Sunday, April 22, 2012
Teachers' Union: “So What?” to 85% Increase In ASD Spending
24 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Bernie
ReplyDeleteIs it true, ASD budget $225M?
I'm sure Scott will check in with an accurate answer to your question. It sounds right.
ReplyDeletetotally taken out of context and your union blame game is so shallow when compared to the big picture of our failing educational system.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the total failure of no child left behind? No union to blame here, more politicians that are totally uneducated and clueless!
Quickly,
ReplyDelete2002-2003 $126,168,753
2011-2012 $228,509,123
Scott Armstrong
What's a "Schoo" District?
ReplyDeleteI got the screenshot to prove it.
Looks like it's only 81%. Stop rounding!
ReplyDeleteHow may pupils then, and how many pupils now?
ReplyDeletePer pupil spending is a more understandable value.
Uh oh, looks like Armstrong needs to take advantage of the extra 45 minutes of math instruction they'll get when they eliminate social studies.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I can't tolerate the entitlement attitude of these union thugs. Why couldn't the union aybe he could have properly made an argument why expenses have nearly doubled in ten years.
ReplyDelete"Why couldn't the union aybe he could have properly made an argument why expenses have nearly doubled in ten years."
ReplyDeleteWhat does that mean when translated into English?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWhat's a "Schoo" District?
I got the screenshot to prove it.
1:14 PM
WOW! You should be on TMZ,what a 'gotcha' moment. Bernie, please try to control you anguish at being outted like this.
I like that "I got [sic] the screenshot to prove it." Someone wants to point out a typo but does not want me to correct it. Someone wants to point out a typo, but commits a grammatical error in doing it.
ReplyDeleteReally though? The teachers' union is the biggest problem with education today? Um, no. Some things I would list well ahead of them:: parents desire for excellence and high marks for their children even via mediocre curriculum, administrators so concerned with "where the money is" they pour on meaningless logs and tasks for teachers which takes away from quality lesson planning, colleges (not)preparing teachers as educators but as psychomatricians of rote, students who demand A's because they expect it for even the laziest and shittiest work, and INDIVIDUAL teachers who "phone it in" every day. However, a union is not the downfall here . ..
ReplyDeletePublic union thugs, especially the teacher union cry babies are nothing more prostituting leeches on our society. Cut their salaries and benefits/pensions and we will have enough money to educate the children or at least those who want to be educated.
ReplyDeleteAnd cut the frigging day care in the school districts.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but if you want to make that kind of statement, you'll have to identify yourself.
ReplyDeleteDespite niceties that are often uttered as inoculations against teacher bashing, most teachers despise their students and really despise their parents. They are out to make a living like the rest of us. They invested in their educations and want ROI. They are not professionals in an association. They are union laborers with strict dictates about length of day, free periods, and days off. They should be treated as such. They are not in it "for the kids." They are in it for a maximum paycheck and a solid, untouchable pension. No shame in this. But they should be dealt with accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI disagree completely with this assessment of teachers. Most of them are in it bc they care. I've seen ample evidence of that over the years.
ReplyDeleteGeneralities dominate the education dialog.
ReplyDeleteMost teachers do care. But, union leadership dictates how contracts are written and performance is measured. Unions live by seniorty rules and across the board rewards.
This is no longer working in the private world as new workers don't like the structure and don't join unions like they used to.
In education and other government areas, however unions thrived on the ability to extract premium wages/benefits.
Unions have so much political power they generally haven't been exposed to economic reality. Not until recently has the public source of ever growing funds (taxes) been reversed.
Balance needs to happen in public sector negotiations.
Why is ASD giving free lunches to all students as Scott mentioned before?
ReplyDeleteDisagreeing with one person's overgeneralization with an equal overgeneralization makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat Big Brother technology do you have access to that gives you credibility to assess what "most" teachers are like?
What I am going by is my own life experience, and most of them do care.
ReplyDeleteAllentown School District actual (not budgeted) expenditures for 2002-03 school year: $123,695,005. ADM (Average Daily Membership, a standardized measurement of student population): 17,042. (Source: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/summaries_of_annual_financial_report_data/7673/afr_excel_data_files/509047)
ReplyDeleteCurrent population (per district web site): 17,855 (ADM, which can only be calculated after the year is finished, will differ). The per student calculations are left as an exercise for the reader.
In fairness to the Allentown School District, I believe the 2002-03 budget was before they started their $250,000,000 building program, and the 2011-12 budget definitely includes bond repayments resulting from that program. Frankly, their schools were in such disrepair and so overcrowded in 2002-03, one could reasonably argue that the 2002-03 budget was artificially low due to deferred maintenance and capital projects, and that those chickens have now come home to roost.
I should add that I consider the "So what" comment, if reported accurately, to be quite rude and thoroughly unprofessional.
ReplyDelete