Things are not looking good on Wisconsin Avenue:
Despite borrowing $30 million over the past three months using tax-anticipation warrants, the school district is again facing dire straits and according to the latest financial statements will not be able to meet payroll in May, much less a significant loan payment due in June. In order to remain solvent, district officials on Monday proposed restructuring its debt by seeking $35 million in working cash bonds, a loan structured to be paid back over several years.
Translation: property taxes for District 150 are going to go up, more teachers are going to get laid off, and more schools are going to close. District 150 needs to be reorganized from top to bottom.
Yes, that’s correct Sharon. I wonder if they are still using it? I even spoke with teachers at other primary schools such as Sterling and they were not thrilled with the reading series either.
However District 150’s transition shakes out, one thing for sure is that for the District to succeed it cannot offer a “one size fits all” education. Customized education that fits different student groups is key. Seem like that customization cannot occur successfully without the input of teachers on the front lines, as well as, students, parents, community members, etc.
Frustrated: I have learned that Open Court is still used, but teachers are now allowed to supplement, etc. This series won’t be replaced because it was quite expensive–it was one of the questionable expenditures of the Royster administration. I believe if we could delve into the spending habits of District 150 (and maybe this new program recommended by the budget oversight committee will do just that–seeing is believing), we would find many such expenditures that add up to a whole lot of uncalled for debt.
I heard recently that workbooks for some textbooks will no longer be purchased–that teachers are being told to reproduce copies for use in their classrooms. Then, as happens all the time, teachers will be told they are using too much paper, and paper will be restricted. Then students will not have access to the resources needed to make a particular textbook effective.
Many textbooks have accompanying workbooks. The district frequently doesn’t purchase the workbooks for students. Personally, I preferred to create my own assignments to go with textbooks, but we could use only so many pieces of paper per month–so my use of supplementary assignments was restricted considerably. I was willing to buy my own paper, but the copier was set so that it locked when I ran off more than my quota (even if it were my own paper). The absurdity (for example) was that P.E. teachers were allotted the same amount of paper as was given to English teachers. Which teacher do you think needed the most paper?
All that probably doesn’t relate to anything–but it shows how budget cuts adversely affect the classroom teacher. Many years ago companies provided us with their left over paper–I remember having advertisements of toliet tissue on one side and my assignments on the other. I remember asking a secretary who was the “keeper of the supplies,” for some staples, and she asked me “How many?”
Sharon – Thanks for checking on Open Court. Not surprising it is still in use. I think your post is an example of the chaos and dysfunction that exists and supports your contention that the District needs to slow down and put first things first.
It is an interesting anecdote about the District not being able to afford a workbook designed to go with its expensive primary reading program and yet it seems it had the dollars to put a Cadillac program into the remake of Manual, is talking about extending the school day and year, and is seriously discussing expansion of education from birth to . . . infinity. These types of inconsistencies are confusing on the heels of a District that cries it is out of money, which I no doubt believe is true.
Frustrated: Clarification–I don’t think the workbook to be eliminated went with the reading program–I’ll check for more details.
As a teacher in 150 and witnessing the gross mismanagement of funds, we will be picketing the school board meeting both tonight and on April 20th. The teachers at Kingman Primary (of which I am one) were under the impression that we would be moved (as students and staff) to Lincoln and have an academy for the middle school students at Woodruff. Hinton told us that we would instead be “dispersed” to other schools in the district. When he was asked which schools our students would be moving to, he didn’t have an answer. Some plan. There will be many of us tonight and supporters from other schools. If you can, PLEASE come out and support us. We’ll be out at the administration building at 5:15 and many of us will be speaking at the school board meeting. I don’t know if it will make a difference but our voice will be heard.