What grade would you give our public school system?

[lisa10091963]

I wish the teachers would use the highly touted planner that every student 3rd grade and up has to buy (it's only $3 so that isn't a big deal) as a PLANNER. When they give a project with periodic deadlines (project idea, then outline, then rough draft, then final presentation) I wish they would show the students how to enter the dates for the diff stuff so that they can learn the art of PLANNING and budgeting their time. hen I suggested this to a tacher last year she looked at me blankly and asked what I meant. I explained how students could learn to be more productive and come up with better projects if they take the time to think about them and work at them. She laughed and told me that she had no idea how to do something like that and "I always work best under pressure." Somehow I doubt that and I really don't want her teaching my kids. Thankfully her husb was transferred and they moved but now someone else is stuck with her. Well, I'll continue to suppliment my children's public school education with my own .

[jonjaktez]

Lisa we do this. We have to teach our kids what the teachers are not teaching them in class. I had to teach my kids about plagerism (sp) becasue all the teacher said make it your own work and never talked to them about how to avoid plagerism. So I dragged out my college papers and taught them about it.

I also have taught my kids about using their planner and how to use their planner. I've had to teach my kids in every subject. I dont' know what is going on in the classroom but it's not education.

I won't go into my opinion of the high school. But if things dont' get better this comming year, I will be home schooling my kids. I'm sick of the racial slurs, the cussing, no consistancy (sp) with the rules and the total lack of care. I have had to beg teachers to be involve with me and my child education and then they turn around and claim that they are begging parents to be involved. Hello, I'm right here, open your ears and hear me, meet me half way.

[latte]

I've dealt with school supply lists for 10 years. Sometimes things do seem ridiculous but I trust the teachers. What I absolutely DESPISE are parents who just don't send in what is on the list! You lazy, cheap JERKS. That is why we have lists stating 10 packs of glue sticks, because cheap, no-good parents won't send in ANY supplies and I along with other parents have to make up for them.

So for all of the parents who said that they will not be sending in all of the supplies from the list, you're welcome! I will send in Clorox wipes to wipe down desks and doorknobs that your kid snotted all over.

in my 6 months here...this person got my first EVER neg rep, how rude and assuming that post is, i am not lazy, poor yes, cheap no, gee golly whiz---i must be a bad parent cause im not a member of the pto here, or cause i dont pay for 2nd pics in a shcool year, or cause i dont spend the "volunteer time" in class because it is not feasable to get there, i must be a bad , no good doer parent too cause i only send my kids with 2 gluesticks, 3 pencils, a few notebooks a box of crayons, and a box of markers....oh wait no im not because i always ask the teachers every few weeks if there is anything their class room needs, if i have it i will supply it
and i shall shut up now becuase i dont have ANYTHING else remotely nice to say to barclay about their post

[jonjaktez]

You are SO right. I think it is a waste but its on the school supply list. Also listed is 2 Large containers of Clorox Wipes. The teacher told me she uses them to wipe up the desks after the kids all get done eating their FREE breakfast. I told her I did not want her feeding my kid breakfast, thats a parents job, not the schools.

Breakfast is a parents job, but in my area there are more kids that are poor than not.

At the elementary school that my kids went to (all are out of elementary school) free breakfast was provided becasue most of the students didnt' get breakfast at home.

I had breakfast available for my kids but my youngest choose to eat both at home and at school. This gave him time to socialize with his friends and learn how to eat his meal and spend time with friends. He enjoyed this time because at lunch they aren't allowed to talk.

[lovelace]

I too am a teacher and I have to say. Yes, I think there's an issue when requesting brand specific supplies.

But, I have spent TONS of my own money purchasing supplies, books, games, snacks, stickers, winter coats, Christmas Presents, Thanksgiving dinners, etc for students. No, this is not my "job" but when you have a little one that you care about coming to school in 10 degree weather with no coat, what are you to do? Or, a little one that you know won't have any gifts under their Christmas tree without your help, wouldn't you want to help? I definitely don't make all that much money as a teacher and I end up putting so much of my paycheck back into the school. So, when people complain about sending in a roll of paper towels, ziplock bags, dry erase markers, it makes me so mad. The school budget only goes so far when paying salaries, keeping the schools updated, providing appropriate technology for students (which is always changing and needs updating every 3 years or so).

So, ladies next time you complain about spending an extra $20 for some supplies to help out the classroom, think about how much money the teachers are spending out of their own pockets each year on the class. I'm sure none of you realized that teachers sometime purchase things like Christmas presents for entire families or Thanksgiving feasts for families that are in need.

Think about what your small donation does to help out the classroom.

I understand all that,but do you know how much taxes i paid every year and how much go to the school.ANd they are talking about rasing sales taxes agin for school.MY ds have only 3 more years and i will still have to pay more property taxes and sales taxes,and i will not have no kids in school.

[lovelace]

I understand all that,but do you know how much taxes i paid every year and how much go to the school.ANd they are talking about rasing sales taxes agin for school.MY ds have only 3 more years and i will still have to pay more property taxes and sales taxes,and i will not have no kids in school.

I had to teach my kids about plagerism (sp) becasue all the teacher said make it your own work and never talked to them about how to avoid plagerism..


that is a joke, 3 years ago my ds had project and he was so excited,so we went on line to find some information,come to find out he teacher took the whole project off line.when my son turn in his project she said she was disappointed it his work.So I told her he was disappointed in her when he found out that she copy her whole lesson from someone else.

[neglectarino]

As the lazy, cheap jerk who also happens to co-own this site and has spent a lot of personal time, money and energy funding it so we can all great deals, I have to say I am a bit taken aback by your post because clearly you didn't read mine.

My argument is with sending things to school that are not school supplies - they are necessities that my district should be funding using my tax dollars. Our district is going out for $138,000,000 (that's $138 MILLION DOLLAR) property tax bond. My property taxes, of which 2/3 goes to the school, set right now at nearly $5,000 a year. The new bond levy, if passed, will add another $1500. Understand, my frustration lies too in the fact that the school also has come to expect that EACH PTA in every building will raise between $20,000 to $50,000 PER YEAR!!! The current school budget is sitting right around $70,000,000 or $8750 per student, which is nearly $200,000 per classroom. That funds teachers, the building, the support staff, etc.

What fries me is that I left this district because they are ass backwards with money. Internally, I watched them spend nearly $50,000 in one year alone on catering for staff from my department!!!! That doesn't include all the outside catering they spend money on. $50K buys a lot of lysol wipes.

So, beef isn't with the teachers, rather, it's with the wastefulness of many school districts in general. There are some really good books out there about internal corruption in school districts - lots of palm greasing going on in the administration. Plus the redundancy!!! I left a very well paying job because ethically, I couldn't spend tax dollars the way they wanted me to....the couponer in me revolted! Heck the superintendant in our district was even brought up on ethics charges because he hired his own stepson to do work for the district without putting out an RFP. What happened? They fined him $20K which our school board promptly increased his salary/benefits by the same amount for "a job well done" that year.

So, if I'm a little hot about how asking parents who already contribute THOUSANDS of dollars per year to now provide basics the district should be supplying like cleaning supplies and copy paper....you betcha I'm ticked. That makes me neither cheap nor lazy - it makes me a concerned taxpayer who's sick to death of the waste. And if enough people cry foul maybe they'll stop taking advantage of parents!

Here in NJ there's been a number of $500,000 retirement packages for superintendents making the news. One particularly egregious example was a $750k + contract that there was some talk about fighting in court--and this was in a district that is among those considered so poor that they receive 80% of their funding from state, not local taxes (they're called Abbott districts). So, not all the money goes to the classrooms. A lot is going into administrative costs. And in NJ, there are something like 800 districts (give or take--it might be 600)--it doesn't take a Ph.D to do the math to understand why the teachers need disinfecting wipes or paper towels.

A lot of people have their fingers in the cookie jar we call a school budget. It's disgusting, frankly.

[darkwing932]

Wow, only $10-$60 a few times a year for field trips? My daughter's old school spent this much every other month in field trips. They travelled more than I did, LOL! Whew, I'm glad we moved.

And let's not forget the school store pushing fancy $2 mechanical pencils, the snack shop with $1 Fruit Rollups, Thursday evening lollipop sales, Popcorn Friday, the dessert bar in the cafeteria..... We haven't even touched on fundraisers and Fall Festivals.

School is becoming big business.

You've got that one right! In our elementary school the PTA sets up a snack station in the lunchroom. Ya know those little debbie cosmic brownies that sell for $1.09 a box? They charge the kids $1.00 PER BROWNIE!!!! The person selling them is a volunteer so that is what? A little under $9.00 a box PROFIT and they go through approx. 20 boxes a day x $9.00 = $180 PROFIT for the PTA!!! And that is just the brownies, the PTA also sells other things. They get little junkie plastic toys from oriental trading in bulk for pennies and sell them at over a 200% mark-up.

In the High School they sell Snapple Water for $1.75 a bottle, Pop-Tarts for $1.00/ea, and the itty bitty bags of chips for .75/ea. All that money goes to the PTA fund which is suppossed to be going for classroom support. Instead I have seen it used for teacher lunches, retirement gifts / parties, baby shower gifts, teacher breakfasts, etc.

Years ago I was a very active member of the PTA but after finding out what they really do for the school and what they do with the money parents think goes to help the students I left. I couldn't stay and be true to myself, kwim?

[beth119]

You've got that one right! In our elementary school the PTA sets up a snack station in the lunchroom. Ya know those little debbie cosmic brownies that sell for $1.09 a box? They charge the kids $1.00 PER BROWNIE!!!! The person selling them is a volunteer so that is what? A little under $9.00 a box PROFIT and they go through approx. 20 boxes a day x $9.00 = $180 PROFIT for the PTA!!! And that is just the brownies, the PTA also sells other things. They get little junkie plastic toys from oriental trading in bulk for pennies and sell them at over a 200% mark-up.

In the High School they sell Snapple Water for $1.75 a bottle, Pop-Tarts for $1.00/ea, and the itty bitty bags of chips for .75/ea. All that money goes to the PTA fund which is suppossed to be going for classroom support. Instead I have seen it used for teacher lunches, retirement gifts / parties, baby shower gifts, teacher breakfasts, etc.

Years ago I was a very active member of the PTA but after finding out what they really do for the school and what they do with the money parents think goes to help the students I left. I couldn't stay and be true to myself, kwim?

OMG!

I completely understand about wasteful spending...I am not even going to get started on our district. Well, maybe one thing. The schools here (about 20 in this county) all put in the new SMART BOARDS. They are all electronic and work by touching them. Really nice EXCEPT..that over 50% of kids qualify for free lunch here. This county obviously doesn't have a lot $$ to start with. Now, we have over crowded classrooms, EMPTY classrooms, and fundraisers all the time. I would have happily exchanged those stupid boards that cost THOUSANDS of dollars apiece for more materials, more teachers, whatever!!!!

Darkwing- I would pitch a FIT about the brownies. First, that is robbery. Second, I would kindly point out that they have no nutritional value, and are making our students fat :) Tell them to sell an apple for $1 apiece. Although these days there woudn;t be a lot of profit in that! LOL

[MariaT]

Why do teachers consistently complain about how they have low salaries and they have to use their own money to buy things for the classrooms? I am NOT bashing teachers in any sense. But really, it's annoying. It's old. And I don't care to hear about it. It's as equivalent as me complaining how I work in Corporate America and need to wear business suit everyday. Or how I only get two weeks of vacation a year. Or how I have to leave my family on occasion and go on a business trip. Just choose a different career. Maybe a shortage of teachers would prompt an overhaul of the poorly utilized school budget.