Oregon schools face last resort: a shorter year

[babylonsister]

Oregon schools face last resort: a shorter year

By Kim Murphy
March 9, 2009


Reporting from Florence, Ore. -- This misty stretch of wide sand dunes, like much of the Oregon coast, has always had an intimate connection to the forest. The old lumber mill for years was the biggest employer in town, after the fishing fleets.

So it was with "horrible" regret that Siuslaw School District Supt. George Winterscheid announced recently that to plug an unexpected budget shortfall, wood shop was being canceled.

The district librarian had gotten the ax last spring, as had the school nurse, one of two band teachers, a reading specialist, two instructional aides and the instructor who teaches English as a second language. The district also cut the 2008-09 school year by six days.

Then the recession really hit.

With the Oregon economy "falling basically into a pit," according to state economist Tom Potiowsky, the tiny Siuslaw district found itself $860,000 short of being able to cover its trimmed-down budget.

So in December, the board decided to eliminate middle school art, industrial arts, drivers education, study hall and a junior varsity basketball team. It laid off seven more teachers, two janitors and a vice principal. School thermostats were lowered, field trips canceled and precious supplies like paper put in a carefully watched cabinet.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oregon-schools9-2009mar09,0,3739238.story

[Captain Hilts]

1. What better evidence that our priorities are completely screwed up?

In polling we consistently got results showing how much people resented paying taxes to support schools. California being primary among them. So short-sighted.

[tridim]

2. And guess what the Obama administration is shifting to today?

Education reform!

[SteelPenguin]

3. you want services? you need taxes.

This is just atrocious, and just another example of where the past 30 years of anti-tax anti-services republican mindset has brought us.

We need to raise taxes and improve our services.

[MadHound]

5. It hasn't been just the Republicans

This is what happens when you put the funding of schools in the hands of the public.

For instance, a couple of years ago we had a local school that was bursting at the seams. A bond issue went on the ballot to increase property taxes in order to pay for a new school building. A bunch of local landowners, most without children, got together and killed this issue because they didn't want to pay for educating other peoples' kids, not realizing that a well educated public benefits everybody. Yet these are the same people who rant and rave about the poor quality of education. So that school is still massively overcrowded.

And the Dems shaved off 16 billion from the stimulus package that was slated to go to school construction, all in the vain quest of bipartisanship.

Education funding needs to be radically increased across the board, from facilities and infrastructure to increasing faculty and staff pay.

[depakid]

7. "the Dems shaved off 16 billion from the stimulus package"

The total shaved off in federal revenue sharing was more than 40 billion- causing a lot of states to not only make cutbacks like this- but also to raise various taxes at the worst possible time for the overall economy- defeating the purpose of the stimulus package.

It was one of those Bush era- "you're not really going to do _______ are you?" moments.

[northernlights]

11. just one thing, though

While I agree totally that educating children benefits everybody and is a top priority:

"A bunch of local landowners, most without children, got together and killed this issue because they didn't want to pay for educating other peoples' kids, not realizing that a well educated public benefits everybody"

Why is the cost of educating them put totally on mostly childless landowners? Why not a tax that *everybody* pays. At least include the parents in paying for their children's education!

As a childless adult myself, I have no problem paying higher taxes for education. But the *parents* of those children have an obligation to bear the brunt of those costs, not be mostly exempt from the cost.

Otherwise, look out. I just might go out and decide to out-octomom the octomom by become a 50+octomom!

Seriously, do you not see the total lack of fairness in that statement?

[MadHound]

13. It's a property tax, which is paid by everybody

I think you misread my OP. Property taxes are paid for by everybody with property, land, cars, etc. What happened is that a group of land owners, most of whom were childless, got together to oppose this proposed hike in property taxes.

Nobody was exempt, with or without kids. The only way you could be exempt is if you didn't have a house, car, land, etc.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Unbelievable--that school should merge with another district, rather

than try to hang on with so few resources for the students. My kids attend a small-town, one-building school, and they have industrial art, middle school art, band, a school nurse, etc. I'd be upset if any of those were cut. A neighboring school district, however, has had to go to a four-day school week because of budget problems.

[MadHound]

6. The thing is would you want your kid spending a couple hours everyday on the bus?

I don't know about where you live, but where I live small school districts have consolidated to the point where they really can't consolidate anymore. What needs to be reworked now is school funding, with a great increase in funding at the local, state and national level. Instead we've got locals who don't want their property taxes increased, states who see education as a convenient place to cut back funding, and nationally school funding gets axed in the vain pursuit of bipartisanship.

Meanwhile we keep expecting schools to do more with less, and for teachers to live on faith and job satisfaction rather than a decent salary.

[TwilightGardener]

9. It sounds like Oregon really has a dysfunctional tax revenue system, and

that absolutely needs to be addressed--but in a "tiny" district that's already down to bare bones, there's probably not going to be any support for raising property taxes to where they would need to be to restore the school to its former functioning. That's a hard choice to have to make, but that town is going to have to consider it. When you don't have enough of a tax base, you either shortchange your kids by allowing them to stay local in a bare-bones school, or you shortchange them by having to bus them farther away to a school that has more resources. I've lived in two small farming/ranching towns, and we've been lucky to be able to have decent schools in both, and in fact my district has absorbed another smaller neighboring district already.

[XemaSab]

14. I think the idea would be that you have a woodshop teacher

work in one school in the morning and drive to the other school in the afternoon, or work in one school on monday and wednesday, and another school on tuesday and thursday.

I don't think physically consolidating the two schools would be a reasonable plan.

[BlueGirlRedState]

8. My inlaws are prime examples of people who don't like taxes

My inlaws are nice enough people, but they live in California and don't like taxes. Their house has been paid off for some time, my FIL works at the community college, and draws a nice salary. They have thought about moving but just don't want to pay higher taxes. Their adult son has Downs and lives at home, yet I don't see them turning down the services provided for him, including SSI. Their income allows them several vacations a year, including at least one cruise, sometimes two. Yet, my MIL listens to Dr. Laura and complains about those people who eat free lunches at school.

My father, in Texas, is about the same. He listens to Fox and O'Reilly and complains about the unions. He was, and still is, a member of the postal carriers union although he is retired (he gets health benefits). He doesn't want to pay taxes but thinks the county or city should fix the potholes in front of his house.

[jwirr]

10. It would seem to me that we could be using the internet and educational

television to supplement a four day week. That would put the burden on parents to see that the children did the "homework" if closing the schools is necessary. However, who is going to be taking care of the children of working parents? Yes, one of the biggest benefits of 5 day week schooling is that they take care of the children. We seldom acknowledge this.

[Arkansas Granny]

12. A couple of school districts in our area are contemplating another measure.

They may go to a 4 day week instead of a 5 day week.

Arkansas Schools Consider 4 Day School Week

<snip>

Students aren't getting off that easy though. The adjusted schedule would make the school day longer.

The school districts are trying to balance future budgets.

They could either cut back on programs and staff or cut back the school week.

<snip>

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/18952724.html

[XemaSab]

15. I think we need to reframe the whole taxes-for-schools issue

Instead of MY taxes going to pay for the brats next door, I think it needs to be presented as MY taxes going to pay back the costs of MY education for the 7 years I was in the public school system.

These assholes somehow think that the money fairy paid their teachers when they were in school, but the money fairy died and now they're stuck with the bill for the current generation. x(