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Furlough These Many Years
Author: clintster    Date: 07/31/2009 11:56:17

Truth be told, I shouldn't have to be writing this today.

As recently as two weeks ago, my plans for today included finishing up the improvements to my room and going to the annual pre-planning meeting of all the teachers in my district. It was going to be a last moment of unity and comradeship before the new school year began.

Instead I am here. At home. Typing this blog and seething with anger over the latest steps that Georgia has taken to alleviate its budget crunch. Today's word, boys and girls, is "furlough."

Back on the 21st of the month, Gov. Sonny Perdue (the man whose solution for our drought situation was to pray for rain) announced that state public schools and Medicaid would take a 3 percent budget cut before the end of the calendar year. In my district, that means In order to deal with the cuts to the budget, teachers and other public school employees must take three days of unpaid furlough time before the end of this week, one in October, and one to be determined.

In case you think it's simply picking on education, it should be noted that other agencies will take a 5 percent budget cut, with contingency plans for dealing with a cut of as much as 8 percent. All in order to keep the legislature from considering the "horrible" prospect of possibly raising taxes in some area or another.

It could be worse, though, as many people have pointed out to me time and again: I could have lost my job. Or, I could be teaching in California. Thanks to the self-imposed budgetary throat slitting that has become an annual tradition in the Golden State, teachers there have endured two rounds of layoffs that have resulted in over 36,000 teachers joining the ranks of the unemployed. It's become a running joke that in terms of education, Georgia's motto is "Thank God for Mississippi." But with the problems in California, there may soon be a new state for that motto.

So, what's the solution? No one seems to know, or want to answer. In conservative circles, public education might as well be destroyed. In their eyes, the public financing of children's education is anathema. Radio hosts constantly harp about the eeevil "Government schools" - when California's budget impasse recently came to a head and Gov. Schwartzenegger stated that schools might have to be closed, one radio host who shall remain nameless said "So what? It's not like they're doing any good anyway."

Basically, teachers often get short shrift in America. They're to blame for falling literacy, cultural ignorance, and kids who disrespect their elders. At least that's what conservatives would like you to believe. Teachers have an incredible job, however. Every day, they go out and try to impart information on anywhere from 12-150 children, depending on subject, grade level and class size. While doing this, they have to remind them of how to behave in public, how things are done in the real world, why they shouldn't use electronic devices to talk to their friends or parents during class time, and why they should think about some of the things the teacher is trying to impart to them.

It is not easy, at all. Something I learned my first year of teaching. Something that I, frankly, learned my first week of teaching. Anyone who tells you that it's all early release days and summer vacations is talking out of an orifice nowhere near their mouth. And as a teacher, I say that if we do not make an investment in our children's education instead of taking away from it, we will end up with a LOT more furloughs in many more states.

During my school's open house this week, I was talking to a parent about the furloughs. She told me "I feel your pain. I'm a state employee, and I have furlough days coming soon." I said, "Yeah. That is my new 'F' word." We both laughed... for the moment.

 

33 comments (Latest Comment: 08/01/2009 02:19:38 by Mondobubba)
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Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 13:19:44
Good Morning!







Comment by BobR on 07/31/2009 13:31:46
Good blog this morning. Republicans hate public anything, including schools, even though they've served us well for most of our country's history. Keep up the good work Clinster - our country's future needs more people like you.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 13:38:28
Morning all & Happy Fridee! :party:



And you keep right on doin' what you doin' Clint! Someone's gotta give a damn about those kids education and who better than parents and teachers to do it.



Also, some lightheartedness from our friends at xkcd:



http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/understocked.png


Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 15:03:13
Bloggie's sleepy today huh? :sleeping:



It's ok lil buddy.. only a few more hours to go til the weekend!

Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 15:43:02
:metal:





Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 17:26:45
Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 18:03:59
:thud: Hey everyone!!! wassup?



I think we got the biggest chunk of the website done.

Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 18:04:56
Sorry for not being here. I think I am going to find more time tho, now that the intense stuff is out of the way.

Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 18:13:42
Raine! omgomgomg i can stop talking to myself! :wacko:

Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 18:16:58
Oh hey that reminds me.. I found something that you most certainly will be able to use/debunk for the website. Check this shyte out:



How Government Solved the Health Care Crisis (Medical Insurance that Worked — Until Government "Fixed" It) by Roderick T. Long

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/31/2009 18:41:13
Clintster, great blog! I have a friend who works for U of Wisconsin system she is looking at some furlough days herself. Ironically she is big fan of "fiscal responsibility" and low taxes.

Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 18:51:24
Quote by Scoopster:

Oh hey that reminds me.. I found something that you most certainly will be able to use/debunk for the website. Check this shyte out:



How Government Solved the Health Care Crisis (Medical Insurance that Worked — Until Government "Fixed" It) by Roderick T. Long


Oh GAWD.

:wacko:





Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 18:51:57


HE is now the poster boy for health care reform, imo.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/31/2009 18:56:21
Quote by Scoopster:

Oh hey that reminds me.. I found something that you most certainly will be able to use/debunk for the website. Check this shyte out:



How Government Solved the Health Care Crisis (Medical Insurance that Worked — Until Government "Fixed" It) by Roderick T. Long




Scoop, this is the kind of thing that I read a couple of paragraphs of, and my head starts to hurt even worse than it did before I started to read the idiotic drivel.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/31/2009 18:58:05
Quote by Raine:



HE is now the poster boy for health care reform, imo.






RAINE! Out of my head! I had this exact thought when I heard the news.



Gentlemen of the blog, the exam is only humiliating the first time it's done.

Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 19:09:42
It's FRIDAY you Bastahds!!!



:boobs2:



:boobs: :boobs2: :boobs2:

:bouncer:

:boobs2:

:bouncer:

:boobs: :boobs2: :boobs2:

:boobs2:

Bounce what you got!



(damn after this week this feels GREAT!!!)


Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 19:32:47
Bit late.. but hey no time like the present!



:bounce:


Comment by Mondobubba on 07/31/2009 19:38:34
Cause I've not and I am with Scoop:





Comment by TriSec on 07/31/2009 21:02:18
OK gang. Deep Breath.



I'm unemployed again.



Don't know what I'm going to do this time.











Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 21:38:15
Quote by TriSec:

OK gang. Deep Breath.



I'm unemployed again.



Don't know what I'm going to do this time.









The same thing you did last time, Tri.



Comment by Raine on 07/31/2009 21:52:19
:D



http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab223/AmosMoses09/aynrandflowchart.png


Comment by Scoopster on 07/31/2009 22:31:13
Quote by TriSec:

OK gang. Deep Breath.



I'm unemployed again.



Don't know what I'm going to do this time.





:O What in the hell?!



Damn man.. whatever you do, don't give up. :thumbsup:

Comment by trojanrabbit on 07/31/2009 22:38:54
Quote by TriSec:

OK gang. Deep Breath.



I'm unemployed again.



Don't know what I'm going to do this time.













Sorry to hear that Tri.

Comment by Mondobubba on 07/31/2009 23:34:01
Tri, WTF????

Comment by clintster on 08/01/2009 00:15:31
Hang on, hang in, don't give up, Tri.





Comment by clintster on 08/01/2009 00:57:45
Remember that speech that Ex-gov. Caribou Barbie was gonna give at the Reagan Library? Yeaaaaah, about that....



Also.

Comment by livingonli on 08/01/2009 01:08:14
And I was asleep the whole day.. I missed work too.



So sorry Tri.



What the hell happened

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/01/2009 01:08:28
Quote by clintster:

Remember that speech that Ex-gov. Caribou Barbie was gonna give at the Reagan Library? Yeaaaaah, about that....



Also.




So now she's "quitting" even before she starts. Mavricky.

Comment by clintster on 08/01/2009 01:29:12
Quote by trojanrabbit:

Quote by clintster:

Remember that speech that Ex-gov. Caribou Barbie was gonna give at the Reagan Library? Yeaaaaah, about that....



Also.




So now she's "quitting" even before she starts. Mavricky.




You betcha!

Comment by livingonli on 08/01/2009 02:16:22
So that's why there was no Rachel show tonight so she could do Real Time.

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/01/2009 02:19:38
Quote by livingonli:

So that's why there was no Rachel show tonight so she could do Real Time.




and she is totally fabu! :wub: