When looking at gothemschools.org a very important topic came to my mind that has interested me for years. I wanted to search “public school cuts”. I choose to search this topic because when I was in public school this was a major issue and have a great affect on my learning. Proposed budget cuts by the Albany Legislature are causing schools to consider canceling enrichment activities, increase class size and cut staff. When I was growing up and attended public school, learning was very hard for me. Many of the times the student would have to share books with other classmates, the teachers rarely had chalk for the board, not enough hand outs for all the students, the books were all worn out n thorn up with missing pages, the desk where falling apart, and there were no computers and not enough books in the library to check out. This was a major concern not only for me but for the schools overall academic evaluation. There were 33 students in my class with 1 teacher, if the state legislature decides to enforce budget cuts, there would be less teachers, more students, bigger class sizes, and not too much learning taking place. Students would begin to cut class and skip school because they would feel that they are not receiving adequate attention and learning in such a environment. I feel that learning is like a “cold”, when one student is infected then he passes it and so on and so forth; but what are we to do? Single that one child out so he won’t affect the other students? I would hope not. The best thing that ever happened to the public school system was the “no child left behind act” this made sure that teachers became more involved in the students education, it also made students feel like they were getting personal attention from teachers where they lack in any subject, it also opened up a stronger bound between students and teachers, and it made the students have hope for moving on to the next level.
On Saturday May 1, 2010 there would be a 5K run to help raise money and awareness that the state legislature is trying to enforce “cuts” for the public school system. PTAs (parent teacher association) all across the city are walking for this reason, and are also planning gather up some funds however they can by conducting and participating in bake sales, auctions, and fundraisers of all types. Now in an effort to bring schools, parents and kids together, they are organizing one fundraiser to benefit all participating schools in the 5k run. The race is intended to raise money and funds however and in any way. Participants pay the registration fee, and then, if they want to help raise additional money, find people to sponsor them. Then there will be prizes and awards given to the top fundraisers! The money and profit from this 5k run would be divided and broken down as followed: 50% of post race profits are divided evenly among qualifying schools (20 or more participants) and 50% is divided according to school size. I personally am attending and participating in this fund raising event for public schools, I am also gathering my own runners from my neighborhood to participate as well, and i am donating and finding sponsors to donate as well because I attended and graduated public school and this is a “golden” opportunity for me to give back. I hope the state legislature can see that people really care and are greatly affected by public school cuts!

As they sow, so shall they reap. Oh, well. Guess some of the connected no-shows will have to start doing some work.

Horrors!

This was proven by the CFE suit, in which we still are being shotrtchanged. There are myriad subtler ways where Albany squeezes the City.

Here’s an example you didn’t know about. For years the State has been collecting fees for various teaching certificates and renewals. Most of the money comes from the City, where most applicants reside or plan to teach. The SED has never provided staff downstate to counsel applicants and handle issues relevant to certification and its complicated (often changing) requirements. That responsibility has fallen to the DOE’s Division of Human Resources, which has the burden of explaining daunting procedures and deadlines that pertain to different certification areas. DHR also performs transcript evaluations to determine how much credit applicants deserve for their studies and what defecits remain for them to complete in order to meet course requirments.

The city becomes the buffer bewteen applicants and the state in the process. When applicants are frustrated at any stage they blame the DHR–which is the most immediate target of their anger. Meanwhile the SED on Mount Olympus cashes in the fees–and usually rubber stamps DHR’s judgments about whether applicants have satisfied the checklist of requirements. (Although, of course, they make sure to remind us they are the final authority.) Smugness and and an artifical sense of superiority die hard.

If they had any grace in the high altitudes of Empire State Plaza–they should have given the DOE 75% of the substantial fees they took in over the years for the work done in Brooklyn to support their paper throne.

Maybe SED can raise the application fees more–and risk killing the golden goose–in order to fund the positions they are in danger of losing. That would gyp DOE even more. But there is some justice in this travesty. Looks like we won’t be needing new certificate holders for a while down here as budget cuts may preclude or limit new hiring.
What come around goes around.