Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Skipping School Series: First Day of Class

Will likely be my last in the series.

"Budgets cut, teachers dig deeper for supplies" September 05, 2011|By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

ROCKLAND - Public school teachers paying for classroom supplies is not new.  

This breaks my heart not only because of the outlays for war, domestic tyranny, and Wall Street, but because of the savaging they have taken in the corporate media and the budget debates.

Think what you will of state workers, and I'm no fan -- although all the corruption and looting, as usual, is at the top -- but the states are not broke because of teachers, cops, and firefighters pensions and health plans. The state here sends millions a month to banks and investors for debt service, and chunks out millions more in corporate welfare under the banner of "creating jobs."

But today’s stumbling economy has deepened the need, as budget-crunched schools look to trim costs and more students show up without even basic supplies....   

In America?

Teachers describe their out-of-pocket expense as an occupational hazard.

I read that sentence and just can't help thinking even our educators -- the intellectual investigators who should be providing the truth -- have been beaten down.

How much they spend, and how readily, varies considerably. But with schools and families under financial strain, most feel obligated to chip in.... 

At many elementary and middle schools, particularly in wealthier towns, students are asked to bring paper towels, tissues, and sanitary wipes for classrooms, as well as tennis balls for the feet of chairs to protect floors and stop squeaking.

As teachers and parents take on a rising share of classroom costs, some worry the practice is weakening the concept of publicly funded schools.

“It’s very worrisome,’’ said Paul Toner, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “These are things that used to be included as part of going to public schools.’’  

Yup, you have to take retirement cuts and health cuts and education cuts and environment cuts and.... while money is shoveled at the empire and the banks. Honestly, I get sick of typing it. 

More parents nowadays must pay fees for their children to play sports, join clubs, and ride the bus, Toner noted. And in some towns parents have taken it on themselves to raise considerable sums for local schools.

School administrators said teachers often focus on secondary items such as posters and calendars. Yet they acknowledged that budget cuts have taken a toll on discretionary spending.

“Like any district, we’ve had to cut back,’’ said Kristine Nash, superintendent in Hanover. “But we make sure teachers have what they need.’’

Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said teachers who buy supplies are predominately in younger grades and are generally buying extras to make classrooms more welcoming and personalized.

“It’s about kids feeling comfortable,’’ he said. “A lot of it goes beyond the basics.’’

Yet Pat Kelley, co-owner of The Book Vendor, which sells educational supply and used books in Dracut, said the cost of basic supplies has incrementally been shifted onto teachers in many districts.

Yeah, we call it boiling the frog and the hope is you won't really notice.  

Or you can call it nickel-and-diming you.

“When a parent walks into a classroom, almost everything they see was probably bought by the teacher,’’ Kelley said.

Mike Flynn, a second-grade teacher in Southampton and school board member in Northampton, has experienced both sides of the issue.

As a teacher, Flynn has seen his budget for supplies decline from $1,000 to $300 over the past decade-plus. Then add in inflation like they do to the military budget.  

That's a whopping percentage of a cut, while the added inflation to the military budget makes it look like less of increase.

As a school board member, he has seen how budget difficulties have led to such cuts, which in some cases can help save teaching positions.

Most teachers pay the extra cost with little hesitation, and say they do not expect the situation to change anytime soon.

“It’s understood that with budget cuts, teachers have to do more on their own,’’ said Stephanie Powers, 25, a first-grade teacher in Whitman....   

Do more with less so others can have even more.  

That's your final lesson about AmeriKa in the early 21st-century.

 --more--"

Also see:

Boston school children get free haircuts

Student study of dry cleaning stirs debate

A shift in state college grants

And can you believe I was advised to go into teaching because of my worthless history degree?

Homework:
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