Damned School Board!

The BBQ Pit
1

I think this is my first rant…but I can’t be sure. Oh well, here goes…

I am a Sophomore at a (public) high school in Connecticut. This particular school is having budget problems. Somehow, due to a freakish combination of ineptitude, incompetence, and general stupidity, they managed to forget about $3,000,000 worth of bills (the unofficial but accepted story is that they were put in a drawer and forgotten about). That is one third of their budget, and because of their terrible credit they have to make it all up this year. Their solution? Cut 45% of the teachers in the school district. Eliminate all Honors, AP, Foreign Language, and elective classes (art, music, programming, photography, etc). Eliminate all ability grouping. Eliminate all but varsity sports. Essentially, bring what is considered one of best schools in the state down to below the level of Bridgeport, ruining any chance 1800 kids had of getting into a good college.

Now, I get good grades (straight A’s in honors classes, except for this first marking period…uggh), and I would like to think that I have a chance of getting into an Ivy League school. Or at least, had a chance. The only way I could still do so would be to go a private school, and that costs $$$$$$. All because of the damned Board of Education’s incompetence.

There will be a referendum in December - if it passes, every family in the town will pay $300 and the problem will be solved. It won’t pass - too many old people who don’t care.

2

Yeesh! Who’s in charge at this school-Wildest Bill?

3

Is this getting coverage in your local press? It sounds like just the sort of scandal a news-hungry local paper could run wild with, and maybe bring down the members of the school board. Perhaps even get some competent people in charge, who knows?

Meanwhile… yeesh, that sucks.

4

Ick. I’m very sorry to hear that, Mister V.

5

That’s horrible. I think it’s possible this could work out in the end, though. Try these:
Write a letter to the largest newspaper in the area (Maybe a lot of people their read the NY Times). Be willing to talk to a reporter if they are interested. I am no expert on this, but does your school district get federal and or state funding? If so, contact your state/federal representative/senator (pick all that apply).

If there’s no way to get the school to pay the bills, here’s what I’d recommend - play to the “for the childrun” aspect of the media. Find out what companies your school district owes money to. Tell the media the names of the companies, and that 1800 kids will not be able to get into college if these companies collect immediately on their debts. It may not be these companies’ fault that your school board fucked up, but your education is at stake and there’s no shame in doing what gets results at this point.

Good luck.

-Rob

6

Wow! That sounds like someone ought to be in serious trouble. Is there any sort of criminal investigation going on? It seems that mismanagement of a public school on that level should be getting some people in really hot water. Cut 45% of teachers? What are your class sizes now? What are you supposed to be doing during the time when they would be in language class/whatever? I mean, someone’s still got to be supervising you? Someone’s got to run the study hall or whatever it’ll be. And all the folks who were in honors or AP classes will still need to be in some class.

7

Ah, sounds a bit like my school system, only we aren’t quite that bad off yet.

But, let’s just say that the seniors are very glad to be graduating this year. All afterschool homework help-type stuff is being cut because they can’t pay the teachers extra to stay. (In fact, I think they are forbidding those teachers to stay.) Sports and clubs are mostly self-supporting, but what little was being given to the music and drama programs will probably be cut back soon. Janitorial staff has been cut back to barebones minimum. As workers quit, they aren’t being replaced.

Yet, somehow, there’s enough money to put in some computer system for all the county school cafeterias…

I wish the county commissioners would come and sit in at their schools every once in a while. It’s frigid, the carpets are lined with duct tape, several ceiling tiles are missing from the installation of the new heating & cooling system (the old one was dirty and so germ-laden most of the school was sick constantly…my chemistry teacher took a year’s leave to raise her newborn because the air was too nasty to expose a baby), seats in the theater and gym are broken, and only the main corridors are vacuumed. My school is only 20 years old, the newest in the county, and in a relatively affluent area. I can’t imagine what the schools in the poorer sections of the county look like.

So, yeah, I feel your pain. I hope my school system doesn’t get as bad as yours. Ugh. Clueless people suck.
jessica

8

I swear on all that is holy that was an editing error, and I know how to use there/their. <smacks forehead several times>

9

This is already getting covered to death by the papers - I seriously doubt that there is any politican within the state who has not heard about this goddamned mess. The school board is going down as a result of it, and they don’t appear to care what happens because they know they’ll be out of a job soon even if they manage to do something about it.

As for getting companies to hold off on collecting their money, I believe it has been tried already. The majority of the bills are legal fees (the school was sued over air quality recently), and the law firm needs the money just as badly as we do.

Everything possible has been tried to get around this, but nothing worked - if the referendum doesn’t pass, we are screwed. Plain and simple.

It seems beyond belief that somehow could be so moronic as to screw things up so badly. No one is taking responsibility, by the way - one of the main reasons the referendum won’t pass is that there is no guarantee this won’t happen again, and people are worried it will become a habit. The whole idea of public schools is that you don’t have to pay for them, they say. Wake up, morons! Where do you think your tax money goes?? The only difference between this and normal taxes is that they don’t get paid at the same time!

10

What the fuck are you thinking!!! Trashing the names of probably hundreds of companies because they entered into good faith transactions with a school and the school fucked them over.

Now lets make them look like the bad guys! :rolleyes:

What kind of sorry Fermenting Monkey[sup]TM[/sup] felching responsibility dodging cock-cracker are you.
Oh but its for the kids, let it go. Obviously you don’t work for any of those companies. What happens when a school make a major purchase (say a bunch of computers) that sale could easily account for a large percentage of the revenues for the business that sold them. So now people get laid off from jobs because the company has a choice of eating the loss and hurting itself or brazen it out and look like assholes for doing it.

How fucking anti-american are you!

A stunt like this could easily KILL a small business at one shot one way or another. People worked to provide products and services to them but apparently you don’t give a flying fuck about how many people it will hurt or what a HORRID precedent it would set.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Why did you suggest this? Because some kid is worried about getting into “Ivy League Schools”? Shit its not like the world has to come to an end if they have to go to a “less prestigous” school.

I applaud Mister V’s efforts and high goals, but trashing businesses for doing nothing wrong is just plain assinine.

1800 kids wont go to college because of those evil money hungry businesses who just want to get paid for the work they did

Meet reality fucknugget. Half of those kids won’t even go to college. Of those only about 10% will actually graduate with a degree. Of those I bet maybe 1 or 2 will go to an “Ivy League School”

So why was it again you wanted to blame the businesses? Does capitalism bother you on some level? Does your brain have more mass than a Tau Muon!

11

Mister V,

Remember this when you are an adult and school tax votes come up. Also remember this so you will get involved and keep pressure on these people so they know they’re being watched.

Remember.

Blink

12

Mister V. I agree with Drach. It’s not the businesses fault. If you succeeded then businesses would demand cash on the barrel from schools or charge much higher prices for the ‘risk’ involved in giving schools credit. Not a solution.

Also, MisterV:

  • They cut 45% of teachers, what % of administrators were cut? Media might be interested in the answer…

  • Is there a local college in your area? If so, find a nice prof or profs there and throw yourself on his/her mercy. If you are very, very motivated they will help you fill in your weaknesses from your sucky school system. They may do it for free but you need to prove yourself to them. This means that you’ll have to work very hard but you do want to get into the Ivy League, right? This would also show the college recruiter your determination.

  • You need to do very well on the SAT. STUDY STUDY STUDY way beyond the limits of your high school class. Take many practice tests.

Live eat and breathe academia.

Or, if this is too much work, the world needs ditchdiggers also.

:wink:

Blink

13

Where the hell did you get “hundreds of companies”? Even if there are, it just makes your point weaker:

This states that at least 50% of the bills belong to one company. Supposing the other $1,500,000 was split up between 200 (“hundreds”) of companies, there was an average invoice to the school of $7500 per company. Are the companies going to go under because $7500 was paid to them over twelve months with interest rather than today? (If so, the companies shouldn’t have given anyone credit.)

Try reading my fucking post next time. I said:

Where does it say “let it go” in there? It says “if they collect immediately”.

Gee, wherever did you get that idea?

Yep, I’m sure that the 100 Dell computers purchased by the school will destroy the company. Layoffs and carnage ensue! (I’m making a theoretical statement here, since you did the same above.)

Yep, it could hurt a small business if someone defaulted on $3,000,000 of credit to it. Wait - how many small businesses do you know that provide $3,000,000 of credit? Oh, that’s approximately zero.

Yes.

Hmm, let’s apply this “the world has to come to an end” argument to you: “Shit its not like the world has to come to an end if a few people lose their jobs.”

Mind showing me where I “trashed businesses”? Because I didn’t.

Hmm, mind a cite for average graduation rates of Connecticut public high schools? Or is this just wild presupposition?

Hey, let’s see what I said:

Does reading the entire post bother you on some level?

  • Rob (who tried really hard to restrain himself)
14

[Helen Lovejoy]

Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children?!

[/Helen Lovejoy]

15

Okay, drachillix, I have three quick things for you to consider:

  1. When did I say that the world would come to an end if I didn’t go to a Ivy League school? For the record, I wouldn’t go even if I got in (for undergraduate, at least - graduate is a different story). I’m pissed off that I no longer could even if I wanted to. Also, what makes you think I’ll be able to get into any college if I stay in this district? Every person I’ve talked to says nobody will even take a cursory glance at my application if I stay.
  2. We just moved into this town two years ago, specifically because of the schools. The graduation rate is not 50%, as you state, but closer to 75. And 16 seniors went to Ivy League schools last year; many more got accepted but did not go for financial reasons, etc.
  3. I don’t think asking the businesses to help us is a good solution either - they shouldn’t have to suffer the repercussions of the board’s idiocy. Thanks for the suggestion, though…it would work in some situations, but not this one.

Actually, I probably don’t have as much of a right to complain about this as some other people do…my parents have enough money to send me to private school if this happens, and it looks more certain that it will every day. But it definitely won’t be easy for them - the only good private school around here costs a hell of a lot of money.

16

In all honesty, I doubt this. If the situation is indeed getting a lot of press, then the Ivies will most likely take this into consideration when evaluating applications. Universities tend to have data on school districts throughout the nation, especially ones that have sent a nice amount to their campus in past years. If it is true that your school district had an excellent reputation and was sending students to Ivies, then I’m sure many universities, especially those in the area, will know about the crisis and not hold it against you on your application.

However, if you are really that concerned take Blinking Duck’s recommendation and take some classes at the local community college. This looks good even if your district isn’t in the situation yours is in. Besides, you can usually take some really interesting classes that you wouldn’t have otherwise had just in high school.

17

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by LoverBoy *

I was typing when Mister V posted the Legal fees issue. I figured it better be hundreds or someone fucked up even worse. Larger expenses would be budgeted way ahead of time so as not to have a huge hit in one year.

Only the top 10% of businesses in the world gross more than $100,000 per year. Most School districts in my area buy on agreements to pay in 30 to 90 days.

If they didn’t pay in the agreed upon time many businesses would be hurting. They already paid their employees and purchased the tools and materials to complete the service.

Who is misrepresenting whos post here? You yourself stated it would average $7,500 per business. I was assuming it would be something like that. Something many businesses do especially when dealing with government agencies like schools.

Sounds like you want to smear the names of the people that the school owes money to.

When did half won’t go to college become half won’t graduate?

Is this wild presupposition or poor english comprehension on your part.

I did read the whole post

May not be the companies fault? How could it be at all their fault? Eh who cares, your education is at stake, blame people who had nothing to do with causing the problem.
:rolleyes:

18

This makes zero sense. You can’t budget a LAWSUIT in advance.

I’ll give you the “agreements to pay in 30 to 90 days” - it’s irrelevant to me. What I would like, however, is a cite on the top 10% of businesses in the world taking in over $100,000/year. (I’m assuming gross revenue, not gross profit. And I’d be interested to know what percent of this is based on New York hot dog vendors each counting on a business.)

Yeah, so basically, no one never said “let it go” and you were just spewing rhetoric.

OK, and I maintain that if a loss of $7,500 would destroy your company, YOU DON’T OFFER CREDIT OF $7,500. You make it sound like the people that run these small businesses are all idiots. They aren’t.

So I didn’t trash companies. Thanks. “Smearing companies” would be saying “they stole money from us”. Going to the media and telling the truth (if creditors do not extend the loans longer, the school will be forced to fire 45% of its staff) can hardly be construed as “smearing”.

Sorry, I meant “average graduation rates of students that go to colleges from Connecticut public high schools.” I can see how that would be confusing. You, however, were crystal clear when you stated that “only about 10% will actually graduate with a degree” and “[you] bet” “maybe 1 or 2 will go to an ‘Ivy League School’”. I can see how you would think that I am presupposing and you are not.

If you did read the post, it guess it just wasn’t carefully. It’s not MY education at stake. It’s the OP’s. I was suggesting a course of action to him. You were too busy being indignant and calling me a fucknugget, I suppose, to notice that. You colossal ass.

Oh, FTR, I don’t think it’s the companies’ fault the district missed $3,000,000. If the district goes under, though, and I was a student/parent of a student of that district, I guarantee I’d be pissed as hell at the companies who WERE offering credit but NOW need their money -right-fucking-now-.

  • Rob
19

Almost forgot!

Yeah, I should have known that teachers can magically find new jobs right away but “normal people” can’t. Silly me.

  • Rob
20

Loverboy,

You have to understand that teachers, along with most other government employees, are not considered real jobs by most of the population. Therefore, they getting layed off is no big deal and may even be a benefit (since they consume tax dollars and all). That is also why they want as cheaply paid teachers as possible rather than higher paid ones since it’s all a big waste anyway!

Now, industry employees getting layed off is terrible! The sky is falling! The end of the world!

Blink