How was your Stimulus Event yesterday?

[sandnsea]

We were lucky because we had a state legislator already scheduled for our town. About 20 people stayed after his town hall was over. I printed some of the cuts that had been discussed and encouraged everybody to start calling Senators and Congressman and get some of these cuts put back in, especially education, alternative energy and aid to states.

I didn't show the Tim Kaine video, way too boring.

How did yours go?

And if you didn't have one or don't know what I'm talking about - well, gee, that would be why Republicans are winning the PR war.

[Life Long Dem]

1. The President said we voted for change, 2 weeks ago. That's how it's going.

[sandnsea]

2. He asked you to host an Economic Stimulus Event too

Did you?

[ruggerson]

3. I usually smoke a cigarette after a stimulus event

but in honor of Obama, I'm now just smoking outside.

[frazzled]

4. Ours was good

About 25 people maybe: young, old, black, white. The Kaine thing wasn't too useful for our group, but we had an excellent discussion after about broader ideas about the economy, community, activism, etc.

[Missy Vixen]

5. We had way fun. ;-)

We watched the video. There was a bit of discussion about how the economy has affected all our families.

I am hoping to invite people over for coffee again in the next couple of weeks, just to chat. I think people might enjoy getting together for conversation.

[sandnsea]

10. We picked a local project

to focus our attention on so we still meet once a week or every ten days. Oregon has school equalization funding, but we can also ask for a small levy. Our levy failed so we had severe cuts. We're working on finding new ways to create a common interest around the school, correct information, etc. We already have groups in town working on health care and ocean reserves, so we're trying to kind of be liaisons between various interests and create concensus. Bring fresh eyes to old problems.

[firedupdem]

6. Thanks for the update sandnsea!

I was unable to attend one yesterday....the closest event was pretty far away from me. I think I will try hosting one next time around. People like you and others who get involved are how we are going to get things changed! Thanks again!

[sandnsea]

8. A dynamo moved to our town

I am really lucky in that regard, she seems like she can do 5 jobs at once. It would be like pulling teeth to get anything done otherwise. You wouldn't think a small town would have entrenched political interests vying to keep their power to introduce the state legislator once a year - but that's what keeps change from happening where I live. lol.

[Clio the Leo]

7. I am having private, one on one stimulus events....

.... I just shut down a liberatarian friend of mine, answered all of his arguments as to why the World was doomed under Obama. If he didn't believe that congresspeople were simply the modern day version of the Imperial French court, he might even write a letter to them.

As it is .... perhaps he'll spout off less the next time he's theorizing with a non-Obama maniac around.

I'm a firm believer that little digs will eventually hollow down a mountain. :)

[LWolf]

9. I don't know what you're talking about.

I spent the day with my horses and my grandson, which was quite stimulating.

It wasn't a "stimulus EVENT," though.

I have, of course, contacted both of our Senators about the stimulus package. I oppose the cuts made in the Senate, and urged them to do so, as well.

[sandnsea]

12. Organizing For America House Parties

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/economicmeetings/

A grassroots organization to fight back from the ground up.

The state passed a stimulus too, btw. But they're also talking about using some of the rainy day fund to help with education because there are going to be more education cuts. You teach private school, right? I'm wondering if you know what your per pupil is, either at your school or in your public school. I'm looking at figures that say around $6,500 and that is just crazy. Ten years ago, good public schools were spending $10,000+ and that was in Utah.

[LWolf]

14. I teach public school.

The state is handing down MID-YEAR budget cuts, which is a disaster. My district is talking about cutting 10 days from the end of the school year.

There aren't many options for budget cuts at this point. Supply budgets have been spent. We can't stop transporting students. We can't turn off the lights. It's layoffs or number of school days.

My personal budget is in crisis already; I spent all my reserve on some major repairs that couldn't wait. Losing just 10 days of pay could push me over the edge.

I don't know what the per-pupil expenditures are, although I could find out pretty easily.

Our superintendent has visited every school to share budget cut possibilities at staff meetings. She is hoping that the stimulus bill will provide funds that would help us stay open for the full school year.

In reality, our kids attend school for 168 days. While we supposedly have "180 instructional days," which puts us in line with the rest of the nation, 12 of those days are non-student days; a week before school for meetings and room-set up; 4 parent conference days, 3 teacher work days (1 before each report card,) and a "curriculum day" for staff development.

Cutting another 10 days is ludicrous.

[sandnsea]

15. We just cut 15-20 teachers

They cut the middle school art and shop teacher. The scholastic teachers are filling the elective time by teaching their hobbies. They cut their vice principal, a bunch of special ed aides and custodians. That's because our levy didn't pass. I don't know what they're going to do if we get even more cuts.

[LWolf]

17. We are all holding our breaths, economically speaking.

Our union will fight layoffs in favor of cutting the school year, to prevent job losses. I understand that, even though it will be devastating to me personally.

Our district has been very cautious with the budget to begin with, which is why we haven't had to make the cuts yet.

We don't have long, though. It will happen by next month, if the stimulus package doesn't provide relief.

We had parent conferences a few days ago. At this point, we are usually working with our 8th graders, to get them ready for high school. They have choices, as our one local high school offers 4 "small school" within a school programs. At this point, that's on hold, because the high school doesn't know what it is offering next year. Waiting for budget numbers. We just spent 2 days telling all our 8th grade parents that we don't know what their options are for next year because of the budget, and suggesting that they contact state reps as well as Wyden and Merkley about it.

We also discussed possible mid-year budget cuts and the school year with ALL our parents. You could say that our parent conferences became a "stimulus event."

[sandnsea]

18. We did that last year

I don't know how many days were cut last year, but teachers already took that cut once. Our budget is 85% staff so there isn't a lot to cut. They wanted to cut 6 more days this year and our union said no. I don't know if the teachers used ptc time to discuss any of this, I'll find out. There are a lot of questions of course, but our problem is that we just passed a big bond to build a new middle school a few years ago so people don't understand why they're being asked for more. Our local board and teachers are terrible at explaining things, which is kind of ironic considering they're teachers, so we hope to find out where the gaps are and get that info out there. I still can't figure out how shop and art teachers weren't in the basic part of the budget to begin with, those positions shouldn't rely on additional levy money.

[LWolf]

19. Shop and art aren't mandates.

Everything we do these days is about data and AYP. It doesn't matter how important shop, art, music, counseling, etc. are to the whole student. When you use high-stakes testing to threaten schools with takeover, anything outside of AYP is at risk.

[sandnsea]

20. Re the budget

Are you saying that they construct the budget around AYP to the extent that they would keep an aide to help, oh, say 3 kids who are bringing down the AYP, for a wild example - even if it meant letting the art teacher go?

[LWolf]

21. Not quite like that.

We have "literacy aids" for all primary classrooms; new this year BECAUSE of AYP. Some of those aids work with small groups of children, which is good. Some work at the copy machine and correcting papers for their teachers, which isn't. Not that I object to help with the paperwork load; just that it's a misuse of a "literacy" aid.

Also, using part-time people who are not teachers is not as efficient as reducing class size so that the highly qualified teacher gets to spend more time with individuals and small groups.

We also have "achievement coordinators." This is a group of teachers pulled out of the classroom to work full time with teachers at school sites on "data teams." "Data teams" spend their time analyzing "data," which is, of course, test scores, by strand, and creating plans to address deficits. They meet regularly, visit classrooms to see how the plans are going and make suggestions, etc..

There are 10 of them, and they each work with 2 schools. When they show up to work with "data teams," those teams are pulled out of the room, so there is the cost of subs as well.

Those 10 teachers have seniority. If we end the "achievement coordinator" position, which I'm fine with, they'll bump the 10 most recently hired teachers out of their positions when we send them back to the classroom.

Of course, the literacy aids, the achievement coordinators and data teams are part of the improvement plan that kicked in when a few schools didn't make AYP for 2 years in a row.

Part of it was paid for by cutting back the amount of PE and Music our students get. Part of it is extra.

[sandnsea]

24. Thank you so so much

I will ask about that portion of the budget. We haven't "met" our standards in special ed across the board, and low income students in high school. So I will ask how staff to meet those standards calculated into the cuts that were made. That is information that the community just doesn't have. They also say the Administrator manages an $18 million budget, which is a lot of money. But they don't have that broken down in a way that explains how much of it is dedicated for specific purposes and can't really be allocated for teachers as the Administrator sees fit.

[LWolf]

25. Education budgets are notoriously difficult to read.

Money comes in categories, and many of those categories are for specific things; they can't be spent elsewhere. How one service is funded might be drawn from several funding sources, none of which gives a total for what is being spent on that service.

Let me know what you find out.

:hi:

[NYC_SKP]

11. Ours isn't until this evening.

In Mariposa, CA, near Yosemite.

:patriot:

,

[sandnsea]

13. I love Yosemite and the foothills

But I can't complain considering I live on the Oregon Coast.

Here's some stuff I used for hand-outs, if you want to borrow. I took the senate cuts off of Josh Marshall's web site. The House package came straight off of Thomas, I just trimmed out the definitions to make it useable.

http://www.obama-mamas.com/stimulus-senate.htm

[NYC_SKP]

16. Thank you for that link.

I'm sending it ahead for our members...

:patriot:

[Harry Monroe]

22. Is that what they call orgies and swinging now??

I couldn't attend either. I had my stimulus event alone.

[bcoylepa]

23. had one in rural bradford County

9 people showed up - good discussion - everyone had a story of economic impact in the area or family
developed action plan to call reps and write letter to editor

I think the most support is for any spending that will create jobs and align with a green standard and any tax cut that will help the middle class only
as far as the banks - let the bad ones go under - support local community banking systems

very unhappy with education, broadband and health cuts in the Senate bill

you are right about Kaine's video - did not answer the questions directly

[old mark]

26. So good I'm watching re-runs at 6:30 AM!

Obama gave the Publicans the rope, and they merrily proceeded to hang themselves - on TV!

I think it's going to be even more amusing soon - they are not known for learning from their mistakes because then never admit to making any.

mark

[depakid]

27. Republicans still own the deregulated corporate media

Contrast that with Australia- which by and large has a fair and accurate media- with actual journos who ask pointed questions and actually understand and do anlaysis.

The opposition to Rudd's stimulus is getting crushed- on the merits and the opposition "leaders" are being made to look like the ideologues and fools that they are.

Don't get me wrong- grassroots efforts are necessary- and most appreciated- but more is going to be required, and the FCC had better be willing to have the fortitude to get it done.