Posted on 05/16/2005 2:24:48 PM PDT by calcowgirl
The multimillion-dollar campaign paid by starving teachers unions has finally placed our sadly neglected schools at the center of the budget debate.
Across California, children are bringing home notes warning of dire consequences if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's scorched-earth budget is approved -- a budget that slashes Proposition 98 public-school spending from $42.2 billion this year all the way down to $44.7 billion next year.
That should be proof enough that our math programs are suffering.
As a public-school parent, I have given this crisis a great deal of thought and have a modest suggestion to help weather these dark days.
Maybe -- as a temporary measure only -- we should spend our school dollars on our schools. I realize that this is a radical departure from current practice, but desperate times require desperate measures.
The governor proposed spending $10,084 per student from all sources. Devoting all of this money to the classroom would require turning tens of thousands of school bureaucrats, consultants, advisers and specialists onto the streets with no means of support or marketable job skills, something that no enlightened social democracy should allow.
So I will begin by excluding from this discussion the entire budget of the State Department of Education, as well as the pension system, debt service, special education, child care, nutrition programs and adult education. I also propose setting aside $3 billion to pay an additional 30,000 school bureaucrats $100,000 per year with the proviso that they stay away from the classroom and pay their own hotel bills at conferences.
This leaves a mere $6,937 per student, which, for the duration of the funding crisis, I propose devoting to the classroom.
To illustrate how we might scrape by at this subsistence level, let's use a hypothetical school of 180 students with only $1.2 million to get through the year.
We have all seen the pictures of filthy bathrooms, leaky roofs, peeling paint and crumbling plaster to which our children have been condemned. I propose that we rescue them from this squalor by leasing out luxury commercial office space. Our school will need 4,800 square feet for five classrooms (the sixth class is gym). At $33 per foot, an annual lease will cost $158,400.
This will provide executive washrooms, around-the-clock janitorial service, wall-to-wall carpeting, utilities and music in the elevators. We'll also need new desks to preserve the professional ambience.
Next, we'll need to hire five teachers, but not just any teachers. I propose hiring only associate professors from the California State University at their level of pay. Since university professors generally assign more reading, we'll need 12 of the latest edition, hardcover books for each student at an average $75 per book, plus an extra $5 to have the student's name engraved in gold leaf on the cover.
Since our conventional gym classes haven't stemmed the childhood obesity epidemic, I propose replacing them with an annual membership at a private health club for $39.95 per month. Finally, we'll hire an $80,000 administrator with a $40,000 secretary because, well, I don't know exactly why, but we always have.
Our bare-bones budget comes to this:
5 classrooms -- $158,400 150 desks @ $130 -- $19,500 180 annual health club memberships @ $480 -- $86,400 2,160 textbooks @ $80 -- $172,800 5 CSU associate professors @ $67,093 -- $335,465 1 administrator -- $80,000 1 secretary -- $40,000 24 percent faculty and staff benefits -- $109,312 Offices, expenses and insurance -- $30,000 TOTAL -- $1,031,877L
The school I have just described is the school we're paying for. Maybe it's time to ask why it's not the school we're getting.
Other, wiser, governors have made the prudent decision not to ask such embarrassing questions of the education-industrial complex because it makes them very angry. Apparently the unions believe that with enough of a beating, Gov. Schwarzenegger will see things the same way.
Perhaps. But there's an old saying that you can't fill a broken bucket by pouring more water into it. Maybe it's time to fix the bucket.
Tom McClintock represents the 19th District in the California state Senate. Write to him by e-mail at tom.mcclintock@sen.ca.gov.
My friend is a high school teacher and said she was admonished by her new administrator for: giving F's to students who did not turn in work; giving detentions to unruly students who disrupt the class; not being kind enough and raising the self-esteem of the low achievers (aka: lazy bums who don't come to class or do the work). She fears she will lose her job if she doesn't conform to the kinder, gentler educational approach of this administrator. She is thinking of leaving teaching within the next five years because the stress is becoming too difficult to deal with.
It's sad to see this, she is highly intelligent and extremely hard-working. She also believes in discipline and personal responsibility.
>>...and backed out of the $100k he promised to the SaveOurState petition drive!
He's always there to make the popular headline, though (before backing out). What a sleaze!
I know what he does. And everytime I see him do it, it does my heart good to call attention to his continual, small minded, cheap shotting of this solid considerate conservative who is at least consistent in most things!!!
If that inspires him... well that's just too bad for him!!!
Lastly, I think Tom makes some good points and I think what he says is worthy of discussion. I do believe his behavior during the last Gov. election does exclude him from any consideration for a job in Government where the people have to elect him. I think he betrayed us at our expense last election.
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You were doing so great until ya unleashed that betrayal beanball crack. ;-)
The guy has more time in state battling for California and his constituents than aRnie has primping for the media during his illustrious career.
The fact that you still begrudge Tom feeling like he was the best man for the job and seeking the Gubinorship is a bit befuddling.
Oh, well. I'll put it down as progress anyway. :)
Please provide a corroborating source that Tom McClintock promised Darryl Issa anything.
Would you please add my name to the McClintock ping list?
BUMP!
You are on! :-)
Some are in lock step, and some aren't.
My school's PTA isn't. The district is closing our school, so our PTA officers are active in trying to split our district and create a new one. The local PTA chapter president doesn't support our position, but we don't care.
However, I am going to have to rethink my position of giving to the PTA next year when we go to our new schools.
The meeting I attended was to rally everyone to vote for new school bond measures in the upcoming election. They were taking a pseudo vote amongst those of us attending and it was obvious that if you opposed the measure they would have gotten out the pitchforks. There was no discussion, just a 'let's all drink the kool-aid' rally.
Oops!
Yeah, I AM already on - - that's how I read the thread in the first place.
I need a nap....
LOL. No problem. I'm glad you confirmed.
I hate to put people on a ping list without their acknowledgement.
Yep, but the illegal thing needs the will of the state officials for now and later a Constitutional change.
Yep, but the illegal thing needs the will of the state officials for now and later a Constitutional change.
If you can't provide independent verification that Tom McClintock promised Darryl Issa he would drop out of the governor's race, then you don't know that such a promise exists. If you don't know for a fact that it was made, then the charge you are making is totally irresponsible.
Unemployable in the private sector ha ha ha ha describes too many civil servants these days IMHO. BTW, thanks for membership in yer ping list.
There are politicians who's lust for personal ambition exceeds what is good for the people.
What Tom McClintock put on display here in the CA election for Gov showed he has major ambitions that are personal at everyone else's expense. In addition, he has a low likability problem.
If Tom runs for major state offices, he all but hands the elections to Democrats IMO.
At this point, even if someone waved a magic wand and made him somehow electable, he is still undependable as a conservative team player.
We need to go back to the barrel and get better candidates.
That aside, if he brings up and issue and it gets discussed, GOOD!
I'm sure the Democrats would love anything you can do to make him the Republican candidate in any race.
Be sure to quote me on that regarding his unelectability to high offices.
Quote this "He will never see the governor's seat except for as a guest to the office".
What Tom McClintock put on display here in the CA election for Gov showed he has major ambitions that are personal at everyone else's expense. In addition, he has a low likability problem.
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You are so off base with your assessment, it would take a 3 day expedition to even get you close to having a clue much less seeing how silly your remarks are, imo.
Now let's see ya quote THAT!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!
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