State Buget busting my budget!!!

[torinsmom]

Seventy percent of illegal immigrants with children in Texas are receiving welfare. Read it here:

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/04/study_immigrants_with_children.html

I didn't see a link to the actual study. This is a blog. Can you post a link to the study? I couldn't find it. I did notice it said that free and reduced lunch was counted as being welfare. FWIW, I qualified for free lunch when I was a first year teacher. The income limit is fairly high for that.

Here are the numbers by race nationwide. This shows the percentage of the total TANF recipients in a state by race, not what percentage of each population is using aid. This is the last year there was a report(2008). Numbers for hispanics are high in some states, but the numbers correlate with a higher population of hispanics living there. Compare to Maine, where 91.2% of recipients were white. That is because the population is mainly white. Same for West Virginia. Saying 91% of the recipients are white does not mean that 91% of white people in WV get aid. My state(NC) has only 7% of recipients being hispanic. They are about 7% of our population as well.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/character/FY2008/tab08.htm

 

[eandt]

SOME not all of the budget issues in PA are due to pensions but not for the reasons you might think. In PA public employees contribute to their own pensions/benefits and the State is supposed to contribute a percentage as well. For years the State CHOSE to under fund their share and at the same time take risky investment chances WITH public employee pension money. When the economy was flourishing it worked, when things went to crap the bottom dropped out. It was not the fault of the public employee at all. Now the State wants to come back and ask for concessions for a problem that THEY created. State Govt in PA is one of the largest and well paid legislatures in the country. They need to look in the mirror before they sling their mud at public employees.....after all they are themselves public servants.

 

[HHSTigerFan]

Seventy percent of illegal immigrants with children in Texas are receiving welfare. Read it here:

http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2011/04/study_immigrants_with_children.html

So when an illegal signs up for welfare, why are we giving him money instead of loading him up in a van and taking him back to Mexico?

 

[Hannathy]

So when an illegal signs up for welfare, why are we giving him money instead of loading him up in a van and taking him back to Mexico?

Exactly!!

Come here legally or get nothing. We should treat them exactly like we would get treated in their country.

And just being born on our soil and becoming a citizen has to stop. And having a child here should not stop you from being deported.

 

[StitchBuddy]

I don't think most of us even understand how tied up the money is in different areas. The money has to be used in certain ways and is basically divided into different parts, you can't take money from one place and use it in another. For example I know a district that completely renovated some offices and the public wants to know why was that done when we have no money??? Well, it was completed, because that is how that money has to be spent on buildings etc... You can't use it for salaries etc...

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I don't think most of us even understand how tied up the money is in different areas. The money has to be used in certain ways and is basically divided into different parts, you can't take money from one place and use it in another. For example I know a district that completely renovated some offices and the public wants to know why was that done when we have no money??? Well, it was completed, because that is how that money has to be spent on buildings etc... You can't use it for salaries etc...

We had a bond election back in 2008 or 2009. At that time it was voted to build new schools, make improvements to existing buildings, etc. Well, here we are $253 million short and they are BUILDING brand new schools from the ground up. But like you said, the bond money was allocated to a specific purpose and MUST be used for THAT purpose.

I am interested to see what happens with this $830 million in federal money. If it was used for education, which is what it is meant for, then that would be good. If the governor and his sticky fingered friends get ahold of it and use it for all sorts of other crap, then NOT so good.

 

[MrsPete]

This whole "teachers & education being sacred cows" is getting old . . . I am just tired of people expecting money to be spent when it flat is not there. We can't keep spending and not facing the current reality.

I fully understand that there just isn't enough money, but short-changing our children's future isn't the right choice -- and that's what we're doing when we increase class size, etc.

We have hundreds of new teachers in my district that can't find jobs.

We don't here in the South. Of course, we also have a much, much lower salary scale.

Hmmm I wonder about the class size issue - when I was in 3rd grade I had just over 50 kids in the classroom -- I still passed the State Test so I wonder if class size is more of a the teachers don't want to grade that many papers.

I couldn't get 50 desks into my classroom. Literally, it would be impossible. And it would be against fire code.

It wouldn't be the papers I'd mind -- it'd be the discipline.

I pay taxes already, why would I need to pay $30 for bus service

I think we should charge for bus service. I was thinking about it yesterday. Here's why:

Yesterday I had a need to leave school FAST, so I was out the door much earlier than usual, and I had to sit in my car a few minutes waiting for my daughter to catch up to me. So I watched the busses pull out -- something I don't usually do. I was surprised to see that almost every bus was less than half full. You think your gas tank costs a lot to fill? What do you think a bus costs? And we're running them half full?

I know what happens: People sign up for bus service because it's free . . . but they don't really intend to use it. They intend to pick their kids up most days, or their kids (who all hate riding the bus by high school) grab a ride home with a neighbor who drives to school . . . so they don't actually USE the spot they've signed up for. They just want it available for those days when it's not convenient to pick up the kid, or the day that the kid can't get a ride home.

If we charged something for the bus service -- enough to make people think, "Hey, am I going to use this service? Should I pay for it?" Only the kids who really need bus service and are going to use bus service would sign up, and we'd need fewer busses.

 

[torinsmom]

I fully understand that there just isn't enough money, but short-changing our children's future isn't the right choice -- and that's what we're doing when we increase class size, etc. We don't here in the South. Of course, we also have a much, much lower salary scale. I couldn't get 50 desks into my classroom. Literally, it would be impossible. And it would be against fire code.

It wouldn't be the papers I'd mind -- it'd be the discipline.I think we should charge for bus service. I was thinking about it yesterday. Here's why:

Yesterday I had a need to leave school FAST, so I was out the door much earlier than usual, and I had to sit in my car a few minutes waiting for my daughter to catch up to me. So I watched the busses pull out -- something I don't usually do. I was surprised to see that almost every bus was less than half full. You think your gas tank costs a lot to fill? What do you think a bus costs? And we're running them half full?

I know what happens: People sign up for bus service because it's free . . . but they don't really intend to use it. They intend to pick their kids up most days, or their kids (who all hate riding the bus by high school) grab a ride home with a neighbor who drives to school . . . so they don't actually USE the spot they've signed up for. They just want it available for those days when it's not convenient to pick up the kid, or the day that the kid can't get a ride home.

If we charged something for the bus service -- enough to make people think, "Hey, am I going to use this service? Should I pay for it?" Only the kids who really need bus service and are going to use bus service would sign up, and we'd need fewer busses.

What state are you in? I am from NC and we are 46th in teacher pay. I think beginning teachers start at $30,000. I have 12 years and without my Masters(which I just got), my salary was around $38,000.

I agree about the buses. Our buses are 1/2-2/3 full each day. Some kids ride once in a while, but they have to account for space for them every day. I say if they keep it free, double routes up and kids can just get home later. My son rides a bus and I would pay if it would help keep class sizes down.

 

[Telcogirl]

I agree about the buses. Our buses are 1/2-2/3 full each day. Some kids ride once in a while, but they have to account for space for them every day. I say if they keep it free, double routes up and kids can just get home later. My son rides a bus and I would pay if it would help keep class sizes down.

Interesting topic on the pay to ride idea. Along those lines, maybe we could bring back the good ole fashioned bus stop? It seems today that more kids get front door service rather than walking a block to meet up with other kids and form an actual bus stop. It could help with combining routes, saving on fuel, etc......

 

[herdtoDisney]

Interesting topic on the pay to ride idea. Along those lines, maybe we could bring back the good ole fashioned bus stop? It seems today that more kids get front door service rather than walking a block to meet up with other kids and form an actual bus stop. It could help with combining routes, saving on fuel, etc......

That's what they do here...I've never heard of 'signing up' for bus service. Or paying extra for it. Every year, the bus co. puts out a list of the bus stops and bus numbers. My middle school kid walks a couple blocks to his. My elem. kids catch it up at the corner with a couple dozen other kids. (my hs kid walks).

I pay almost $7000 in property taxes a year (AND we pay proptety tax on our vehicles here too, that is just for my modest house!) and no way am I paying extra for the bus!

 

[crjack]

I live in a Boston suburb and for years we have paid for high school bus service. It's pretty common in this area.

You will still see lots of space available on the busses because most towns stagger the start times of the schools with high school starting the earliest, middle school in the middle and elementary starting the lates. (About 20-25 min apart)

The bus routes cant be so long that the bus cant get back for a different run. The routes are set up pretty efficiently and we have clusters of stops for the students.

Many towns started high school activity fees a few years ago...if your town didn't have them before they most likely do now after recent budgets. There are family caps for both bus and activity fees and waivers are available for families in need. If you play a sport, band or other activity after school hours you pay the annual fee and it covers everything for the year.

I will gladly pay the fees for these things and leave more budget money for staffing and class sizes.

Overall MA does very well in state rankings and my personal experience has been great with our schools. I think the caliber of our teachers is excellent but like every area we are not retaining a lot of the younger teachers.

I also dont see a lot of waste in our budgets and definitely not in our individual schools but the special ed numbers continue to rise and we have older buildings in need of repair so every town is feeling it here too.

 

[Nicolepa]

I know what happens: People sign up for bus service because it's free . . . but they don't really intend to use it. They intend to pick their kids up most days, or their kids (who all hate riding the bus by high school) grab a ride home with a neighbor who drives to school . . . so they don't actually USE the spot they've signed up for. They just want it available for those days when it's not convenient to pick up the kid, or the day that the kid can't get a ride home.

Here you don't sign up per say. If you live in the route area you are assigned a bus. Our busses are full. For the Middle School & High school we have 3 busses (each) for our neighborhood (about 2 miles). Each bus covers 3 blocks or so. Basically at the begining of the year they send the busses and when one is full, the next one starts loading up. The kids at the end of the route often end up having to wait for them to call another bus.

I would much rather they do that then to have 500+ parents trying to drop off/pick up their kids. That would be a nighmare!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

One of the suggestions I submitted was that magnet students be required to pay for bus transportation. Not sure if they are considering that or not. Obviously a lot of the high school kids start to drive before they graduate, and at an Arts school you have kids who stay after school to do this or that pretty regularly. I am sure DS's bus is half full on a regular basis.

 

[MrsPete]

What state are you in? I am from NC and we are 46th in teacher pay. I think beginning teachers start at $30,000. I have 12 years and without my Masters(which I just got), my salary was around $38,000.

I'm also in NC.

Interesting topic on the pay to ride idea. Along those lines, maybe we could bring back the good ole fashioned bus stop? It seems today that more kids get front door service rather than walking a block to meet up with other kids and form an actual bus stop. It could help with combining routes, saving on fuel, etc......

We have that. My middler schooler walks a block to get to the bus -- kids walk from three directions to get to that corner.

One of the suggestions around here is that the bus STOP going down into neighborhoods at all; rather, it'd just stop at the main road and ALL the kids who live in that neighborhood'd get off. For my daughter, that'd be almost half a mile. I think that's too far, and the main road is too public for safety. I'd pay rather than have her walk that far.

I would much rather they do that then to have 500+ parents trying to drop off/pick up their kids. That would be a nighmare!

That's what we already have -- it's what we've had at every school my kids have attended. I only pick them up when there's a special need of some sort, so I don't see it on a regular basis, but it IS a nightmare.

 

[torinsmom]

I'm also in NC.We have that. My middler schooler walks a block to get to the bus -- kids walk from three directions to get to that corner.

One of the suggestions around here is that the bus STOP going down into neighborhoods at all; rather, it'd just stop at the main road and ALL the kids who live in that neighborhood'd get off. For my daughter, that'd be almost half a mile. I think that's too far, and the main road is too public for safety. I'd pay rather than have her walk that far. That's what we already have -- it's what we've had at every school my kids have attended. I only pick them up when there's a special need of some sort, so I don't see it on a regular basis, but it IS a nightmare.

I agree with you. If they have bus stops on main roads, they are asking for kids to get killed. A sibling of a child in my class was hit by a car and killed on a main road when crossing to catch a bus. The stop was moved into the neighborhood after that.

 

[sssteele]

Heard recently that a mandate in PA regarding the busing of students was modified. Under old mandate, districts bordering on other states were responsible to provide bus transportation to transfer students who were attending PRIVATE schools in the neighboring state. I never understood why parochial school students were transferred on public school buses within a school district; perhaps it was just an extension of the rationale for that.

 

[dartfrog]

I live in an area that is just a few miles from several local school districts. Each district has had to let go of 35-40 teachers each, no exaggeration!

 

[stm61]

What state are you in? I am from NC and we are 46th in teacher pay. I think beginning teachers start at $30,000. I have 12 years and without my Masters(which I just got), my salary was around $38,000.

I agree about the buses. Our buses are 1/2-2/3 full each day. Some kids ride once in a while, but they have to account for space for them every day. I say if they keep it free, double routes up and kids can just get home later. My son rides a bus and I would pay if it would help keep class sizes down.

I teach in SC, have a Master's and 6 yr's experience. My pay is just over $40,000, and we've been frozen for the past 2 years. None of the districts are hiring, unless they absolutely have to, and most of them are either laying off or doing furlough days.

My kids ride the buses. If they didn't, they wouldn't get to school. It's 4+ miles from our driveway to the main road, way to far to walk, and my husband and I both leave before most of the kids do. My kids buses are always packed full in the afternoon, not as much in the morning because some parents drop off on their way to work. Even with the buses at capacity, the car lines are crazy in the afternoon, especially at the elem. school.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I live in an area that is just a few miles from several local school districts. Each district has had to let go of 35-40 teachers each, no exaggeration!

The district where my sister teaches, they are probably going to be laying off 250 teachers. I just don't know where they are going to go with all of the extra kids.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Our district released version 3 of their proposed budget. This one has our school losing 14 teachers as opposed to 29, but it is contingent on state funding coming through at a $110 million reduction instead of something higher. The furlough bill seems to be moving through the legislature. The overall huge budget is about to go to the state Senate, then the Senate and the House will start battling. No telling how long it will take. The House version of the budget cut $8 billion from education, the Senate version cuts $4 billion. There is already talk of a special session in July.