If there was as much money being deposited into the U.S school systems as there is in the race for governor of California, our kids would have a much brighter educational future.
One governor hopeful is promising to spend $150 MILLION of her own money. The other, just as much in donations to her cause to become the almighty Governor of CA.
It amazes me how people can come up with all this cash to put in the pockets of politicians but for something as important as education, they become tightwads.
Our future is at stake. Our children will be the future leaders, doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen. They are the ones who are going to have to clean up the mess. Which, the disarray our country is in, it seems to mirror the BP oil spill debacle. It seems unfixable right now. But anywhoo…
It seems so incredibly backwards, selfish and screwy to me.
It’s a shame. This is what our children are inheriting. They’ll need to be highly educated…obviously in Europe or somewhere because our education is being flushed down the crapper…to get us out of the mess that their predecessors have handed over to them on a paper plate. Because that is all that they could afford.
Which leads me to my husband’s school district. Hazel Park, Michigan. Home of the most nepotistic school system.
The only way to get ahead there has nothing to do with one’s degree, experience, job performance and qualification. In fact, none of those matter when you work in the Hazel Park School District.
What matters is…if you are a GOOD OLD BOY. If you are from Hazel Park, have family in Hazel Park that works in the administration building. If you have a spouse who teaches in Hazel Park but also grew up there. You are golden.
Oh yes, they go through the preliminary interviewing process. But really? It is a waste because their boys…or girls…are already in place, smiling smugly in a corner until they are told they can come out with their new title. Vice Head Schmuck. Head Schmuck. Assistant Head Schmuck. Etc…
And no one does or says a damn thing about it. Well, one person does. But, I won’t mention names for fear of causing a bit of a ripple effect.
As an outsider, it’s so frustrating and disgusting to watch this corruption go on overlooked. To see highly qualified teachers who apply to be administrators get passed over because of the wrong last name.
It’s blatantly obvious. And I can only hope that it comes back and kicks them in the asses.
And don’t EVEN get me started on the crap the district administrators pulled with getting 10 higher ups to resign before a certain deadline so that they could collect their early retirement bonus AND THEN get hired back on contract.
All in the guise that they are saving the district money.
How so? I’m not a numbers girl but that didn’t save the district money. OH, excuse me…it saved on health insurance. But I have a funny feeling that SOMEHOW, they’ll be getting that taken care of, too.
Corruption and waste on so many levels. If I believed in Hell, I can almost guarantee that all these people will be going there. Bad. BAD. People.
And who says Mommy Bloggers can’t solve the problems of the world, one post at a time? Well, maybe not but venting sure as heck makes it a little better in my world.
That is a great idea about campaign dollars for schools. Sadly though, in our capitalist society education has no money to make in return. It’s the same reasons why we have a surplus of food in this country and so many starving people. Starving people have no money to buy it. There is no financial return on investment in education either. At least not a fast enough guaranteed return.
Sadly, doctors and teachers will stop being output from our great colleges because its too hard to make a living once you’re done. My cousin is a medical doctor, same age as me, and he recently stated at the current rate of things, he will not be able to pay off his student loans until he is 62. That’s 28 years for him.
My wife earned a masters degree in Education, but once we had our second child, required daycare expenses would have only left her with about $100 a month. Her degree costs more than what she would be making per year if she did have a job. Chances are even if she wanted to work, she couldn’t. Simply because the people with masters degrees are paid more and schools have to trim budgets so they get rid of the higher costing teachers first. Regardless of qualifications and tenure.
Makes sense to you right? Me neither.
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Unfortunately that kind of BS is not limited to Hazel Park Michigan. I get so tired of listening to teachers who still say “ain’t” and “I seen”. I’m in the same position as Hockeymandad’s wife. I have an MA and I can’t get hired because they’d have to pay me more. I also can’t go anywhere else, because nothing else will pay me enough to afford childcare.
I agree with you – I think it’s obscene that this woman would spend $150 million to be governor. I wonder if she ever made a charitable donation in her life.
That sounds exactly like the school I went to. We have a lot of those systems down here where I live, and it isn’t just about the teachers, but also translates to the students. If your last name is XYZ then you are automatically better than all the other kids. Unfortunately my name was XYZ and neither was my brother. I had the advantage of being smart, but he had a learning disability that wasn’t fairly well recognized in the 80’s. He finally ended up dropping out of school his sophomore year believing that he just didn’t have the ability to learn. So, so sad.
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Is there any public school system that has it all together?
By some miracle of miracles, we have THE most phenomenal superintendent in our district. However, the other people who work in the district…well, he’s got to deal with them, plus the other stuff that constitutes his job. He’s trying hard, though. I have faith, but it is one man against the machine. Keeping my fingers crossed here…even if I just pulled one child out of the system to homeschool today.
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Oh this is a subject that riles me up to no end!
From the few years we were in public school I can say this. The teachers we encountered were wonderful. Top administration? Not so much.
I don’t have a problem with throwing money at schools. The problem I have is the way it is spent. There’s not enough going into the teacher’s pockets or for programs that actually help the children.
It is utterly shameful that here in North Carolina, where we have many fine colleges, that our schools are not producing students who have the ability to get into & excel at these institutions.
And the problem, of course, seems to be directly tied to the administration – who, like all politicians, are looking out for themselves and aren’t really concerned about the children.
At this point, I am utterly disgusted with all of it. In my opinion, I think we ought to take all the school officials (and the politicians) and throw them out and put some of us Mom’s in there. We know what works, what doesn’t, how to budget, etc. And, by our very nature we aren’t selfish (how many times have you given something up so your child could have what they needed?). Just think how much nicer the world would be if we were in charge…..
Okay, climbing off my soapbox now……
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