When teachers are slashed, the children pay

[proud2BlibKansan]

Tough times affect everyone, but inevitably children and the neediest are hit the hardest. While state coffers are shrinking, the number of children enrolled for the coming school year is not — and neither is the extent of their educational needs. It is our nation's obligation to ensure that all our children have access to great public schools during good times and bad. This is a long-term investment in our kids' and country's future.
We can't "race to the top" if the bottom is falling out for school districts from coast to coast. The stakes are high and the situation is dire. For every layoff, for each day that's cut from a school week, for every course or program that's dropped, children are hurt.

•In Philadelphia, many schools have closed their libraries, with the books kept behind iron gates, because librarian positions have been cut.

•In Los Angeles, a week was scratched from the school calendar.

•In Albuquerque, the local teachers union held a bake sale with "cutback" cookies, "furlough" fudge brownies and "corporate loophole" lollipops to help fill budget gaps that have increased class sizes and forced furlough days.

•In Ohio, AP courses, music, art, foreign language programs and bus routes have been slashed, along with school counselor positions. In Broward County, Fla., art, music, physical education and library programs are on the chopping block.

•In Chicago, 600 educators have been laid off, 900 more might receive the same fate after Labor Day, and bilingual education and foreign language programs have been cut.

more . . . http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-08-07-weingarten09_ST_N.htm

[stray cat]

1. Not everything good for teachers is good for students but cutting teachers in mass

is definitely not good for kids. However, having parents unemployed or underemployed or other cuts in this economy is no better for kids either.

[leftofcool]

2. +1 and

You may see more parents start home schooling if at least one primary income is gone. Not because they don't like the school system but because they can't afford school clothes, supplies, lunch money etc...

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. That is a very real possibility

[leftofcool]

6. A few families here are already thinking in those terms

I don't know if they have made a definite decision but one couple has a lost income and mom says if she can't find a job, she might as well teach the kids at home. They have 3 school age children and we know how much it costs to buy school clothes.

[LWolf]

3. True.

In my district, we cut days and salaries to avoid cutting more teachers. We'd already RIF'd a bunch for the '09-'10 school year.

[Jakes Progress]

5. But hey. We got wars out the yin yang.

And Wall Street is doing better, more bonuses and stuff. Which would you rather have - unbridled, federally supported capitalism or and informed electorate? We know what both political parties choose.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Sadly

Yes we do know.

[sandnsea]

7. Good thing we passed emergency funding

So we can bring most of these teachers back.