Mike Pouraryan
California: Will Things Change?
:
Who Knows?
California will be California again. I am convinced of it because of the vibrancy and the vitality of what I see. But, the continued malaise I sense on Main Street will continue for a while yet. I sense this simply because of the heart-wrenching scenes on street corners of people having signs up asking for help. I sense it when I see people who have been out of work for months at a time and seem to be losing all hope.
Over the past 24 hours, layoff notices have gone out to some 23,000 teachers throughout the State of California. I was curious to find out how my local school district was impacted. I was specifically interested to see how my Son's school was impacted. From what I understand, only one teacher has received a layoff notice. The School Adminstrator was confident that somehow this teacher's job could be saved. She could not confirm how many teachers were impacted district wide, but she ventured a guess of approximately one hundred. She also noted that there is going to be a increase in class size for the First Grade.
There is going to be draconian cuts. When there is no money to be had, there is not much that can be done. Although the median home prices have seen an increase, the fact remains that property values will continue to remain static for a while at best. When there is a decrease in revenue, that money has to come from somewhere. Although some within the conservative community are loath to understand this, the stimulus plan provided for $ 144 Billion in offsets to States that helped prevent such calamity last year. I wrote about it, yet I see the continued drumbeat about the plan being a failure. Beyond California, I was shocked when I saw that the University of Massachuttes received $ 50,000,000 (Fifty Million) in funds that helped to alleviate massive layoffs. UMASS happens to be the largest employer in Western Massachuttes.
As I assess the state of affairs, what I am profoundly concerned about is the misguided priorities. Education is the downpayment for the future. If we can't educate our young, how can we expect to insure that the future is secure. If the teache corp is decimated, how can the children be expected to learn? I am sure that many will say that it starts with the parents. I am absolutely convinced that this is the case. That is why that my Son's School is as successful as it is because of the committment and support of parents. That is why that programs like the Boy Scouts are so successful. That's why I believe that things will change and change for the better. It will take time. Do we have the courage to see this change through?
Over the past 24 hours, layoff notices have gone out to some 23,000 teachers throughout the State of California. I was curious to find out how my local school district was impacted. I was specifically interested to see how my Son's school was impacted. From what I understand, only one teacher has received a layoff notice. The School Adminstrator was confident that somehow this teacher's job could be saved. She could not confirm how many teachers were impacted district wide, but she ventured a guess of approximately one hundred. She also noted that there is going to be a increase in class size for the First Grade.
There is going to be draconian cuts. When there is no money to be had, there is not much that can be done. Although the median home prices have seen an increase, the fact remains that property values will continue to remain static for a while at best. When there is a decrease in revenue, that money has to come from somewhere. Although some within the conservative community are loath to understand this, the stimulus plan provided for $ 144 Billion in offsets to States that helped prevent such calamity last year. I wrote about it, yet I see the continued drumbeat about the plan being a failure. Beyond California, I was shocked when I saw that the University of Massachuttes received $ 50,000,000 (Fifty Million) in funds that helped to alleviate massive layoffs. UMASS happens to be the largest employer in Western Massachuttes.
As I assess the state of affairs, what I am profoundly concerned about is the misguided priorities. Education is the downpayment for the future. If we can't educate our young, how can we expect to insure that the future is secure. If the teache corp is decimated, how can the children be expected to learn? I am sure that many will say that it starts with the parents. I am absolutely convinced that this is the case. That is why that my Son's School is as successful as it is because of the committment and support of parents. That is why that programs like the Boy Scouts are so successful. That's why I believe that things will change and change for the better. It will take time. Do we have the courage to see this change through?
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There are fundemental structural changes that is needed..I have written about it. But, blaming the unions is not going to cut it. The teachers, for instance, in my local school district have not had a contract for two years..and have had no pay raises....blame game is easy, finding solutions is tough.