I just got out of a budget meeting for my department. To say that I'm shocked and deeply concerned is a massive understatement. The cuts that have been passed will shred my department from just over 30 on staff to 10. Ten lonely people trying to keep more than 6000 computers and support machines up and running for more than 27000 students at 32 schools.
What the fuck do they think is going to happen?
I'll tell you what will happen. Computer labs will fall apart. Computers in classrooms will stop working. Printers will stop being usable. The digital divide will expand into a chasm. The students will get absolutely no computer time. Help Tickets will sit open for months on end because there will be two zone techs available for 32 schools.
The investment in technology will be wasted. The computers will stop being used because the teachers have neither the patience or knowledge to keep them running or to deal with even minor issues like bad logins.
No other department is facing such deep cuts to staff. No other department does as much as we do with so few people to begin with and now they are going to chop two thirds of our numbers.
To say this will cause massive damage to our ability to educate children is a ridiculous understatement. We will be doing a disservice to our kids. And, oh yeah, I'll be out of a job at the worst time in the last fifty years, that'll suck quite alot too.
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
3.31.2009
3.01.2009
Two Weeks to Go
Happy March 1st Universe. I have two weeks to go before I will know one way or the other if I am going to be laid off again. March 15th is the drop dead date for mailing out notices in my school district and, if I can make it to the 16th, I can't legally be laid off. That doesn't mean it can't happen but that it can't happen legally.
I'm hopeful that the stimulus package passing in Washington will help defray some of the deeper cuts being proposed locally. But my district supposedly needs to cut some $17 million from its budget, around 10%, after cutting 10% last year.
How in the hell are we supposed to educate our children when education funding is cut year after year?
Ironically, I'm also supposed to have a review soon which will probably see me get a raise, just in time to get laid off.
Send me your good vibes around the 15th, no whammies, 'kay?
I'm hopeful that the stimulus package passing in Washington will help defray some of the deeper cuts being proposed locally. But my district supposedly needs to cut some $17 million from its budget, around 10%, after cutting 10% last year.
How in the hell are we supposed to educate our children when education funding is cut year after year?
Ironically, I'm also supposed to have a review soon which will probably see me get a raise, just in time to get laid off.
Send me your good vibes around the 15th, no whammies, 'kay?
2.13.2009
This Week in Weak and Strong #4
Lots of stuff going on this week. Let's get to it.
Weak Catch - Ex-MLB catcher Bobby (Ch)Estella, who was built like a brick shithouse and now we know why, will accuse Barry Bonds of getting him steroids in the government's never-ending witch hunt for one player while an entire league was rife with PED abuse.
Weak Reason to Fight - Two friends got into a little fight "over nothing" after some drinks and one was arguing with his girlfriend. One punch knocked the kid down, he smashed his head on the ground, never regained consciousness and died the next day.
Weak Legislators - The California budget impasse continues unabated. Three months and counting.
Strong, LiveStrong - The Amgen Tour of California is set to kick off. But there were already some pre-race fireworks when an asshat of a reporter named Paul Killage asked Lance Armstrong a question during a press briefing. This is the same reporter that referred to Lance Armstrong as "a cancer in the peloton". Nice.
Strong (and Just) Punishment - Richard Craig McNew raped and murdered a 90 year old woman. He's been found guilty and is going back to prison for the rest of his disgusting and pathetic life.
Weak Catch - Ex-MLB catcher Bobby (Ch)Estella, who was built like a brick shithouse and now we know why, will accuse Barry Bonds of getting him steroids in the government's never-ending witch hunt for one player while an entire league was rife with PED abuse.
Weak Reason to Fight - Two friends got into a little fight "over nothing" after some drinks and one was arguing with his girlfriend. One punch knocked the kid down, he smashed his head on the ground, never regained consciousness and died the next day.
Weak Legislators - The California budget impasse continues unabated. Three months and counting.
Strong, LiveStrong - The Amgen Tour of California is set to kick off. But there were already some pre-race fireworks when an asshat of a reporter named Paul Killage asked Lance Armstrong a question during a press briefing. This is the same reporter that referred to Lance Armstrong as "a cancer in the peloton". Nice.
Strong (and Just) Punishment - Richard Craig McNew raped and murdered a 90 year old woman. He's been found guilty and is going back to prison for the rest of his disgusting and pathetic life.
5.21.2008
An Alternative to Chopping California Education
Rather than shoot our future by cutting funding for education in California (again) I would prefer to see the Governator do something progressive, thoughtful and inspired.
I don't expect inspiration from him because I tend to think he's a colossal meatheaded douchebag who can't even speak for himself, he has to quote his lame movie lines.
But I can still hope.
Anyway, my idea is the sin tax. Taxing non-essential "sin" items like alcohol and cigarettes. Raising the cost of these items actually does several things. One, it will generate an enormous amount of revenue. Two, it will encourage some to quit smoking. Three, those smokers who quit will be healthier over the long run and will reduce the load on the healthcare system proportionately.
Is a sin tax the perfect solution? No, not at all. But we don't live in a perfect world, we live in reality where something's got to give or the whole shithouse is going to come down on us. And shorting education is about the worst solution I can think of (save perhaps closing all the prisons and letting the convicts run free).
And why not other progressive ideas? Like legalizing marijuana and taxing it? There's no doubt that a substantial percentage of Californians smoke pot regularly. It aids an untaxed black market economy that could represent a rather large revenue stream. Also, decriminalizing pot would ease an enormous and unnecessary load on our prison system since putting a dope smoker in prison will likely just convert him from a "lipstick" crook into a full-on thug via the penal education system.
I don't have any idea how the whole thing could shake out but I do know that taxing sin items has multiple positive aspects to it (and some negatives to be sure). Far more positive than shorting education and producing less qualified, less educated and less educatible population which will be more likely to resort to criminal lifestyles as a means of survival.
Tax optional sin items, legalize and tax marijuana for personal use, do not short education, do not close national parks to save piddling amounts of money and actually lead by example instead of relying on pathetic, short sighted and overly optimistic lottery earnings to save us.
Or hey, here's another idea. Make a dollar lottery ticket cost a buck ten and put that extra ten cents towards the shortfall.
I don't expect inspiration from him because I tend to think he's a colossal meatheaded douchebag who can't even speak for himself, he has to quote his lame movie lines.
But I can still hope.
Anyway, my idea is the sin tax. Taxing non-essential "sin" items like alcohol and cigarettes. Raising the cost of these items actually does several things. One, it will generate an enormous amount of revenue. Two, it will encourage some to quit smoking. Three, those smokers who quit will be healthier over the long run and will reduce the load on the healthcare system proportionately.
Is a sin tax the perfect solution? No, not at all. But we don't live in a perfect world, we live in reality where something's got to give or the whole shithouse is going to come down on us. And shorting education is about the worst solution I can think of (save perhaps closing all the prisons and letting the convicts run free).
And why not other progressive ideas? Like legalizing marijuana and taxing it? There's no doubt that a substantial percentage of Californians smoke pot regularly. It aids an untaxed black market economy that could represent a rather large revenue stream. Also, decriminalizing pot would ease an enormous and unnecessary load on our prison system since putting a dope smoker in prison will likely just convert him from a "lipstick" crook into a full-on thug via the penal education system.
I don't have any idea how the whole thing could shake out but I do know that taxing sin items has multiple positive aspects to it (and some negatives to be sure). Far more positive than shorting education and producing less qualified, less educated and less educatible population which will be more likely to resort to criminal lifestyles as a means of survival.
Tax optional sin items, legalize and tax marijuana for personal use, do not short education, do not close national parks to save piddling amounts of money and actually lead by example instead of relying on pathetic, short sighted and overly optimistic lottery earnings to save us.
Or hey, here's another idea. Make a dollar lottery ticket cost a buck ten and put that extra ten cents towards the shortfall.
4.16.2008
Waiting on Pink Slips
Unless you've been completely unaware of what's been going on in the California educational system you're already well aware that there are layoffs taking place all over the state due to the 10% budget cut proposed by Governor Meathead.
Well, it appears that I may not have escaped the layoff sniper's scope. I may also not get tagged and retrenched but there's a reasonably good chance that any layoffs in my department will kick me to the curb as one of the newer recruits.
Nevermind that we're understaffed as it is, it certainly doesn't mean squat to anyone else.
Anyway, we've got another departmental staff meeting tomorrow and I'm sure there will be some discussion of potentialities and how they may affect the grunts like me.
Well, it appears that I may not have escaped the layoff sniper's scope. I may also not get tagged and retrenched but there's a reasonably good chance that any layoffs in my department will kick me to the curb as one of the newer recruits.
Nevermind that we're understaffed as it is, it certainly doesn't mean squat to anyone else.
Anyway, we've got another departmental staff meeting tomorrow and I'm sure there will be some discussion of potentialities and how they may affect the grunts like me.
3.26.2008
Budgeting-itis
One of the headaches that I deal with is the splitting of my work between three different and distinct schools, each with their own budgetary constraints and requirements and procedures. Oh, and staff, students, campuses, principals and levels of technology penetration but that's to be expected.
What I didn't really expect is how much of a pain in the butt it is to get some things paid. My cell phone bill is split three ways, unevenly. My mileage reimbursement is still under negotiation and I don't have any guarantees of a job next year yet. Because of the budget crisis. I think I'll have a job but there aren't any guarantees right now and it is entirely possible that a more senior office worker could step down instead of quitting and boot me out.
I've learned there's nothing more important than having been there longest. Not having been the most useful or efficient, just the one who's stuck it out the longest. Seniority rules the roost regardless. Which seems kind of stupid to me but that's at least partly because I'm one of the lowest ones on the totem pole.
But my principals love me, I've got projects in the works and, until I know different, I'll behave as if I'm going to keep working for the district. Besides, it would totally suck to get laid off again.
What I didn't really expect is how much of a pain in the butt it is to get some things paid. My cell phone bill is split three ways, unevenly. My mileage reimbursement is still under negotiation and I don't have any guarantees of a job next year yet. Because of the budget crisis. I think I'll have a job but there aren't any guarantees right now and it is entirely possible that a more senior office worker could step down instead of quitting and boot me out.
I've learned there's nothing more important than having been there longest. Not having been the most useful or efficient, just the one who's stuck it out the longest. Seniority rules the roost regardless. Which seems kind of stupid to me but that's at least partly because I'm one of the lowest ones on the totem pole.
But my principals love me, I've got projects in the works and, until I know different, I'll behave as if I'm going to keep working for the district. Besides, it would totally suck to get laid off again.
3.12.2008
When Teachers Eat Their Own
I had my first instance of teachers starting to cannibalize those about to be laid off in the wake of our Governator's lame and incredibly harmful 10% across the board budget cuts for education. These cuts are going to make already strapped schools have to make really hard choices on how to do them when there's no more to be trimmed away and the schools are already running as absolutely lean as possible.
And the education budget cuts are short term savings with really serious long term effects. A less educated populance is less able to compete on the global market, a less educated populance is more prone to drug abuse, violence, crime and depression. A less educated populance is less of an asset and more of a liability.
But I digress, there's nobody that actually thinks the budget cuts are a good idea and I think Schwarzenegger is a big meat-headed coward for attacking education.
But it isn't anything I can do anything about so I'm trying not to let it get to me although I will miss a few teachers and support staff next year when they are unable to get a new contract.
And it is these portending layoffs that have sparked this post. I had a teacher, one I spent two or three day upgrading and improving their classroom computer not more than a month ago, ask me if she could get a new computer. When I asked what she meant, she elaborated by saying that, if some of the teachers and support staff being laid off have a better and newer computer than hers, then she'd like first crack at getting one.
It isn't hard to understand and accept really. Its the nature of business and education. Layoffs spark a feeding frenzy for cube goodies, computers, chairs and more. But any layoffs are months away and it kind of felt like the buzzards have started circling before the explorer lost in the desert has even run out of water or tumbled to the ground.
Also, I had to gently bring the smackdown on someone in our district offices that was emailing the entire technology department with her computer problems. The first time she did it I expected someone more senior to give her a little education but they apparently did not. The second time, I emailed her and asked her to not email the entire department and also gave her instructions on how to log a Help ticket to get a tech automatically assigned to her problem. There is a pretty shocking lack of understanding of how to put technology to good use in the school system and the number of people who are aware of the resources they have available.
And the education budget cuts are short term savings with really serious long term effects. A less educated populance is less able to compete on the global market, a less educated populance is more prone to drug abuse, violence, crime and depression. A less educated populance is less of an asset and more of a liability.
But I digress, there's nobody that actually thinks the budget cuts are a good idea and I think Schwarzenegger is a big meat-headed coward for attacking education.
But it isn't anything I can do anything about so I'm trying not to let it get to me although I will miss a few teachers and support staff next year when they are unable to get a new contract.
And it is these portending layoffs that have sparked this post. I had a teacher, one I spent two or three day upgrading and improving their classroom computer not more than a month ago, ask me if she could get a new computer. When I asked what she meant, she elaborated by saying that, if some of the teachers and support staff being laid off have a better and newer computer than hers, then she'd like first crack at getting one.
It isn't hard to understand and accept really. Its the nature of business and education. Layoffs spark a feeding frenzy for cube goodies, computers, chairs and more. But any layoffs are months away and it kind of felt like the buzzards have started circling before the explorer lost in the desert has even run out of water or tumbled to the ground.
Also, I had to gently bring the smackdown on someone in our district offices that was emailing the entire technology department with her computer problems. The first time she did it I expected someone more senior to give her a little education but they apparently did not. The second time, I emailed her and asked her to not email the entire department and also gave her instructions on how to log a Help ticket to get a tech automatically assigned to her problem. There is a pretty shocking lack of understanding of how to put technology to good use in the school system and the number of people who are aware of the resources they have available.
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