A not so cheerful year for traditional-calendar schools will start tomorrow.
As noted in today's article, students are returning to schools where class sizes will be up and some elective courses have been dropped. Some teachers are still out of a job and supply budgets have been sliced.
"Our parents understand where we are with this economy," said Chip Mack, the new principal of Davis Drive Elementary School.
Davis Drive is located in western Cary, not too far away from Research Triangle Park. But Mack said they don't have a technology teacher this year because that person was on a terminating contract.
Mack said they're relying on their classroom teachers to teach technology to their students.
That technology teacher also maintained the school's web site and troubleshooted computer issues. Mack said other people, including himself, are trying to pick up the work but it's going to be done slower now.
Many schools lost their technology teacher over the summer.
In terms of class size, Mack said he's most worried about fourth-grade, where it's already at 30 students.
Classes with 30+ students are likely to be common this school year.
Andrew Livengood, principal of East Millbrook Middle School, told parents last week that his colleagues at other schools are looking at 33 to 34 students in some classes. He said one school has 45 students in a physical education class.
But Livengood said magnet school funding is helping to keep East Millbrook's class sizes from rising too much. He credited the funding with helping keep class sizes in the high 20s.
"We have teaching positions that other schools don't have," Livengood told parents at the sixth-grade orientation.
Comments
Wonder when the a/c shuts off on WF Rd.
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 23:09 — TrailerParkGirlI wonder when the a/c shuts off at Central Office. Are they allowed to have coffee pots?
I really don't get the priorities here. A new BOE member started in my home district. The menu at their welcome reception included nothing because there was no reception. Their "welcome" was a "welcome, thanks for SERVING your community" statement from the other members. That's it. For their service, they receive $35 per meeting. That's it, which is actually much more than the $0 received by some of the other districts' BOEs. The local unemployment rate is around 15%, the ED rate is 45-50%, they have not cut teachers, there's no talk of shutting off the a/c, etc. What is wrong with Wake county?????
YUP...this is true. They
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 22:05 — dryeraseuserYUP...this is true. They are turning the A/C off when the children leave school. Amazing isn't it. I will likely just leave as well. You will not pay me to work in a building without air in this heat. I will do more work after school, once the weather cools off. We basically don't have money for basic supplies. I am going to use my PTA help fund and the little we get from our school. I am really amazed at how much of a crunch we are in. But as long as Del & Co. have what they need up there on Wake Forest Rd....I guess that's all that matters.
Here's a question .... I
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 13:26 — rr77rr99Here's a question .... I was always under the impression in my own home, that when we left or went on vacation to turn "up" the theromostat, but never turn off the A/C or heat all together as it costs more to "recool" or "reheat" the space.
Is there anyone on this blog who can weigh in on this?
If they are shutting off the A/C during the heat of the day, I would think that room would really heat up and when the a/c is turned back on, it will take twice as much energy to cool it back down????
Am I misguided on this one?
austerity budget ??
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 09:35 — loriacAnything not directly related to the core mission of teaching kids should be cut to the bone before kids and classrooms are affected.
The other post mentions the $5M PR budget, $150M in auxiliary services.... what are these and why aren't they being cut BEFORE classes are being cancelled? THIS IS DISGUSTING! (I'm still incredulous over the reception for the new school board member. $500 here, $500 there and pretty soon you're talking real money!)
Wake County now requires an extra credit of math for kids to graduate from high school - I know more than one kid who has been shut out of math entirely their freshmen year because the classes are too full. This administrations priorities are all mixed up.
Please vote on Oct 6!
Outrageous!
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 22:58 — SDR256I just cannot believe the outrage in this! It is DIABOLICAL how they are spending on administration, PR and the like and squeezing the classroom. How much more blood can you get from a turnip?
1500 teachers cut and administration left virtually untouched. $5 million spent on PR. $150M on 'auxilliary services' - forget the extras when you don't have teachers or books. We need an angry mob to come out in October and to DONATE NOW.
Let's kick the bums out!
Strange Choices
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 17:45 — Bob_SconceWakefield Middle elected to take the budget cuts out on foreign languages. Yet, they still have things like Home Economics, Art and "Healthful Living" in place.
That choice just doesn't make much sense to me. Foreign language is one of those subjects that continually builds on itself, and can be lost if unexercised. That's a horrible thing to do to the students who took a language last year. They're also critical skills for working in a shrinking world.
Academics is the core purpose of the schools. Dropping French and Spanish in lieu of making paper-mache masks (or whatever else 12-year-olds do in art class) is moronic.
I've read and heard of
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 21:09 — shank56I've read and heard of other schools opting to cut back on sections of foreign languages.
Have you looked at the NC Standard Course of study? That may give a hint as to why foreign languages is chosen. As I recall, art and healthful living are basics of the NCSCOS. "Healthful Living" includes PE and sex ed (I think). Also remember that not all students will benefit or are interested in foreign languages- ie, some of the same kids who are not or will not be on a college track. My kids have benefited from foreign language study in MS.
PS: Have you seen the girls who have to carry their "egg"in a basket for a week (or two) -and not let it out of their sight- whether in the shower, at a sports practice, or out with friends (not likely due to the responsibility). Do middle schoolers still have to do this - don;t know if it is home ec or healthful living. I hope so..great lesson on responsibilty!
home ec vs healthful living
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 09:47 — ApexRes98Your PS 'cracked' me up. I think the egg would be your baby in healthful living. In home ec, it might be a meal. Did you want that hard-boiled, scrambled, poached or fried ;-) I think it was last year that I saw girls around town with baby dolls - ones that actually cried. They must be the updated version of the egg.
Hey, now Bob, Home
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 19:24 — rr77rr99Hey, now Bob, Home Economics is very important in this day and age. These kids need to know how to work a can opener to open their beans when they are living on the streets from not having gainful employment from not being educated to the fullest degree and not being able to compete in the real world when their hands are not being held and they are being told "it's okay to be average."
Come on Bob, get with the program... LOL
Where the heck is the
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 17:25 — rr77rr99Where the heck is the teacher's group, the one that voted in Bev? They are not outraged and standing up for teachers who have 40 students or no A/C (post dismissal).
Not so understanding
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 09:39 — NOFANOFWAKEMADNESSWe parents are understanding about where we all are in this economy. Some of us are not so understanding about having had so much of our money wasted the past few years. Our children are going to be packed into classrooms while there are (how many?) empty classrooms in many year-round schools. We have lost (how many?) teachers. More thought into exactly how many other things will be effected by one decision would be appreciated and is expected in the future. Ex: Please read the N/O article today "Drivers can't trust school-zone signs"
I dare someone to ask Horace Tart
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 09:46 — g88ky07how many empty FYR classrooms he has in his district!
And now they want the AC shut off,! If I were a teacher that's when I'd be heading out the door! No coffee pots, no AC, no heat, no TA's, no raises, no mercy on class sizes, NO THANKS! I wouldn't put up with it a minute longer!
Hey wait, yeah... on the
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 13:29 — rr77rr99Hey wait, yeah... on the a/c and empty classrooms. They don't have individual thermostats in each class. So, if there are classes in that section of the school, that a/c must be on. Those empty classrooms are being cooled anyway. In our school, we have empty "brick and mortar" rooms being cooled, while there are numerous trailers and bungalows in use whereby the children are coming and going all day long.. in for specials, lunch, bathroom, recess...etc... so those doors open and close all day long letting out all the a/c.
It truly is a slap in the face to teachers to shut the a/c off when students leave. How moronic. This is so out of hand it's beyond even trying to make reason work.
Stupid as a fox
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 23:38 — SDR256Moronic unless you want all the parents and teachers to panic and BEG you to increase taxes to alleviate the 'desperate' situation. I am strongly suspicious that this is intentionally and artificially created desperation. You know, like the arsonist who sets the fire so he can ride in and put it out?
SDR...excellent point! Go
Wed, 08/26/2009 - 09:52 — rr77rr99SDR...excellent point! Go ahead WCPSS, cut off the A/C, let the teachers fight this battle then.
Here's a thought,what if a teacher has a medical condition that requires them to be in a temp controlled environment. By law, wouldn't the needs in the work place need to be met by ADA laws? Then they can't turn off the A/C.
The more I think about it, this has to be a rumor. THere's no way this is true. You can't shut down the A/C in just ONE room. it has to be an entire section of the school, or the entire school itself. And like I said, it would cost a fortune to turn the A/C back on in the morning to recool the entire building! Come on! This is bogus.
True...
Wed, 08/26/2009 - 07:04 — Bob_SconceUnfortunately, that is a common ploy in government: "If you cut my budget, then I will be forced to cut XXX !" where XXX is the most popular thing that the organization does. The idea is to build public support for not cutting the budget (or for increasing it).
That's why you never hear "If you cut my budget, then I will be forced to cut administrative costs!"
austerity budget ??
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 09:35 — loriacOK - times are tough, and we are seeing the direct result of the budget cuts. Clearly this calls for an austerity budget.
Where I work - the notice of impending budget cuts comes from the top and affects everyone. The rules are laid out - no travel (except for direct customer travel - they're buying, or you are needed to fix a problem onsite); no offsite meetings, no conferences, no refreshments at meetings..... no spending on anything not directly related to the core functions.
Call me silly, but I see the kids getting the brunt of the cuts, while there is example after example that nothing has changed.... a reception for the new school board member, no cuts in admin, Gov Perdue hires another media consultant. And these are only the ones that make the papers.
I"m still waiting to see if Mr. Hill and Mr. Burns travel to Austin to get their 'prize'.
THere is an astounding lack of leadership here - I'm counting the days until the elections.
No A/C for Teachers
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 09:06 — KnightdaleParentMy wife is a teacher and just informed me that the A/C and/or heat shuts off at the end of the student time in the classroom. This means if she wants to stay in the classroom and work after the students have been dismissed, she does so in the heat of the afternoon as the windows are not operable for ventilation (brand new school). How many of us want to work on the third floor of a building with no ventilation or windows in the heat of the afternoon? She was in a conference at East Cary Middle School last week and at dismissal time, the A/C shut off in the internal conference room where they were meeting. She said it took almost no time for the room to heat up and become "stuffy".
(Sarcasm on) I am sure that the lack of A/C or heat should not affect the teachers and their planning time. (Sarcasm Off)
up tp 40 at Apex Elementary
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 08:25 — cybercris2Parents at Apex Elementary have been told that no new teachers can be hired until every class on that grade level hits 40 kids. At that level classroom management supercedes instruction.
Really is this true? That
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 13:33 — rr77rr99Really is this true? That means all the classrooms need waivers from the State? Has the State DOE approved these numbers? That's insane. I thought once the elem. classes reached 30 or 35, they had to hire a new teacher and break out a new class.
Can someone clear this up? My children's classes are at 30 or above right now and it's evident the teachers are frustrated by all the notes and "reminders" to parents about "behavior." My guess is, the teachers can't handle the stress of having all these kids and the behavioral issues are being magnified. What would be simple warnings about talking out of turn, have now become "major issues." Mountains out of mole hills apparently because all of a suddent they need military style "control" to keep these kids in line due to the sheer volume of them in such tight quarters.
For grades 4-12, just about
Tue, 08/25/2009 - 21:18 — KeungHui (author)For grades 4-12, just about every school, at least in Wake, includes a class-size waiver for those grades in their school improvement plan. Ths 4-12 waiver means a school can exceed class sizes limits in those grades at any time without needing permission. In theory, the state might step in if the class was grossly overcrowded but the waiver pretty much provides carte blanche.
It's different in K-3. You can't get a waiver ahead of time. A school needs to get state approval for each and classroom.