I was looking over the Republican education planks and they insist that schools do not need more money and teens do not need reproductive health information. I hope the Dems do better. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/08/gop_unveils_2012_education_pla.html
That plan sucks. I don't think I've ever seen an education plan I was excited about, but that one is awful
I think that there is a lot of badly and wastefully used money in many school systems. Examples: 12 year old science books, yet new math books every 2-4 years. Struggling middle class district with tons of budget cuts and pay freezes has a copy room at the school board office with 5 new full featured color copiers. These were NOT the result of some weird grant and are NOT for instructional use. Those cost a fortune to operate. Also, this is probably some absurd ratio like one copier per 10 employees. And teachers must ration b&w copies like miserly hoarders. Doesn't everybody have these examples? We probably wouldn't need more money with intelligent, streamlined use of resources. Do school buildings need a/c on full blast to get inefficient buildings to a frigid 72 in July?
Those are good examples of waste in the system. You are completely correct in calling it out. However in the Clinton years we had a poverty rate of 12.6%. During the Bush years it peaked at 21% and has shown gradual improvement over the last 2 years. Our poor kids have special needs. We are trying to educate a much poorer population than we had 10 years ago. Poor kids cost more money to educate.
Sure. And maybe that's a better use of money than color copiers that cost a fortune to run. I bet that cost would pay for a full time aid for a teacher. The insane markup we pay on office supplies in my district multiplied across dozens of schools would pay for many extra resource and intervention teachers. It's just gets me that nobody ever seems to look at this stuff before laying off the parttime art teacher.
At my school, we have free breakfast in the classroom every morning. Fine- the problem is, they will NOT let us return unused food, milk, juice, or napkins/silverware to the cafeteria. Many of my kids eat at home anyway and don't want anything. Sometimes they give us both apple juice and milk and kids only want one. Sometimes I have to throw away 15+ unopened cartons of milk daily- and that's just for my one classroom. We were sending it right back down there at the beginning of the year, of course assuming they'd hand it out again, until we got a nasty e-mail about how long it was taking them to empty the coolers and how we need to throw unopened food/drinks away. It completely irks me to think about how much money they're just throwing away in an era of nothing but budget cuts!
UG. I hate food waste. I could totally see myself sneaking 15 little milks home in a cooler every day. lol.
I could see having a cooler to have the stuff later for a snack. Bet they would like it when they get hungry or thirsty later on.
I was saving them and passing them out later, but then I feel guilty because I don't have near enough for everyone who wants one. I also tried the "looking for people who were being good" thing where only they got extra things, but in all honesty the majority of my class is fairly well behaved and it still doesn't end up being fair. I always HATED when teachers did that as a student because they never get to everyone who is "being good."
If these are cartons, how about picking up a package of 3oz Dixie cups and doling the contents out into those?
