Layoff notices set to hit teachers' mailboxes

Layoff notices set to hit teachers' mailboxes

www.sfgate.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

$4 Billion in budget cuts state wide for California, and over 10,000 layoffs. It always strikes me as odd when a state like California, which would be one of the top economies in the world if it were its' own country, cannot afford to educate the kids. I don't know where all of the money is going, but the priorities of the state budget seem to be in disarray.

This not only effects the school system right now and next year, but will have long term effects as well. The article states that there has been a 13% drop in the number of college students enrolling in teacher education programs, meaning the number of teachers available will become less and less.

I grew up in the California public school system and it was never something to brag about. I remember at my elementary school, they broke ground on a brand new cafeteria/assembly hall (a status symbol of sorts) and at the same time, they cut the school band from the budget and talked about dropping the basketball team. Priorities, they just aren't there.

www.sfgate.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

thats shocking... thanks for sharing
what a pitty... we can spend $10-11 billion every month in wars...
what future is this bringing to US???

Sad, sad, sad.

Despite teachers getting a lot of flak here on ATS - particularly from some of the younger members who believe us to be part of the big disinformation and propaganda machine, which I can assure you we are not, I think it's a shame when my generally selfless colleagues are laid off in 'budget cuts.'

What happens when there are very few teachers:

Disillusioned youth
Poorly educated youth
A breakdown in the fabric of social order due to unmanageable class sizes and the associated chaos
An increase in unemployed, highly skilled people who want to work.

Students need committed, skilled and enthusiastic teachers to act as role-models and give the stability and guidance that so often is lacking at home.

I doff my hat to my fellow professionals who may be about to suffer hardship and wish them the best of luck in finding something equally fulfilling to do...

[edit on 14-3-2008 by more_serotonin_pls]

reply to post by kawz1

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I also grew up in the California schooldistrict, until I was 15. One thing I remember from when I was younger.. This was about 14 years ago that I left the gradeschool, and while my younger sister was attending the same one I left... I distinctly remember visiting her school, and right outside the back of the classroom, what used to be a hallway was now a makeshift classroom for two more classes!!!! Orchard Elementary School, Modesto California. I had hoped that maybe they built some more buildings eventually, or something.

Which leads me to believe that the California school system has been suffering for quite a long time.

Yes, the California school system has definitely been in trouble for a long time. It wasn't always this way, though. Back in the '50's and '60s, when I was going to grade school in California, they were #1 overall in education/schools quality. Now I think they're 48 or so.
Lowell High School used to be rated the #1 public high school in the U.S. (Time magazine). They are now 49th and that's only in the last few years that's happened.
Quality education in California has gone the way of the dodo bird. It's so sad.

Yes, the California school system has been suffering since as far back as I can remember. I've never been in a class of less than 35 students, which is way above the recommended student-to-teacher ratio.

Teacher's have to suffer through extremely low pay and lay-offs, students have to suffer through the cutting of various extra-curricular activities (band, sports, even the G.A.T.E/Honors program being cut), and society on the whole suffers from having a generation of kids with less and less direction.

In my opinion, the best way to help cure the woes of society is to start with the children. There's only so much that can be done immediately, especially with the public having so many varied opinions. We can only hope that the next generation becomes more educated than ourselves, and from the looks of things, that may soon become a pipe dream.

With less proper education, crime goes up. And those that aren't committing crimes tend to get stuck in dead-end jobs that suck the life out of you for pennies on the dollar.

We only hurt ourselves with this kind of imbalance in our budgetary priorities as a state and as a nation.

reply to post by forestlady

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Lowell HS in San Francisco has become affectionately known as Lo-Hell HS.

Obviously, this nickname has more to do with students and their love for school (ha!) than anything else, but it seems rather fitting nowadays.

reply to post by kawz1

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Did you go to Lowell? If so, did you have a biology/physics teacher named Mr. D?

Once upon a time, a degree from Lowell HS would open most any door you wanted open. I don't know if that's still true or not.

Yep, layoffs are happening in other states too.

And yep, it is ridiculous that we spend trillions of dollars on 'national defense' when it is only killing people in foreign countries... meanwhile at home we are just .... blah.

Also the drop in up-coming teachers is due to the fact that teachers openly tell their students all the time how poor they are, how much life sucks being a teacher, how hard it is to get by.... if you ask me, by complaining so much and so often, teachers have pretty much destroyed their own career.

Not all teachers do this but at least one does and it makes the kids second guess ever entering the education field.

reply to post by forestlady

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No, sorry, never went to Lowell....had a few friends over there though. It's still a decent school, but nowhere near the elite level it once had.

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I was actually thinking about going into teaching, but I must say, NEWWORLDOVER is right. I would see my HS teachers driving around in their beat up cars and talking about how valuable a union is, because without one, they would be in an even worse situation. I would like to say that I can ignore this and live "principle over profits", but surviving in the Bay Area, CA is something you can just barely accomplish on a teacher's salary. Shoot, I'm barely able to survive with my office job.

The screwed up part of all of this is that nothing will change, in fact, things will probably get worse.

I know somebody who is currently 1 1/2 years into his teaching studies... Wants to be a 5th/6th-ish grade teacher.

Being male, I think he has an advantage after those last female teacher stories that made it pretty big(not getting into that one)

But I still worry about the future for teachers, especially now with this thread, all the lay-offs happening.

People who love children and love teaching others are being discouraged from following their dreams. I worry about the schooling my little girl will have when she finally ends up there.

Here it is like California.. All the budget cuts, a couple years ago they were threatening to do away with Football. And throw in that probably 1/3rd of classes now are filled with little children that don't even speak English... And this is just bad to me.

OK - now I know this might be tough for some of you to understand, but the threat of potential teacher layoffs is perpetually lingering in the rumor-mill.

This is yet another rumor propagated by the media without a clue as to the true meaning behind the budget "cuts" in to the education fund, which are NOT actual cuts in the budget, but rather they are cuts off of the PROPOSED increases being spotted into the teacher education fund for the next fiscal year.

Each year there are increases in spending allocated into the teaching fund each year - mind you, only about 40% of these funds are even making it to the classrooms people - annual budgets determine what these increases are going to be and they are adjusted accordingly. Since California has been running in a deficit the past couple years thanks to Ahhhhnold and the worst mayor of all-time, Mr. Antonio Villaretarded (LA's mayor). There will not be a massive slaughterhouse of jobs, salaries may in fact go down in relation to inflation which is never a good thing.. but the jobs will be there. Don't believe this garbage, media driven hype.

The total breakdown of the American system is here. No funding for teachers, yet gazillions for wars and more wars.
Where is that thread i was reading yesterday where it says it will be illegal to home school our children?
Do we all see something terribly warped here?
We the citizens are being ripped and shredded in every direction not knowing whats up or down.
My guess is that the powers that be want all children to head to concentration like camps for "proper learning and inductrination" ??
I could be wrong, but i have a feeling that if not what i think at least something similar will be in place soon. shk:

USA is going down the sink. The key to a continuing successful country is always maintaining a educated generation. Education is key to life. When USA starts becoming uneducated, who will defend the innocent in court? Who will come up with new technology? Who do you want to perform brain surgery a student who has been in university for 6-7 years or a person who can't tell between a scalpel and a pencil?

USA is your country people and the moment the power was hijacked by corporations, and the government that was the moment when the tap turned on.
The best thing you can do now is plug up the sink and sterilize the water.

I do not live in the USA but God am I angry for you guys! You fund a war that was never supposed to exist in the first place and use the money to teach your kids to fund it. Honestly if I was an American citizen I would have lost my sanity ages ago.

Well one of the problems here in California are the illegal immigrants, most of them being Mexican. Califorria spends billions a year on education for illegal immigrants and the children of illegal immigrants. Now the teachers are losing their jobs!!!!

I have a kid in the California public school system, a little over 70% are mexicans in her school. everything sent home by the teacher comes in English and Spanish. Theres letters sent home about free healthcare, free lunches, for low income families , all of these state "immigration status is not a factor".

I went to the California public school system when I was a kid. I remember there were separate classrooms for the English learners.

Not anymore, theres no room.

Luckily, my kids teacher understands and gives her extra work.

I feel bad for the teacher though, when she tries to communicate to the spanish speaking parents the kids have to translate as best they can.

She's a great teacher, I hope she never loses her job.

This state needs to wake up.

10,000 educators will be lost due to an economic crisis...
How much are we spending on the "war on terror"? oh right... I forgot it's "unpatriotic" to question your "leaders" when they decide to go to war lol! In the meanwhile, our nation's youth will continue its downward spiral of mediocrity thanks to an udnerfunded educational system.

Hey Bush, what ever happened to "no child left behind"? oh right, I forgot, you're too busy in Iraq, how silly of me to ask what will happen to this nation's future leaders.