Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Shuckins on July 09, 2004, 11:22:55 AM
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...and go straight up!
The school year that just ended has been, to put it mildly, unique.
For those of you who may not be familiar with what has been happening in the educational field in Arkansas, a little background may be in order.
First, Governor Huckabee called the state legislature into special session early in December to fulfill a court order stemming from the Lakeview School District Lawsuit requiring that the state come up with a more equitable method for funding the state's school districts. The suit was originally filed by a number of small schools who felt that they had insufficient funds to pay teacher salaries, purchase necessary equipment, and maintain their buildings. The Huck argued that the state could not afford to full fund 300 school districts, and recommended consolidation. At first he wanted the legislature to require the consolidation of all schools with fewer than 1500 students, but lack of support caused him to revise that figure downward, to 750 students. The state legislature, after the longest special session in the state's history, eventually adopted a plan requiring the consolidation of all schools with enrollments of less than 350 students.
The governor's solution to the problem of adequately funding the state's small rural districts was to close the very districts asking for help. These districts, many of them isolated, whose students come mainly from the lowest socio-economic classes of the state, are being forced to consolidate and bus their students to larger districts. The governor plan stemmed from a national movement that began 60 years ago called economies of scale...which attempted to make schools more economically efficient using techniques perfected in the nation's industries. Consolidation was a major part of economies of scale. As some of you undoubtedly know, this is a movement that had largely shot its bolt 30 years ago. While it has helped streamline purchasing of supplies and saved money (There are studies that dispute this however.) it has not enhanced academic achievement, especially in inner-city schools. In fact, there is now a movement to reduce the size of these mega-districts because of the problems of violence, drugs, and poor academic performance.
Arkansas always seems to be thirty years behind the rest of the country in matters such as this.
The small rural district in which I have been employed for the last 23 years is now shutting down, with the exception of the elementary school. I have had to pack up 23 years worth of lessons, reference materials, posters, and memories. While I do have a job in the new, larger, consolidated district, this is going to be a major change at this point in my life. Nevertheless, I have confidence in my ability to adapt. May major concern is for the poor, underachieving students from this rural area who may well fall through the cracks in a larger district. Some of the bus routes for these districts are nearly 70 miles in length, which translates into a ride of at least an hour and a half each morning and each afternoon.
Second, there is a bright side to this situation. The governor's plan included a pay raise. A new state sales tax was passed to guarante an average teacher salary increase of approximately $4,000. This would have allowed my wife and I to get ahead on some of our bills. My current net is around $26,000.
The rejoicing over the pay increased has proved to be short-lived. The last raise I received was about $1,200. That was three years ago...and increases in medical insurance took it all, plus some, leaving me to take home LESS each month than I had before. Yesterday, I received a notice from the Public School Employees Benefits Division that medical insurance was going up again...to the tune of $2,400 a year. By the time Uncle Sam takes his cut from my pay increase as well, I will realize somewhere around $75 a month.
Blast you Huckabee! I herewith take back the vote I gave you in the last gubernatorial election! Dam you Edwards! I hate politicians and money-grubbing trial lawyers!
This is all your fault!
A rant has been recorded!
Regards,
A Peaced Off Shuckins/Leggern
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i respect and admire you for devoting you life to a hard and never really appreciated profession.
sorry to hear about the woes in the teaching profession, but please keep at it. the childern need someone, seeing as how "parents" dont seem to give a carp anymore.
i totally do NOt believe it is the school's job to raise our childern, and think people likt that are morons. it is the parent's job thats part of the defination of being a parent.
that being said, the only hope some children have is a teacher they look up to and might just get some knowledge from that isnt taught in books.
again and good luck sir!
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Thanks JB...I appreciate that.