Three school board members intimidated by parents backed off closing two schools a year earlier than planned. Members Hinton and Skeeter had reservations in spite of telling the superintendent he must find a way to shave 5.2 million from the budget. Of course cuts can be a hardship for students, teachers and parents, it is called “life” and happening to nice people all across the country. Ask the Franklin paper mill ex-employees or the thousands from DefCom. How bad a cut hurts depends on how much one is paid, two years of no Social Security increases hasn’t put a smile on retirees faces. It is already obvious that few citizens realize the entire nation is in deep trouble. When students, if true, can’t afford batteries for their calculators, as one teacher lamented, it indicates we aren’t far from going without meals as happened back in 1929. Don’t think that can’t happen again. It is true that Boards of all institutions have their duties and must serve the people by protecting them from all evil. Allowing the Superintendent to spin in the wind, however, isn’t one of them: we expect to see the red pen in their hands. The board did give the Supt one victory, to offer 140 thirty-year employees a plan for early retirement.
4 comments:
Someone needs to take a close look at how the new Asst. Superintendent can earn $19,000 more than the POSTED salary range when she interviewed. Reportedly, it is because she is doing more work from a position that was unfilled. Yes, but that position was eliminated waaaaaaay before this position was posted for hire. So why the extra $$ whenthe system needs to CUT $5.2 million?
In my opinion, the current budget crunch is an opportunity to return to the originally intended function of public education - to EDUCATE. Schools were never intended to provide all of your child's meals, ferry him to and from activities and provide the only sense of structure and discipline in his life. It is ridiculous to keep running a 'school' that offers only kindergarten and first grade. It is ridiculous that children who live within a mile of their school cannot be expected to walk or - gasp - their parents cannot be expected to provide transportation. We have become so accustomed to privileges that we now view them as rights. The frills should be cut; the problem is that few are still able to recognize them.
Return to the school mentality of the 50's and early 60's before the Great Society of LBJ. AA and Entitlements.
The Nanny State way of thinking has been taken aback by developments across the country. A minor setback long anticipated. However the mechanisms of our country's demise remain in place.
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