Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 19,000 Teachers to get pink slips....

I'll speak from a Wisconsinite's point of view.

It was, and should will once again, be up to the Independent School Districts, that comprise K-12 in the state. Since 1959 (when public unions gained collective bargaining power) that authority has been slowly, incessantly wrestled away from local boards -- taken! -- and put in the hands of the state, and the public-sector unions. To the point that a schoolboard member was nothing more than a required signature to a list of contracts, mandates, laws, and by-laws.

All that carnage, just to buy votes - and it's been at one hell of price. Just look at the failure rate of students in public schools.
It's never been about education.

Thank God! A voice of reason, for once, instead of shrill biased rhetoric. Radicals on either side are useless. I lean strongly toward Robert Bryce's self-description. "I am neither Democrat nor Republican. I am a charter member of the Disgusted Party. I am a radical centrist, a raging moderate, who leans toward the libertarian and believes wholeheartedly in the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights". (Hmm, maybe that will be my new sig line)

Even if some teachers voted for Messieur O (and the guy who stated such has no freakin clue) doesn't mean they deserve to get fired. CA has long had their own budget problems which, incidentally, wasn't the Terminator elected to 'fix'? Multi-million dollar schools and fewer teachers--great economics.

BTW, for those who seem to hate teachers and think they are all 'libs'--who taught you? There is no such thing as a totally self-taught man. We ALL learn from others in all areas of life.

If California got rid of all the illegal aliens and their kids, there would not be a financial shortfall in CA...

I am in favor of teachers being well paid.. at the same time, what some of them were making with Union Jobs in Wisconsin bordered on ridiculous...

Academia is where educators are DRAMATICALLY overpaid...

This is an old California trick. Same thing happened when we shot down Ahhnold's proposed tax hikes at the polls. He immediatley cut the number of school buses in use, and started laying off teachers. This makes people think "oh no, we gotta raise taxes now! This is horrible!"

Jerry Brown is doing the same thing. It's all fear tactics to goad people into letting them pass higher taxes.

Brian.

I have two freinds in Ca that have govt jobs. Both have had their hours cut.

One works for the Ca Dept of F&G at a state refuge as the office manager. They won't pay her for the full job time that's needed - they've already made staff cuts - so she ends up doing the work at home for FREE.

The other one works a water treatment facility in So Ca. His job cut backs are the most interesting. The water HAS to monitored and treated 24 - 7. They cut his hours back but somebody HAS to fill in at the same pay rate - OR - one of his co-workers works an extra shift and then gets paid overtime. There's only so many people that are qualified to his job.

STOOPID !!!!!

If California stopped pissing away money left and right on completley stupid chit (like dropping a couple million to study toads in the Bay Area), we'd be doing ok right now.

But it's California, where there hasn't been any sanity in power since Ronald Reagan was govenor.

Brian.

IMO if the country started worrying less about the teachers, and more about the parents, we'd be closer to fixing the problems. Can't have teacher accountability without parent accountability.

I don't think it is the teacher salaries that is the problem. In Oregon, the average cost per year per student is $10K. With 35 students per class, that is $350K. The teacher gets $50K salary plus 50% in benefits. The other $275K mostly goes to administators. We could cut administation by 50% without affecting even one student.

They've slashed the F&G department down to the bone. As of a year or so ago, they could only pay to have one warden (and a female at that) patrol all of South Fork Ridge during deer season. That's one warden to patrol a 98 mile long ridge with likely well over 1,000 hunters on it during the weekends (espically opening day).

Brian.

There is no tax payers expense the left won't spare to build indoctrination centers.The kids aren't learning the three R's,heck they aren't even graduating.They do learn they should vote for Dems and that Repubs are evil.

The ones that are graduating are functionally illiterate,so they're ill prepared to get employment.But the teachers have done their job,indoctrination.LOL.

Thank you for proving my point.

Exactly!
Idaho has a population of 1.3 million and IIRC 104 school districts.
Is 104 Administrations really necessary?

Whelen,

Your rhetoric is what ltppowell (I think) and myself have a problem with. These sweeping generalizations and willingness to throw the baby out with the bath water are why I consider myself a 'moderate'. I just cannot look at things with such a narrow, one-sided perspective.

Where was the conservative out-cry against the status quo during the Reagan, Bush I & II years? Where were the sweeping reforms when Republicans controlled Congress?

Where are the facts on pension payments vs. age/job, etc. in CA? While I am sure there are bloated, fat cat administrators who are/haved milked the system, to lump all/most of the teachers into that category and imply that the budget shortfalls could be greatly reduced by eliminating teachers is sophistic. There are a lot more public employess on the take in CA than just teachers.

A final note: to compare pro sports players with teachers in any way is specious in the extreme.

I'm not attacking you personally (being a 'moderate' I fully enjoy letting others hold a different point of view--and encourage discourse and dissension) but I see too many of these broad generalizations on the Fire, and indeed, the nation as a whole. Too often, it is accompanied by intolerance for a dissenting point of view which leads to the bipartisan gridlock we so often see.

On a happier note, I love the Whelen!

Exactly my point. The "unimportant" stuff is always cut from any budget first. Important to who, is the question. When it comes to politics, the the only thing that is important is that you oppose what the other side considers important.
[bleep] what really matters, you can't get re-elected like that.

You nailed it Pat.

Brian.

Are you kidding? 104 school districts, covering 83,574 sq miles, is too many?

Teachers are lucky....I've never been given an advance notice of a lay off.

I'm sorry, but I consider the "conservatives" that are swallowing this hook, no better than the dumbasses that bit on Hope and Change.

What hook?

Absolutely. And don't forget...they only oppose it so they can get re-elected by 'their constituency'.