All they want is low taxes. Which I understand, I don't like paying close to $9000.00 a year in taxes on my house either, but I knew that when I bought my house. I don't want my property values to go down, because our schools go downhill! People are so short sighted!

Lots of people do care and people are not short sighted. You can not make broad statements by saying that all everyone wants is low taxes. The reality of this mess of a situation is that there is simply no more money to give. There are very few taxpayers that can sustain the type of increase needed to make this right.

You say that you don't want your property value to go down because the schools will go downhill? Keep increasing the school budgets while watching your infrastructure fall apart and the see what happens to your property values.

In my part of the country, our roads are deplorable. The bridges are worse. Citizens are getting hammered with tax increases and we are seeing less and less in services. Streetlights on the highways are turned off at night. Sports, music and arts programs are being cut from schools. Plows aren't out as frequently as they should be because snow removal budgets are depleted.


So, when you say nobody seems to care, I take issue with that. I do care. I care to know where and how my current tax dollars are being spent. There seems to be a never ending battle for the precious left over income in households. Gas prices are rising, food prices are rising, energy prices are rising. So, when it comes to having to shell out more money for taxes, my personal philosophy is this: When our leadership can show me that they can responsibily handle the tax dollars I currently give them, then I am willing to listen to reasons for tax increases.

This is not simply an education issue.