yeah_and - Great post!!!

It drives me insane to think that I as a parent am doing my job and raising my children to attend school, to receive good grades, keep their butts out of trouble and do and act as they are expected to. I pay my taxes on time, pay my childrens athletic fees by check, go and register them along with paying the school dues. Now that couple that lives down the street who has three kids that have been suspended too many times to count, finally they were expelled, the police department is a regular fixture at their house for such things as battery, assault, theft, robbery, and anything else that starts with a letter in the English alphabet. Those children will still receive their diploma from school if they attend for two hours a day and do nothing. And my tax dollars are paying for these lazy parents children to be entertained at a very expensive "school" because someone deemed them worthwhile, even though they have lost all rights to and education by our public school standards. Now for the punch line of this joke, you want to lay off the teachers that are there teaching my children who respect the privilege of attending school, and keep paying thousands of dollars a month for a school for delinquents to attend? And why is it that every school in Janesville is named after an important individual in history except for our wonderful "delinquent high school", even that had to be different. Lets reward the children that are doing their jobs well and attending school by not laying off their teachers that are there to teach them. Lets for once punish those in society that cant handle being in society. Back to the theory of you made your bed now lie in it.

If the teachers were in private business they would face layoffs or dismissal at any time. Performance is the real question and I hope the education of our children means something, but I never hear the teachers union discuss that part of their job. The teachers can get unemployment pay or move just like anyone else has to.

I'm surprised that no one has brought up the fact that Janesville is paying for it's minority students to go to college as long as they agree to at least apply to the JSD once they graduate. How ridiculous is this considering the budget and the fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of teachers who already have a degree, that they paid for, looking for a teaching job. Maybe instead of paying for college degrees for minorities they should spend Tuesday mornings in the staff development meetings teaching the teachers how to use multiculturalism in their classrooms. Besides with layoffs, they apparently aren't even going to have jobs for the teachers whose degrees they paid for.

Citizen,

The rubber band is already tight -- increasing taxes is not the answer. Living within the current budget or better yet reducing the budget would be better. If that means taking facilties out of service, outsourcing certain services, -- i.e. start thinking out of the box.

Face it -- values are headed down. We will have to do more with less, which means better quality per $$. New ideas. Not the typical -- we will raise taxes to fill the bucket..... then look again when the bucket is empty --

"Time the teachers learn real economics and not the crap they foist on our kids."

I'm a part-time teacher forced to work 3 jobs because of my REAL ECONOMIC situation. Open mouth, insert foot.

How about shutting down Harrison Elementary School, spreading that into Monroe and Kennedy and using the building for the Charter school which the school district is leasing, nice way to save money. Also, INCREASE THE TAX RATE!!!!! Sure times are tough, but if you really want to see your property values drop, wait until the school system goes to pot. Sure your taxes didn't go up, but now your house value has dropped because no one wants to go to Janesville for school. Good school systems are directly tied to property values, that's why Janesville's house values haven't completely tanked from GM going out of business.

it's not a him...

The key to all of the problems:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNIqArJj8...

JJL,
He probably has one of those "fake" doctor (Edd) degrees behind his name...not a real Phd doctor degree..

why in the world is the supt of Milton schools paying the head of the specialty need kids $165.000 a yr? one could hire 3 teachers for that money! short of money ha?...i think not! no sympathy here!

Meanwhile this dude might lose his job, others in the union are lining their pockets. Seniority shouldnt mean anything. Skill level should. "seniority" is the failing way of the ancients. People need to get with the times. Unions = catastrophic failures. Seniority = is a term used by old people that are threatened by the more younger up to date and educated folks.

sportthewar, I fail to see how anything in that Queensryche song relates to this story. Great song though.

How about some part time positions that do not pay benefits. These are changing times people. Have to change with it.

"...but no one really sees, the way society, keeps spreading the disease..."

scooter47
"your last post was very disturbing"
I know it even disturbed me; no it didn't..yes it did..shut up, ok , i'm back. Yes, i do realize it was a bit crass.

tpaine, your last post was very disturbing. Again, posters, if you want to get rid of the "pain" suggest removal on all their posts. He/she is a bitter person who is spreading a disease!

Nice try, tpaine.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=871-3XMht...

Also, tpaine:
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http://paradoxdgn.com/junk/avatars/troll...
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u mad?

Enrollment is down 300? Even with PJ4? I love how people just make stuff up.

Enrollment summary:

2009-10 10,456
2008-09 10,567
2007-08 10,379
2006-07 10,555
2005-06 10,589
2004-05 10,606
2003-04 10,667
2002-03 10,699
2001-02 10,624
2000-01 10,758
1999-00 10,621
1998-99 10,723
1997-98 10,501
1996-97 10,636
1995-96 10,586

Winns (Wisconsin Information Network for Successful Schools)

I must say I greatly enjoyed reading the debate on the definition of "maroon."
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For the record, I was quoting Bugs Bunny, who frequently used the phrase. My point was that tpaine was being so incredibly stupid that it was cartoonish.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Kh7nLpl...

tpaine,
Maroon is not a slang term for anything. It is a word with multiple definitions as you can see from the dictionary entry I posted. It would appear that you arrived at this battle of wits unarmed.
(That's my variation on an old saying; Oscar Wilde I believe)

Now tpaine, that is the best advice I have heard, maybe you should heed it. Obviously you are angry about something and your only way to manage your anger is to insult, belittle or find fault with any opinion contrary to your own. Life is too short to be that unhappy. So, have a wonderful New Year, if that is possible.

"Didn't Bugs Bunny call Elmer Fudd a maroon once?"
yes, it is called "slang"
there is a saying "never argue with an idiot;they may not be able to tell which is whom"

Actually it might be a good time for several of our younger teachers to realize that this may not be the right career given the times we are living in! While they are still young and versatile, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise to put them on a more stable career path that may present additional opportunities than teaching in Janesville will present them. I am sure other fields will be more willing to hire a young college educated person than hiring an "older" person who leaves teaching.

their is no xcuse for spelling airors anymor. Ther're a thing caaled spell chekers to fix theze thinks for yoo.

Didn't Bugs Bunny call Elmer Fudd a maroon once? Even the people educated by
Janesville teachers should know this alternative definition.

witch, which, morning brain fog w/o coffee.

BeloitGuy, One thing you failed to mention in your posts is that for every 6 credits you earn you get a $1200 salary hike. You can continue to do this all the way to a doctorate degree witch will pay you about $77,000 a year plus benifits. I think it is a pretty good rate of return on a 2K investment.Now you are talking some real money.You cannot expect something for nothing.

tpaine,
ma·roon 1 (m-rn)
tr.v. ma·rooned, ma·roon·ing, ma·roons
1. To put ashore on a deserted island or coast and intentionally abandon.
2. To abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape: The travelers were marooned by the blizzard.
n.
1. often Maroon
a. A fugitive Black slave in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries.
b. A descendant of such a slave.
2. A person who is marooned, as on an island.
[From French marron, fugitive slave, from American Spanish cimarrón, wild, runaway, perhaps from cima, summit (from runaways' fleeing to the mountains), from Latin cma, sprout; see cyma.]
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/maroon
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Just because you don't know of any other definitions of the word doesn't mean that there are no other definitions. Maybe you should try to save a teacher's job by re-enrolling in a high school English class. It appears you could use some more schooling.

tpaine, your reference to maroon depends if it is used as a verb or an adjective. The definition you describe is that of an adjective. Of course, we are sure you were aware of that.

uwwalum,
yea, the word you refer to is a COLOR
french in origin i believe?

tpaine,
It shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone that has read your posts that you don't know that a "maroon" is a person that has been cast off, thrown away, abandoned. No wonder you don't value quality education. It appears you never received one. Both "maroon" and "moron" are fitting in your case.

Eksreigh,
I AGREE, for all the teachers in janesville
trying to "maximize my income" "throw in the towel" and go burden some other community with your "services"...

Eksreigh, Insightful! Thanks for the links and for sharing your ideas.

If you are trying to "maximize income" perhaps you should have chosen a different profession with greater income growth possibilities? I suggest straight commission sales.

If I was a Janesville teacher trying to maximize my income, I would throw in the towel and get out. Teachers, Janesville is not the place for you to work. If you have extended family or friends here, you can always come back to visit during school breaks.
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Education ranks far down the list of priorities in this factory town, somewhere above paying taxes to pick up trash in the streets but below paying to watch midget wrestling or making payments on an SUV.
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Where to go? For starters, I would check online for a list of metro areas, counties, or cities ranked in order by the percentage of adults who have college degrees. You know the people who live there place a high value on education.
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This web page (http://www.brookings.edu/metro/StateOfMe...), for example, shows that in the highest ranked area in the country over 46% of adults over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree and almost 22% of them have graduate degrees. In Rock County (http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/educLevel...), the respective numbers are 11% and 5%. I read that to mean that Rock County is roughly 1/4 as educated as the most highly educated area in the country.
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Since almost anybody can borrow money to go to college these days, that can only mean that in Rock County the demand for quality education is low. Why continue to beat your heads against the wall? Is this really the best place to be selling your services as an educator? Wouldn’t it make more sense to teach in a school district that appreciates your skills and is willing to pay for them?

BeloitGuy,Investment brokers, Lawyers, RE agents,ect. all need continuing educatin credits to remain licensed to name a few. We pay out of pocket as most are independent contractors. After paying my own way for the last 25 yrs and not complaining I retired. Lets just say I can take care of myself. as my mentor once told me,"you are paid what you are worth" If you think you are worth more then follow your talent.

KingRizzo,
"What a maroon." ???
yea right, who is the real MORON?

I must apoligize to tpaine, at my age I am lucky to spell anything correctly. I would note,I did get education spelled right once in my post. Has anyone wondered what tpaine is a pain in. Again sorry for my ignorance, I am 79 years old and was always taught not to make fun of people, but to discuss things respectfully.

tpaine09:
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So you feel qualified to correct someone over "hear" vs. "here" when you have demonstrated your inability to correctly differentiate between "your" and "you're"?
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What a maroon.

Keep feeding the troll folks.

tpaine09: You're arrogant, So BeloitGuy did not earn his job? Because you pay taxes you and you alone employ him. I find it difficult to even read your comments because of the ignorance they portray! Let me guess you were born in Janesville.

Not a teacher BTW. My son makes enought money so that I don't have to lift a finger. When are you going to quit hiding behind your screen name.

Is that all you got little boy.

Lynn Harless,
"You come on hear and complain"
at least i can spell "here" in the right context..must be another ignorant teacher.
p.s. who says i'm a guy?

tpaine09 - You make me laugh. You come on hear and complain about whiny teachers, yet every single one of your posts is whining about something. With a name like tpaine09 I'm guessing you are not who you say you are. A professional investor? As opposed to an ameteur investor. It's easy to be a tough guy behind a computer, but it takes a real man to put your real name behind your posts. Keep posting away tough guy. Your ignorance is pure bliss.

Lynn Harless

teacher24u
"How will quality eduacation continue with less teachers."
I believe the "quality" will fare quite well,due to the fact that you lack the ability to even spell education correctly!!!

jqpublic,
many thousands;
no, you are correct he is a taxpayer too; with my tax money!

The scariest part is how much the teacher's union president sounds like the past leadership of UAW Local 95. How did that work for us?

Think about cutting teacher positions when the administation refuses to look inside. There are admin positions or services that could be outsourced which most business's already understand doing before cutting the heart of the education. How will quality eduacation continue with less teachers. Let's look at technology in the admin end to reduce unneeded services, and get your heads out of the sand. Secrataries, HR, janitorial should be at risk long before the teachers.

tpaine09: How much did you pay in school tax this year? BeloitGuy pays taxes, does this mean that he is paying for his own salary?

BeloitGuy,
it means that teachers pay quite a lot out of pocket.
yea, my pocket, since that is where your paycheck comes from in the 1st place...

1. The district is facing a potential budget shortfall of nearly $10 million.
2. We have 300 less students than two years ago.
3. We have a new Governor who is not going to send Janesville one extra cent.
4 The teachers union President says the problem is because the taxpayers have not been taxed to the max.
5. The people of Janesville have many problems that must be solved and nobody likes change.
6. We have great teachers in this city but just like every business tough decisions will have to be made.

DJS, the credits are *required* in order for teachers to retain their state teaching license. Hence, teachers like Beloitguy do not have a choice about paying out of pocket for at least two graduate classes every five years. Many teachers do elect to take more or obtain a Masters or two in order to advance on the salary schedule. But since financial aid is only available for those who take four or more credits a semester, it means that teachers pay quite a lot out of pocket.

DJS - I am sure there are a lot of professions that require continuing education. Not sure if there are many that require 6 credits every 5 years though. I would be interested to hear what your profession was and how often you needed to take credits. Are they paid for by your employer? How much does each credit cost? Honest questions, not trying to stir the pot.

Beloit guy, your profession is not unique in requiring additional education to move up the income ladder. I have to do it as well as many other workers. This is something you do for your self in order to move ahead. The teachers are usually the only ones crying about the cost they must bear to advance on the pay scale. It rings pretty hollow with some of us who are required to take continuing education in order to stay employed.

I see valid points on both sides. Whatever the school board decides to do, I hope they allocate enough money in the budget so that Sodemann can get a new haircut and glasses. Looks like it's time to change that oil.

How about this....I will agree to take a pay cut this year if you agree to pay the tuition (at least $2000) and book fee (a few more hundred) for the 6 credits I need to keep my teacher licensure.....

I do not see anyone talking about administrators salaries. I feel they are very heavy compared to teachers salaries. Lets look at health care, also very over the top when compared to private sector employees. The teachers unions are always pushing for more. Look what the union demands have done to the auto industry. Cuts need to be made across the board. I cringe when I see people who are affiliated with the education industry running for our school board. They always favor the teachers and their union.Thank God for some common sense, Mr Sodemann.

Spiderpig: Nice name. Now all I can here is Homer Simpson singing that song in my head. Thanks. lol

Shermd81: Your argument may have been valid 5 years ago, but the situations you give as example are not the case for many families in this town anymore. In case you didn't notice, restaurants and other businesses are going out of business all over the place. Sales are down everywhere. The expendable income just isn't there right now for many people. I agree, the school board should have gradually raised taxes over the years as the state permits them to do, but to come back now and say, in this economy, that property owners should have to cough up a couple more hundred dollars a year all at once is not the solution. For families already trying to survive on reduced or no income, that is a lot of money. You're also right about another thing, I would never run for school board. Believe me, I'd love to. Unfortunately, I have to work a full time job, sometimes 50 or 55 hours a week, and do not have the time to dedicate to it. I'm responsible for operating business locations within an allocated budget. That isn't optional for me, or we'd be out of business. I have many employees that are deserving of raises, but won't be getting them because the money simply isn't there. Their health costs went up this year too. Sales have dropped off. Hours have been cut. Budgets have been cut. The solution IS NOT to spend money we do not have!
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However you phrase it, the bottom line is that the teachers asked for and the school board agreed to what amounts to $3 million in pay increases. However you divide it up, that is a hefty portion of the $10 million dollar shortfall. This spending money we don't have has to stop. Figure out what your resources are, then work together to figure out how to operate within those resources. Its common sense. Bankrupting the school district by continuing to spend money we don't have isn't going to make things any better. Good luck with that for the next generation.

"Some gripe about the few teachers "making 60-70 grand" who are "just taking up space", but ignore the other teachers making $35k and working their backsides off. Don't they deserve a raise?"

Stubby, I agree. Those teachers making 35K and working hard and being effective are the ones being cut because of seniority because it's the most convenient way to do it. You should be cut based on your effectiveness I don't care if you have been there 20, 30, 40 years.

It was my understanding that the primary focus for the teachers union for the most recent contract was working conditions like classroom/prep time, meetings, professional development time. It was also my understanding that many of these items (which have little if any cost to the district) did not want to be discussed by the district. To say that the teachers were demanding a raise is quite a stetch, especially in the first year plus of negotiations. To say that the district did not want to negotiate on items that could have made salary a lesser/non issue would be more accurate. However, "Teachers Demand Raise" or "Taxes Go Up" are much more likely to be seen on page 1A of this newspaper than "District Refuses To Budge New Teacher Class Requirements" or "District Negotiations Lawyer Fee Now Reaches $___ Amount." Those lines are in 10pt font not 40pt. In the end the district budged on some money/benefit things and some working condition things while holding ground in both areas as well. I would call that negotiating. If money was the district's concern, perhaps they should have budged less on money and more on working conditions. If this contract was not sustainable then the district should not have offered it.

What erkes me is when one person calls in to live radio and calls special ed. students retards, spouts off at the mouth and says that they should not be in the schools. I am against political correctness, but why is the commentator and program director not telling people not to call in anymore when the caller does these things.

Some gripe about the few teachers "making 60-70 grand" who are "just taking up space", but ignore the other teachers making $35k and working their backsides off. Don't they deserve a raise? Did you know that a new teacher with a family could qualify for free lunches? These people have, for the most part, earned the 1% increase they will receive, and I, for one, am ashamed that it is not more.

Interesting how many armchair school board members we have on these blogs. NOT ONE of YOU would EVER run for school board!! Not that I think the Janesville School Board has the best interests of the STUDENTS in mind, but NONE of you would accept the responsibility of being a school board member!!

The topic of the teacher's BIG raise has been coming up here as well. Really? Big raise? 1%, .5%, etc. over so many years is now considered a BIG raise? When Governor Idiot (that's Tommy Thompson) decided to destroy public education in this state during his FAILED reign as our governor, NONE of you complained when teachers got NOTHING short of a 0% raise!! For 15+ years, that was the case!! In the 90's!! When EVERYONE (no, not teachers) got raises!!

The Janesville School Board has had the opportunity to tax to the max (yes, that's what SHOULD have been happening EVERY YEAR) for years and failed!! Over the past 10 years, MANY people's property taxes have gone up between $100-$150. That's $10-$15 per year!! WOW, that's going to BREAK EVERYONE's budgets with all of the SUV's around town, everyone's need to eat out EVERY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, and the need to have $200 smart phones!! Wow, GREAT PRIORITIES people of Janesville!! You ALL want FREE EDUCATION, but complain when the school system is struggling to keep up with other countries!! Things are NOT FREE in this world!! Education, goods and services, etc., cost money, but apparently, the vast majority of you think that's the way it should be!! Continue to talk out of BOTH sides of your mouths!! Better teachers paid less. Less taxes, higher expectations!! Good luck with that for the next generation!!

"They never should have agreed to increases when they knew there was no money to pay for it. "

When a school board tries to cut or budget teacher salaries, the union usually wages a smear campaign that contains phrases like, "the school board is against children", "they don't care about our kids", "our priorities with our children's education is misguided", It (union) is like a divorced man or woman using the children to try and get more money from the courts by telling a sob story. It is time that seniority take a back seat because there are teachers making 60-70 grand a year that are just filling up empty space. Sure there are awesome teachers making this amount of money but there needs to be a method in place to rid school districts of ineffective teachers that only show up to collect unearned money. Why the hell would a union protect these people?

IMO, the school board definitely carries the majority of the blame for this situation. They never should have agreed to increases when they knew there was no money to pay for it. Apparently they believe in the same budgeting strategy as the city.

Saying the teachers/union "demanded" pay increases is a bit of a stretch. Sure they requested/bargained for it, but the school board (who control the purse strings)approved the contract. It's not like the teachers/union have any recourse (they're not allowed to strike)if the contract isn't approved. The only avenue left would be binding arbitration and look how that turned out in Milton (teachers lost).
PS - I'm not a JEA member.

I fail to see why there seems to be this continued distinction made between "the teachers" and "the union" They are one and the same. The union is made up of teachers. It is not a separate entity. They vote. They make decisions. Understandably, there will always be a minority that voted against whatever was decided by election, but the bottom line is that the majority still supported it. The union cannot "look out for itself, not necessarily the teachers" because it is comprised of teachers. Its all the same. If you aren't happy with the questions you're not being asked, do something about it. It is your organization, and you have the ability to try to change things. Those of us on the outside do not. I'm sure most, if not all, of you are just trying to do your JOBS, but most, if not all of you, still demanded $3 million in pay increases during a recession in a district with declining enrollment and nearly 10% unemployment. The majority supported that or it wouldn't have happened. If you didn't support it, but you didn't oppose it you are still guilty. It is YOUR union, not mine. Demanding pay increases in this kind of economic climate when the district is already facing major shortfalls IS SELFISH. If there was no union, I would have no business lumping all teachers into one group, but there is a union that makes a decision for all teachers. Rose- You said it yourself "we act as a group" I am not out of line to group you all together. I have read most of these posts, and I don't believe anyone said teachers get paid too much. That isn't the argument. To say "there is NO answer to any of this. Period." is the same as burying your head in the sand, and it is the attitude that got us into this mess to begin with. There is an answer, and its cuts. If teachers don't want to be the ones on the chopping block then they should start by declining the pay increases. They should follow by getting involved with the school board and encouraging parents (as you are the first line of communication to them) to get involved as well so everyone can work towards a solution. Teachers are on the front lines. They are the ones doing the job, so they should have the best suggestions as to how to make due with $10 million less. You have organized as a union. You don't get to sit back now and say you have no way to organize a change. You may end up in the minority, but at least you tried. Sitting on your hands and saying there's just no solution so we should find a money tree or keep operating to excess is not a viable option. There is no point in arguing about whether to cut or not, we're WAY past that point by now. Cuts HAVE to be made because there is no money to pay for it. The quality of the education WILL suffer. Its undeniable, but the solution is not to somehow spend money we don't have. The solution is for everyone to work together to ensure that the cuts have the least possible impact on the EDUCATION of the students....before the district ends up bankrupt.

I worked over 20 yrs at taxpayer funded positions. I seen "The Change" with my own eyes. Here is the deal, whether anyone likes it or not, generations change priorities. Back in the day, we focused on benefits. The next generation focused on the tools of the trade or what my generation referred to as "toys". The next generation focused on "curb appeal", ie new buildings, new vehicles..etc.And budgets grew.

As the taxpayers started opening their eyes, the politicians started cutting. Now each generation had a voice. So we got new equipt, but started sharing the cost of insurance. The next contract, we got a new building, but started sharing our clothing allowance. The next contract we hired more people to get time-off, but lost percentages on annual raises. Now they are focused on cutting everything.

Here is my point, as generations come and go, the budget will reflect the "now" generations priorities. Normally, the ones with seniority look back and say, "What I did with a $20 Beta player, is the same thing I am now doing with a $200 Blu-ray player". "What I did in a smaller room with more students, I now do in a bigger room with less students". The fear they are now having is, "I just want to teach without them taking money or benefits away from me."

We all want our kids to have the best. But in reality, when we look back, we did pretty darn good with what we had and how we turned out. Only thing is, no one wants to admit, maybe we have just spoiled our kids (& ourselves)and have given too much and now that bill has come past due for it. IMO - We all are to blame.

"generations of immigrants had to learn english w/o special teachers (25 of them).."

What types of jobs do you think these immigrants were getting tpain?

They certainly were not getting engineering, pharmacy, medical, economists, management, or other professional jobs. Most of them were getting "pull a lever" type of jobs that required no skills in academic English language. I will say that some were the exception and became successful entrepreneurs but very few.

Rose --

The Union is part of the problem -- not the solution. The union protects bad teachers, which unfortunately overshadows the good and even great ones. So as a taxpayer, I pay for an overall quality of education that doesnt meet the cost benefit analyis one would make.

In reality -- one would reason that some of the kids are dragging down the education system. Teachers are forced to teach to the lowest level, not the highest level. They are judged on their collective success, which lumps in kids that really dont have a chance (nor the IQ).

So the union looks out for itslef, not necessarily the teachers, and some people want to treat all students the same even though the reality is there are wide variations in ability.

My point is I know my daughters have 2 great teachers, 5 are ok, and 1 that should be shoveling dog poo. My concern is that during budget cuts, 1 of the great teachers may lose their job, and as a parent I a still stuck with the dog poo. I , as a parent, end up teaching my child beacause the system is broken. The politics comes in because the union and all parties are looking out for themselves. But I as a parent -- am responsible for my child -- period, not you. If sacrafice must be made, and teaching positions eliminated..... the bad teachers must go.

roseboo,
You echo the sentiments of many teachers that are close friends of mine. I completely understand your frustration. You understand the situation for what it is now. Too bad you didn't realize what you were getting in to when you began your career, but most brand new teachers don't. It's not something they teach you in methods and not something that usually comes out during that one semester of student teaching. Hang in there. Don't let these people that have no idea what it takes to become a teacher or what it takes to stay a teacher get you down. Hopefully your job is safe.

ELL kids have to sink or swim? That's pretty funny considering none of us can speak the native languages of the very country we live in. That is, of course, unless you speak Navajo, Iroquois, Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Shawnee, Chickasaw, Wampanoag, Natchez, Massachusett, Chippewa, and so on. If you do, my apologies.
What's more, historically, Spanish was more widely spoken in this country long before English was. Funny how short-sighted some people are. Perhaps they just don't know their own country's history. In reading these comments one thing becomes very clear: The last thing this town needs to lose are good teachers. Unless Janesville's goal is to perpetuate a vicious cycle of ignorance through under-education that is.

Seabeee,
dear sir or ma'am,
ONLY teachers commentary is necessary HERE!
as for that money you speak of, ITS FOR THE KIDS!!! where ARE your common manners?

Hey Roseboo, are you saying that because people like me, without kids, don't deserve to have an opinion on this topic? Seriously? YOU ARE SPENDING MY FREAKING MONEY! Thats all the reason I need.

roseboo10,
wow! you are a teacher? after reading your posts, this is scary, people of jvl. you leave your kids alone w/ this person x-hours a day!
"what you plan on doing with the ELL kids then?" deport them, the illegal ones that is,
the rest will either sink or swim. generations of immigrants had to learn english w/o special teachers (25 of them)..

Of course class size matters, but unless you work as a teacher day in day out planning the most minute details so that lessons go smoothly you might not understand that. Just for example, if you have 5 classes and 150-200 papers to correct you're looking at about a week to give feedback on one assignment! The reality is that many teachers will reluctantly just give less practice or more lower level thinking multiple choice practices just to stay afloat. Also, in a class, how can 30-40 students stay engaged all hour? If a teacher even checks in 2 times with each student that would mean 80 student comments in a 50 minute period-and that would only work without factoring in instruction time. The reality is that fewer students will talk in class. And those scenarios are if there is a "perfect" class. The reality is that 2-3 students miss class each day and ask for missing assignments, 1-2 students come in late and disrupt class, 2-4 students leave early for sports or appointments, 2-4 forgot their books in their lockers, and 1-3 per class just ask irrelevant questions like "what did we do last Friday when I was gone" or "did you mark me absent October 21st?" to try to get the teacher off task. Then there are the urgent needs like, "my contact fell out can I go to the bathroom?" or "I left my wallet in the lunchroom can I go see if it is still there??" Numbers do matter and will impact how classes run. There are other, more intelligent places where these cuts can be made. I don't really care for myself. I am trying to get out of J-town, but I do care about students and know that they will be impacted by larger classes.

When it comes to taxes, either live within the pot of money or increase the pot of money. The problems come when it is a certain group that wants something. Take the pot of money, divide it and live within it. If it is not enough increase taxes and all areas get a portion of the increase not just specialized areas. If you dont want to pay extra taxes for all, dont ask for it for only your special interest.

When it comes to teachers, my experience is class size from 8 to 50 plus did not matter as much as teacher dedication to providing and sharing their knowledge. I had teachers who would not speak outside the classroom and others who gave out their home number to call for help until 8 at night. Class size did nothing to determine that, seeing your job as providing and serving did that.

roseboo, I fully agree with your concerns about your union. I would support your ability to be a teacher and not be part of the union but your union bosses probably don't agree with us. You do have to understand that when you collectively bargain, people will judge you and your peers similarly because you are a "union." You are one so to speak. If you don't like this speak up about it because we the public are as tired of the politics of education as you are. We are tired of being called "haters" or "bashers" or "not supportive of education." We always seem to be called this when we question the use of resources and the school district's ever increasing need for dollars the taxpayers are running short of. The "need" of the school district just never seems to end. It just increases every year despite decreasing enrollment. The public is just getting to the point where we are saying no more to all levels of government.

Paragraphs are our Friends

t-paine, there are 25 ELL teachers in the district for roughly 800 students. And someone on here made a comment about special ed, you made a comment about ELL. And if you can make the comment about ELL, then back it up with what you plan on doing with the ELL kids then? How do you plan on testing them? Did you even know they have state mandated testing every year? I mean, you can't just go running around saying, "We should cut out the post office and just deliver everything electronically....!" I mean, cutting ELL, cutting Foreign Language, that doesn't solve anything. It just creates another problem. There is NO answer to any of this. Period.

Ok but the point being is that this "anti" the "teachers" is also ridiculous. Pardon me saying that, but you are looping a great amount of people into the union, who, are a part of the union whether they want to be or not. If I was personally asked "Could you relinquish 10 dollars a paycheck so we could keep a teacher from being laid off?" Yes. But are we individually asked these question? No. We are a union. We act as a group. So yes, I take things VERY personally, when an entire group of people (over 1,000), are being put in the fire when most of us, if not all, are just trying to do our JOBS. I went to school because I wanted to teach kids. I wanted to work with kids, I wanted to help. I didn't take this job to make millions, I took it to make a difference. I'm just so frustrated because when I went into teaching, or when I decided to go into teaching, I had no idea the politics behind it. Do I want to make enough money so I can pay for my rent, car payment, and groceries? Yes. But do I rant and rave about not making enough? No. I get by. And when I say I get by, I do. To place so many educators in one boat, to call us whiny and selfish, THAT is the concern we educators have.Concerned parent, taxpayer, or not, WE educators have an obligation, a license, to teach your children. We have insurance, yes, and we have nice benefits, but laying off teachers isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Sure you can lay off 100 teachers, but what are you going to do with the children? Classes of 50? Does anyone seriously think that would actually work? Just let us teach, please. We have no idea what will happen, we can't predict the future and we can't make the decisions.....if we get laid off, fine. We'll move, and children will move, and then Janesville will be even worse than it is now....then what?

roseboo10,
i made no comment of special ed..?
i said less students=less teachers,
cut admin pay to 5 figures,
get rid of ell, by the way does anyone know how many ell teachers jvl. has?
i also said more people should homeschool,this will hurt the fed funding & make the "education" Bureaucracy more accountable & competitive.
special ed is important & should not be cut.

li713--Excellent post! I don't think the majority of people are "anti-teacher", but rather are "anti" the teachers' refusal to accept the reality of the economic situation. There is a finite amount of money available to fund these schools--I understand that is a difficult concept for anyone who has spent a lengthly amount of time in the public sector to comprehend--but it really is the truth! People need to be held accountable to these budgets--administrators and teachers will need to lose their jobs--this is the reality of the situation. I'm definitely in the anti-union camp once again. The younger teachers, regardless of how bright, innovative or ambitious they are, will no doubt be tossed aside simply because someone ahead of them has been collecting a check for a longer period of time.........

KingRizzo- If I needed a car to get to work, I would buy a car I could afford or I'd utilize alternate transportation. I wouldn't agree to pay $3 million on top of the $7 million I already don't have.

I'm not arguing that the the school board hasn't placed value on the wrong things in the last few years (to say the least). I think I specifically pointed out that is does't do us any good to have nice new facilities if there are no teachers left to educate the kids. For YEARS the district spent and spent and spent. Despite declining enrollment, they spent. Despite major economic woes had by the citizens and businesses in this town, they spent. Despite the obviously impending recession, they spent. Kids are in school to get an education that will get them through life. That should come first above all. It has not been placed above all. This is the consequence. Its really unfortunate that sports, extracurriculars, and other secondary things students benefit from will suffer as well, but this is the reality of a $10 million shortfall. Its sad that students may not have the opportunity to engage in activities that help make well rounded individuals, but it is far more important that they can balance their checkbooks, and correctly and effectively communicate the English language. I stand by my opinion that teachers have no business demanding $3 million in pay increases, and then crying about cuts. The union chose to sacrifice some for the benefit of others. Those left standing at the end of it will have gotten their pay increases, and clearly that's the most important thing. Anyone that thinks that they should get what they get just because they deserve it wouldn't make it in the world with no union to protect them. To make that argument in an area that has nearly 10% unemployment, scores of people being downsized and laid off, companies going out of business and relocating left and right, employee benefits being slashed to those that can manage to hang on to a job, and sky rocketing healthcare costs, assuming you're actually lucky enough to have health benefits, is inexcusably ignorant. Life isn't fair. It isn't the world's job to make sure you get what you deserve. Sometimes you don't get what you deserve because there's no money to pay for it. Welcome to the lives of the rest of us. Why should teachers be exempt? I couldn't have gotten my job without a college education. It wasn't free, and its not my employers obligation to pay for it. Everyone is struggling now. Why should my burden be increased so you don't have to?

I know this probably doesn't help much, roseboo, but there are concerned parents reading this article and the comments attached. Not all of us are so quick to jump at the idea of laying off dozens of teachers.
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Though I am not a teacher, and don't know what happens on a daily basis at JSD schools, as a parent and a taxpayer, I think it's reasonable that I be allowed to ask questions and form opinions about this topic without being told my thoughts don't count because I work outside the school district. I also have a college degree and worked very hard with some really great teachers to accomplish that. The fact that I my degree is not in education does not automatically make me incapable of forming a reasonable opinion about the education of my children.
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And for the record, your second comment was much more credible without the dog trying to help you type.:)

I fear that I will lose credibility on the "gazette extra" website. And in addition, yes it is frutrating because most of the posts on here are not concerned parents giving helpful answers, although I wish it was, they are people who don't have kids, or don't know anything about teachers ranting. And as far as my gibberish? I am a college graduate and one class away from my masters, so I'm not concerned as my dog is laying across my arm right now, if I use ur instead of your. Yes, I am frustrated, and yes if I went on a website ranting about things I didn't know and someone told me to shut my trap, maybe I should.

roseboo ~ Just the other day, you made a very mature, informative comment about teacher salaries. I really appreciated reading your input. Today, you're hollering gibberish like irregardless, gotta, gonna, and helllz. I understand that it's probably very frustrating and insulting to read some of the comments below this article, but coming in here and telling concerned parents and citizens to shut up probably isn't going to help. Also, as a teacher, you might want to follow at least some of the basic rules of spelling and grammar or you'll lose credibility with the masses...

Ezoner , I agree more parental involvement would be great. As a parent of 2 (graduated) that went through Janesville schools , I was told numerous times that I wasn't "helping" correctly. The way I was taught algebra was "wrong" cursive writing "wrong" math and reading was "wrong' because they don't want any memorization as I learned . Funny how I went through the district and graduated only to be told everything I learned is the incorrect (old) way. Hard to help the kids.

Oh T-pain how i've missed you! I'm sure you only post on here to get your "kicks"..... but irregardless of who is a teacher and who pays taxes, you are all arguing (or the majority) about things you have no idea about. The big elephant in the room is something called AYP. I'm assuming T-pain already knows what that is, so I won't insult him by explaining teaching acronyms, BUT, this "ell" program you are talking about axing is made up of over 750 students in the Janesville School District and still growing. If AYP isn't met at our schools, then they go into probation, then get closed. It's happening all over the US. So, if we ax the Special Ed and ELL programs that people are talking about, then who's gonna teach these kids and who will help out the schools when the Special Ed and ELL students cause us not to make our AYP (no fault of their own--but because T-pain suggested we just ax these programs)? If you've ever tried to teach in a school who has no one that speaks Spanish and tries to educate and assist a family who doesn't speak English.....it proves quite difficult.

I am really tired of reading people's posts here when they have no idea what they are talking about. I mean, seriously, am I gonna go on the Dean blog and rant about how Doctor's get paid too much? Helllllzzz no, if I gotta pay a doctor a billion dollars to cure my cancer sometime in the future, then I'm gonna keep my mouth shut. Some day, you, T-pain, just might be healed by some ELL kid who you didn't want to learn because they were causing money to be spent. This is all ridiculous.

Unless you have actual stats and facts then keep it shut people. And as far as our astronomical salaries, then tell me which position out there has you pay out of pocket to further your own education in order to get a raise or some sort of advancement......I'm still scrambling to find 1,200 dollars to pay for my last grad class this Spring. You can't get financial aid if you take less than 4 credits. So, I pay 1,200 dollars next week to take a class that I will see a tiny increase in my pay starting in October. Is it worth it? I guess, because it' the only way to move up on the pay scale.....but is it a pain in the a$$ like other professions? Yes. We work our a##'s off and have been for a long time. Are there crappy teachers out there? Sure. Just like there are crappy lawyers, doctors, and carpenters. It doesn't MATTER. You wouldn't have ANY of those professions without teachers, so shut ur trap t-pain and until you have some REAL advice for the school board about how to cut back, then go blog on a board you actually have knowledge about, because you really just make yourself look like a tool every time you post. Really, has ANYONE backed you on here? Ur alone on this one buddy.....and I look forward to your ridiculous come back to my post. I can't wait! My fingers will be ready to type! yayyyy!

As usual -- some struggle with the reality.

1. Taxes are killing us already, and there is pressure and uncertainty on who and how much they will continue to STEAL from each of us. Feds, State, and local Govmts.

2. Teachers -- a large number of those I have met, have some serious isssues and are not rewarded for performance, but for longevity.

3. Teachers -- many are arrogant and have been taught or trained that parents just are unable to educate their kids.... in reality -- it should be a team effort between a teacher and parent. See how that works --- there are a few teachers that need a thump in the nose.

4. So more money, more teachers, more classes -- thats not the problem. It the quality of instruction and involvemnet of the parents.

Regarding the 2.4 million for Taraska Stadium, Arrowhead high school. YES - the district did put up $500,000, but the rest was donated by the local community. Money always seems to be available for sports and locally that could hold true for Janesville. Time to get the community involved more financially if money is so short in the school district. Number one money priority has to be education. Time for KiNgRiZZo to think outside da bun.:-)

Welcome to Janesville... where an increase in trash collection fees gets 2 hours of complaining and an increase in the school tax levy gets 2 months of complaining. Just go back to your homeschooled junior prom. Mom and dad put a lot of time into hanging streamers in the living room that doubles as a chemistry lab and occasional pottery station.

I just looked up enrollment figures from a gazette article from sept. 25 this year. It has a 131 student decrease this year and 176 the year before. I think a 300+ student decrease would mean less teachers are needed. Maybe boundaries change or maybe closing a school are possibilities. But we all know in the private sector that if we have 300 less (students) orders then we don't need as many workers.

"THAT IS NOT THE POINT?! The money isn't there!"
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If you had a job that required you to drive 30 minutes to work every day, and you needed that job to feed your family, what would you say if your car were stolen and you had to get a replacement to get to work tomorrow? "The money isn't there?"
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It would be there if it were valued.

Kevin Murray is right. Too early to tell. Too many details remain to be determined. My question: Is this Gazette article meant to stir up discussion to get people to post or complain?

I keep reading these comments on the importance of teachers and how difficult of a job it is. Doesn't anyone realize THAT IS NOT THE POINT?! The money isn't there! The fact that you continue to argue the importance of teachers without addressing the fact that THERE IS NO MONEY TO PAY FOR YOU just makes you look completely out of touch with reality. It really makes me think that anyone that can't figure out if you don't have the money, then you can't spend it shouldn't be educating our youth. Take the blinders off! I really would like an explanation as to why (the majority of) the teachers union demanded pay raises amounting to THREE MILLION DOLLARS in a time of economic crisis for nearly everyone, including families, cities, and school districts. It looks like what you're saying is you deserve what you deserve and to hell with the consequences of those demands. The bottom line here is the school board and the teachers union have acted irresponsibly (in the case of the school board they irresponsibility has stretched over years) and now they're crying about it. Well boo hoo. It sure seemed like a good idea to spend all those millions of dollars on building renovations now didn't it? A lot of good nice new facilities do if there are no teachers there to educate the students. You created this mess, you figure out a solution. Guess what, you can't just have whatever you want at any cost forever and think it won't catch up to you eventually. Actions should have been taken to curb spending and prepare for this kind of possibility when enrollment started to decline and it was apparent the economy was going into a recession. Nothing was done and this is where its at now. Arguing about the value of teachers isn't going to make the money magically appear. How about every teacher in the district and every parent of a child in public school start showing up to the school board meetings and put in some effort into coming up with a viable solution for all parties? The taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for years of irresponsibility on the part so many entities at a time when everyone is already struggling.

tpaine - out of one side of your mouth you endorse homeschooling for high school and out of the other you denigrate homeschooling for college (University of Phoenix comments). Inconsistent.

tpaine09: You just don't learn about the assumptions thing, do you? How about this: "I am a mechanical engineer AND a P.E. so I guess I qualify for tpaine09's requirements on what makes someone 'technically' an engineer. However, I guess those large corporations that hired me to design life-saving devices before having a P.E. license were fraudulently employing me and the vast number of other members of the design teams when they gave us the title of 'engineer.'"
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"you know, the pheonix 'u' kind"
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That's funny. Usually we save those snarky comments for the civil engineers or industrial engineers, but your real estate license must have qualified you to be an expert on the engineering field as well.
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This is why you shouldn't pay any attention to the haters, teachers. They're people like tpaine09 here who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground and feel qualified to judge your profession.

"Some teachers the Gazette contacted were reluctant to rock the boat at a time when their futures are on the line."
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This line would lead me to believe that Mr. Roehl did not go to the Gazette, but simply responded to questions when asked.
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The unfortunate reality is that this community by and large would much rather vilify rather than support or feel compassion for any teacher. This says a lot about this community.

How about all the teachers take a cut in pay? Benefits? When its all said and done, it's not about the children, not about education, it comes down to Numro Uno! Me, Myself, and I. Admit it!

A teacher's union can't be faulted for fairly negotiating a CBA with the district, but they have to take their lumps when the city they work for loses thousands of jobs and hundreds of residents in an economic downturn. I know many teachers, young and old. The younger teachers tend to be the most innovative and most in touch with more up-to-date and effective instructional techniques. When they first start out, they are fresh, motivated, eager to inspire young minds. Then the harsh realities set it. Parents that think they know more about teaching than teachers do yet still want the teachers to not only teach their kids but raise them as well, students that have no respect for teachers mostly because their parents don't, and administrators that play the role of double agent when they side with parents in one breath and teachers the next. Then there are the older more experienced teachers who have dealth with these realities for years and have come to realize that the only thing that really matters is how long you've been there; not your skills as a teacher or your ability to help kids learn and grow. It's all about tenure. They are bitter and they influence the younger teachers. I have many friends who went into the teaching profession after college. They were all excited about their new career when they started. Now, I can't think of one that doesn't hate their job. All they ever talk about are all the negatives I just mentioned and putting in enough time so they don't have to stress over lay offs.
The biggest problem is the way the union influences who has a job and who doesn't when the money runs out. The system has caused too many older teachers to become bitter, complacent, and lazy. Yet these are the people whose jobs are safe. Roehl's story is very similar to my friends and it's good for him to speak out. Teachers' unions have become a detriment to students, teachers, and school districts everywhere. I do believe that most teachers are grossly underpaid for what they do for society and what they put up with to do it. I think that the starting pay for teachers should be increased significantly and that raises and job security should be based on merit only. The union influence should be phased out quickly. It's not helping. This article and Roehl's involvement in it is not pitting teachers against teachers. The union is.

The community response is certainly not Roehl's fault. Last I checked this was a "free" country and sharing his experience as a teacher provides insight on what young teachers are experiencing. One thing that IS negative about teachers in this community is that there are a group of "old boys" club teachers that think they are the only ones that have the authority to speak on behalf of us all. This is the same group that sold us young teachers down the river when they gave in on Health Insurance a few contracts back.

Officerfriendly1, may I ask what you do for a living?

Nice Job Roehl,
Maybe during your sleepless nights you should have put more thought into how talking to the gazette could actually help your situation. The only thing this article is doing is pitting teachers against teachers for public display and giving the taxpayers one more reason to belittle teachers. I would like to see one instance that someone has talked to the gazette and it brought about positive discussion in the community towards teachers. Hopefully the board finds ways to make cuts with minimal impact on the people who have the most impact on the education of the students. Complaining to the paper about your situation is not the answer and is going to get no sympathy in this town.

Older,

Will raising taxes have no impact on economic activity? So you propose raising taxes for next years deficit-what about the deficit in 2012? Raise taxes again? Where will it end?

You are proposing to raise taxes in a city that currently borrows money to repair its streets! Good luck!

Raise taxes to cover the shortfall. There is no way that $10,000,000 can be cut from the budget without serious determent to our children’s education. Whole departments would have to be eliminated. I personally would have no problem with only Math, Science, Economics, Civics, and History being the only curriculum, and eliminating the others, but that will never happen.
Eliminating Charter “Schools” could be a good start on budget cutting. Flunk out for whatever reason, and that is the end of your state sponsored education. No option to go to some phony school and get your diploma anyway. Eliminate no child left behind and expenditures would go down dramatically.
Improving the current education system should be the priority, not cutting the budget.
Give the teachers the authority to whack the students with a ruler, or tape their mouths shut if they get out of line. There has to be some way of enforcing policy or there is anarchy. (Of course if parents prepared their children by teaching them to act properly in school this would be unnecessary). The kids know the teachers hands are tied, and the ones who do not have proper discipline at home will act up at school knowing their will be no retribution.
I my experience with teachers in Janesville they have always been willing and able to spend extra time outside of class to help my kids with material they did not understand, with only one exception out of many. I believe that parents are responsible for helping their kids with homework, but in some cases I do not have the knowledge to do so, in which case I send them to their teacher for extra help. Perhaps my experience with teachers has been good because they know I am involved with my children’s education and respond to any of their concerns in a satisfactory fashion. Makes a big difference when a teacher knows the parent is their ally and not an adversary. Schools and teachers can only provide the information; it is up to the students to learn. What you get out of education is directly proportional to what you put into it.
For you home school is best crowd, go ahead and home school, but you get no money for it and no diploma, unless it is homemade, just like your education. 99 out of 100 people who think that they can teach their children better than a platoon of teachers who are each educated in a particular field, are deluding themselves. School is a microcosm of society, learning to function in society is a part of education, home schooling does not provide for this aspect of education.

Sluggo - You are right on with this article pitting the community against the teachers once again. That's why Roehl was advised against talking to the Gazette, but since he is an "expert" on everything, he has a difficult time keeping his mouth closed. He thinks he is more valuable than other veteran teachers because he is younger...so not true!

Most two working parent households simply can't afford to have one parent stay home to home school. It's not a realistic suggestion.

America really needs to get going on revamping school systems to emphasize creating TALENT for the 21st century workplace. There should also be a way to get kids out of schools when they clearly don't belong there. By age 16, some students should not be attending regular public high schools and draining the system when they don't want to be there. Most of them would be better served entering trade schools or apprenticeships by that point.

An effective job pitting the teachers against the community - bravo! Nobody will ever focus on mismanagement of funds now... you win!

A riddle for you:
MPS laid off lots of teachers, then they called most of them back. Apparently school doesn't work well without them. Unfortunately the good ones had taken jobs elsewhere...hmm...so who came back?

noggi,
i stand corrected KingRizzo is a "mechanical engineer" not a "real" p.e. though...
you know, the pheonix "u" kind...no shame in it,
i just want him to say "I am a mechanical engineer" BUT not a p.e. so i guess i'm really not technically an engineer...
nothing wrong w/ military work.

Ezoner: "The reality I see as a parent is that in some cases I could do a much better job as the teacher."
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I have read your realities in other threads and so the idea that you could do a better job as a teacher is horrific.

I am certain that some teaching posiitons could and should be eliminated. As a minimum some teachers should be replaced. The reality I see as a parent is that in some cases I could do a much better job as the teacher. This bull that teachers are professionals is bunk.

Some I have encountered are arrogant, egotistical and in some cases have no business being ina classroom. There are some very good ones as well. However, given the unions, you get the bad with the good and cannot improve the educational quality when you drag along the poor quality teaching.

Its like a boat.... you can get as big an engine as you want (bigger budget and taxes), but when the anchor is on t he ground (poor teaching), you wont get very far.

tpaine09: I see you prefer to continue on making an ass of yourself with your assumptions. Keep it up - it really strengthens your argument.
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yada: I tend to agree with you on the subject of sports money, but: "According to Flegner, the school district put $500,000 toward the cost of the new facility. The remaining cost was picked up by donors in the community. The district money went towards infrastructure such as lights and the storm sewer management on the grounds." So, throwing the $2.4M figure around isn't quite fair.

Why is it that America ranks 29th in education in the world <<<

Perhaps poor teaching may have something to do with it.

Having said that, ponder the fact that if the results of the educational system have been on a downward spiral for several generations, present day teachers of are a product of that decaying system.

Sports are something I really like, but I would consider cutting all high school sports and related curr. activities from the district. Sports are an important part of the American culture in the schools, but they should be discontinued before any academic position is removed. It's time to think biggger and have high school sports sponsored by outside sources if they are to continue in our schools. In my opinion we are a sports crazy country and we need to reevaluate our educational goals. Sports should be sponsored by the local community if they are important. Look at the 2.4 million dollar addition that Arrowhead high school in Hartland, WI has added to their stadium. New seating was added, new press box, room for the coaches, sound room, and SIX luxury boxes. Time to have the community sponsor sports if they are needed. (in case you are interested the luxury boxes are really nice & can be seen if you do a google search. Custom seating, heated, refridgerators, enclosed with glass that can open, and heated.

KingRizzo,
real estate-professional investor,
now yours, please? bet it's a govt job, <<<<

Military service is a government job. Care to denigrate that?

Wake up school board! Cuts need to start at the top and work their way down. What concessions are employees at the district office giving? The Janesville school's test scores already show there's a problem. So now you talk cutting teachers. Nice. Kids don't get the help now they need to understand material, take a look at the wasteful spending. The easiest is energy reduction. There should only be compact florescent lights in each school district building, use of technology could eliminate the need for paper (for example, SMARTboards). Instead of purchasing textbooks which are lost, damaged, written in, etc. use virtual books. This eliminates the need for storage of the books and there is nothing to dispose of when it becomes outdated. If considering "renting out" schools the district better be looking at security. Especially when students are present on school grounds. Why not consider closing the older schools which cost more to operate? Most of us who are strugggling as it is cannot afford to have more supplies cut and therefore coming out of our pockets. I need a roof over my head before my child needs to take kleenex to school or tons of paper that is wasted. The focus should be on the kids and what's best for them and what changes can be made to improve test scores. Cutting teachers is not the answer. As much as cutting after school activities sucks, it may just have to happen. Many schools do not have as many sports as Janesville does. I'm sure there are some sports that have little participation which could be eliminated. Football, Volleyball, track, cross country, Basketball, Softball, Baseball, and Soccer are probably the most popular and should not be cut. Sports such as tennis, swim, and golf should be considered for cuts as there are other avenues for competing in those sports. Other after school activities also need to be considered for cuts. Many cuts can be made or changes implemented to keep teachers and reduce wasteful spending.

KingRizzo,
bla,bla,bla...
"I am a mechanical engineer" a p.e.? yea, i didn't think so.
University of Phoenix®???

Well then lets offer vouchers to reduce the number of students burdening the public schools? Also lets change laws requiring schools to keep every last student? Give teachers the real power to throw students out of their class who do not wish to be there or who cannot benefit? I'm OK with them determining this. Also, If I go along with your logic I would then bet that a small minority of students are consuming huge amounts of dollars? Going forward this will not be possible. They are in the hole 10 million (projected). I think its safe to say the fund 10 will not suffice this time. No kicking the can down the road this time. I don't think Parr's "tax to the max" slogan will catch on in Janesville very well either.

"Would you come to the same conclusion about private schools?"
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Private schools are quite different from home-schooling every child. It's apples to oranges. Further, it's easy to come up with astoundingly low per pupil costs when you are not required to take on every single student, no matter their socio-economic status, previous test scores, behavioral disorder, or parental obliviousness.

tpaine09: Real estate, huh? How's that going for you these days? I see that, in addition to your real estate expertise, you're quite good at making hasty assumptions. As my high school chemistry teacher once pointed out: ass/u/me.
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I am a mechanical engineer and a business owner. My income is derived entirely from my customers and my products are my creations.
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I have teachers to thank for my success - all public school teachers at that. Each one from the Elementary School teachers who taught basic concepts in math, reading, science, etc. and how walk single-file to Middle and High School English teachers who were, unlike in your case, able to teach me the difference between "your" and "you're." Music/Band teachers who allowed me to experience some of the finer things in life to college professors who taught me about quantum physics and how to solve differential equations. Thank you, teachers, for everything you do, and don't let jerks like some of the ones posting here make you feel discouraged about what you do. What you do is awesome and we do appreciate it.
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Had I left my education to my parents, God bless 'em, I would have missed out on a majority of the very important aspects in education, not the least being learning how to socialize with other kids. My parents couldn't teach me how to play music. My parents couldn't teach me calculus. There were many things they couldn't teach me, but almost as important, there weren't 25 other kids in my house that I had to learn how to get along with every day. Unless every parent is an expert on every topic, home-schooling is a huge mistake. Why would you depend on the parent for a child's education when you have a whole building full of people who are experts in the topics they teach?

"If every child were home-schooled the results would be disastrous" Wonder if you have any data to back you on that one? "Disastrous" is a pretty strong statement. Would you come to the same conclusion about private schools? They seem to get by with a lot less than public schools. Want my data? Just call them and ask their per pupil costs. You'll be astounded.

KingRizzo,
real estate-professional investor,
now yours, please? bet it's a govt job, do you have customers? create anything? or get your paycheck from the taxpayers?
"because parents are not good teachers"interesting statement...
or to put it in your words "idiotic comment"....

tpaine09: Wrong again. I am not a teacher. How much money did you pay in the past year toward teacher salaries? Still waiting for your actual profession.
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Homeschooling is not the answer because parents are not good teachers. Like I said, real teachers are professional educators. They have a good education of their own and have the knowledge shared by those who research and test the best methods to improve the education process. If every child were home-schooled the results would be disastrous.

KingRizzo, ok, i'll take it you are a wt..

my profession is re; which means i pay enormous amounts of $$ so the wts' can be employed.
"has existed for thousands of years and will continue to exist for thousands of years" this is true, i feel janesville needs less of them,since there are LESS students..
i have great respect for PRIVATE teachers, they have CUSTOMERS.
the key word here is homeschool, when this catches on,then, the whining will really begin...

tpaine09, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and post your profession?
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"'professional level education' a bit of a stretch, i suppose an arts degree is considered 'pro level' in YOUR world.."
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Just because you don't appreciate or understand a profession and all that a profession entails doesn't mean that the people who carry out that profession aren't professionals. I know that may be hard for you to understand, so feel free to read it two or three times until you grasp it.
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"having said that many teachers would starve if some government entity did not employ them..
in the real world your 'education' degree will get you a job asking customers if they would 'like fries with that'..."
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What an idiotic comment. Many lawyers would starve if some silly law firm did not employ them. In the real world where there are no need for lawyers your "law" degree will get you a job asking customers if they would "like fries with that." No kidding, if suddenly no jobs in a particular field existed, your education specializing in said field would be worthless. Isn't it interesting, though, that those people had the foresight to choose a field (education) that has existed for thousands of years and will continue to exist for thousands of years because it is ESSENTIAL to having a successful society?
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"if your a whiney teacher"
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*You're* making it too easy

Did they not just vote themselves a raise!

I never understood how a city built on union labor whines so much about union teachers. How soon they forget now that the "big house" is empty.

Third_Eye - Beloit teachers and staff have experienced a work furlough....for the last two school years. In fact, the furlough was at the idea of the BEA in a way to help the school district with their budget shortfall.

from just reading the posts, you can tell who the whiney teachers are.. why not list our profession @ the beginning of each comment if your a whiney teacher put wt for short, etc

Tpaine09, I shouldn't even bother replying to you. To insinuate that teachers don't work "in the real world" or have marketable skills is ridiculous. To suggest getting rid of the program from English language learners is short-sighted if not racist. Not sure why you're so threatened by educators - many of whom have decades of experience and a Masters degree - but you're not helping anything by putting down Janesville's teachers and offering ignorant and ill-formed suggestions.

How many people out of work are going back to, or have been back to school since losing jobs,
Who the..... / educated you for a new profession?
Wake up and smell the roses before you put your fertilizer on them!

KingRizzo
"professional level education" a bit of a stretch, i suppose an arts degree is considered "pro level" in YOUR world..
having said that many teachers would starve if some government entity did not employ them..
in the real world your "education" degree will get you a job asking customers if they would "like fries with that"...

less students= less teachers; you see in the REAL world when the work runs out you get laid off.
consolidate the elm schools.
reduce admin. pay,at least to 5 figures.etc...
get rid of the "ell" program..

Okie- special ed gets a lot of funding from state/federal. That may be a seperate arguement along with the mandates that go with it. I would focus on what kind of money is spent (rent and other expenses) on all the charter schools. Some may have been started with grants that ran out. Many of Janesville's cater to the students who for one reason or another could not handle regular school. I'm curious what the return on the investment is for these charter school students. All of these largely unmandated programs for students who are not a fan of rules while the average student gets to shuffle their schedule multiple times to find a class that will meet the enrollment requirements.

OkieFed - You should have posted the rest of that sentence. The cut you're suggesting would require a change in the law. By the time anyone gets around to getting that done it would probably be a moot point. As of now, the state is required to provide educational services to children. They don't have the option to discriminate against those that cost more money.

There probably isn't any point in debating the items on the "brainstorming list" since those are things the school board already had to pull $1.6 million out of the reserve fund to maintain for this year. Those $1.6 million in cuts aren't even close to the $10 million shortfall. $10 million is a hell of a lot of money. I think its safe to say no one is going to be happy by the time this is done, but if the money isn't there, the money isn't there.

I know many Janesville teachers and they're incredible kind, knowledgeable, and committed to their work. I'm so sorry to hear that the district is facing such a shortfall. Since other districts in the area are not in this same predicament, it does seem like this was something that could have been prevented or lessened with better fiscal management.
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OkieFed: Janesville can't cut special education unless they want to willfully violate federal laws.
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Personally, I would be open (as a parent) to paying more for my child's education, in terms of books, supplies, and fees. Not popular with some, but it's done in other states and countries and helps reduce the overhead costs of running a school.
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I also agree that while most teachers get better with time, we need to look to factors other than seniority in determining a teacher's value.

How about charging for the rural bus as much as city folks pay (The vast majority are living in subdivisions with very nice houses and are NOT farmers)it's an outdated policy. Everyone should be responsible to get there children to school.

It's sad that teachers could be looking at layoffs! What about all those people at lear? They did not get the benefits that the GM workers got. Anyone care about them? A lot of the jobs there, were heavy, back breaking jobs. They aerned every penny of thier decent wage. This is a very bad economy, regardless as to what we are to believe, the so called recession is not over.I believe it's just getting started. Next year will be the year of major forclosures and will only get worse. So with that said these are tough times and calls for tough measures.

Reality bites--I think it makes much more sense to ask the parents of the kids who wish to use more the specialized classes/programs that have much lower enrollment to fund them......As far as cutting any program that involves physical activity, it's probably not a good move at this stage in the game. I had to run into the mall this weekend--there were so many fat kids waddling around in that place that you couldn't help but take notice. Possibly switch from "Generation Y" to "Generation XL"? Regardless, these kids absolutely need any form of physical activity that the school districts can throw their way.......

I think your analogy of a surgeon is a bit off...they get qualified before performing surgery on thier own. Good luck with this one!

"Teachers get better with experience just like most other trades. "
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Many teachers improve over time, certainly. But I wouldn't assume all of them do. In any profession, there will be some individuals who strive for greatness and others that do only what is necessary to collect a paycheck. If you're perfectly content with mediocre, then it doesn't matter whether you have one year of experience or twenty...you'll only strive to do 'mostly good enough', nothing more. (I think this applies to almost any profession out there.)

If the economic situation is really so bad that the district is going to eliminate German and possibly other languages and arts then why do we still have sports and extra-curriculars in school? Before we cut the actual curriculum we should cut out all the extras! Stop all the after school clubs and everything that is a drain on teacher time. Seriously, the parents should pick up all of the sports cost and volunteer to head-up these after school activities! If the community only knew what these teachers do! For example, the German teachers teach all five levels of the language, run German club, German Honor Society, Host an exchange program for Germans in Janesville and spend their summer working taking students abroad to Germany! These people have spent their careers developing long-term relationships with German schools and faculty so that students would have a meaningful cultural exchange. And, whether you realize it or not most families do not have the time or the training to create those kinds of experiences for students at home or by buying Rosetta Stone. This community does not even deserve the caliber of teachers that it has. It is like throwing pearls to the pigs!

Were the teachers losing sleep when they accepted a pay raise while their student's parents were dealing with unpaid furloughs, frozen wages, and layoffs?
Its tragic when anyone, teachers or otherwise, loses their job. It happened to me! It is, however, an economic reality.
As the economy recovers there will come a time when there will be a shortage of teachers. It has happened before after a time of a teacher 'surplus'.
Again, an economic reality.

If some teachers are evidently let go this is a direct result of employment based on seniority rather than skill or value to the organization. Bill Sodeman is 100% correct.

I do not wish Mr Roehl or any teacher any hardship -but in tight economic times, these are the actions that school districts with finite funds are required to implement.

I think you could get teachers to agree to give back the promised raises - because of the current shortfall. However, would you agree that, next time there is a surplus, the money goes toward teacher bonuses? Yeah - thought so.

How many teachers can $3 million a year buy? $3 million is a pretty large portion of the $10 million projected shortfall. I'd be really interested to know where the union thought that money was going to come from when they insisted on that clause in the contract. Apparently it didn't occur to any of these educators that they were cutting off their nose to spite their face? Or at least it didn't occur to the majority that supported it. Well, this is the reality of the economy today. Money doesn't grow on trees. It has to come from somewhere and if it doesn't, things get cut, and from the sounds of it, its going to be a lot more than just teachers. Someone should have thought that through before they insisted on pay increases in a time when very few people are getting raises of any kind, and many people have already been laid off. Did they just think that it wouldn't be their problem to figure out where the money was going to come from to fund the raises? Well guess what, its your problem now. It irks me that anyone would think they are except from the economic problems of today. I understand that costs of benefits have gone up, but it is that way for most people. Increases in costs, but no increases in pay...like the 3.17% hike on my property taxes for the schools alone. Somehow the rest of us have to figure out how to make it work. Now that they're talking about cutting teachers listen to all the cries of "what about the children?!" Well I didn't hear any cries of concern for the children when these teachers stuck it to the school board for $3 million in raises with the new contract. The school board is as much to blame for agreeing to it. Bill Sodemann had it right when he said it's time for governments to realize that the economy can't support continual pay increases for public employees while private employees watch their incomes eroded. Its really unfortunate that the students will be the ones to suffer in quality of education. Its really unfortunate that more people may be out of a job. Its really unfortunate that its come to this, but the bottom line is the union holds some responsibility in this, nearly 1/3 of the responsibility to be exact.

Blogs about education always get really petty. I just ask those of you who think teaching is such an easy job with wonderful benefits and pay, why don't you go back to school and become a teacher? Why didn't you recognize this when you were younger so you could have started in the profession right away?

It is easy to work with kids who come to school every day hungry. It is easy to work with kids who come to school every day from a dysfunctional home life. It is easy to teach a class of 25 5th graders when you have a handful reading at a 3rd grade level, a handful reading at an 8th grade level and the rest somewhere in between.

I have no complaints about the job I have or the pay I receive as a teacher. If what I mentioned above sounds like something you can handle (and those things only scratch the surface) I encourage you to become a professional educator. We need more people like you!

Young talented college grads would love at the chance to become a teacher. If the jobs opened up, there would be no problem to fill them.

One of the problems with teacher layoffs is that this creates permanent "brain drain" at a time of temporary hardship. It is not easy to get excellent teachers recruited back into the area once they leave.

I am not a teacher. In defense of a lot of teachers, so they don't work year round, I have friends who are teachers and they spend their own money on classroom supplies and they also work 2 to 3 hours every night at home grading papers and some go out of their way to help struggling students. We had to pay for our daughter to take advanced language classes in high school because she wanted to major in international affairs, which she now has a Master's degree in. This is a global world and people need to know more than one language. Why is it that America ranks 29th in education in the world but yet it is one of the first places government looks to make cuts. It's only a matter of time before Americans will need to stop being delusional about America being the greatest country in the world. With the dumbing down of our educational system we are falling further behind the rest of the world. We will be the 3rd world wage earners if we don't get our priorities straight.

I am not against teachers by any means. When you figure a teachers wages you also have to factor in the fact that, they donot work during the summer months. So factor in the actual time working and then you get a real sense what a teacher makes.

Eman, you contradict yourself. " I admit it takes a very unique person to be a good teacher, more so than ever these days." doesn't jive with your thought that any given parent is qualified to teach their children. I've seen quite a few home schooled students who excell, but I've seen just as many who don't - you wonder if the parents are doing anything at all with them. And (especially in the new reality of our current economy) not many parents are able to stay home with their kids to home school. Maybe you can find a way so all families can survive on one income.

How about getting pro-active with the problem? Start offering early retirement and buy-outs to teachers nearing retirement? It will save money in the long term and open up positions for younger teachers who can't get jobs who are also, if I'm not mistaken, not paid as much as a guy thats been around for 20-30 years.

Grandy - don't confuse one local's (Milwaukee's) contract demand with all teacher's unions. Gross over-generalization.

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So strange. When GM and other major employers threatened layoffs there was nothing but criticism for the company and defense of the workers. Well - that boat sailed and now those same workers who suffered through the layoffs are the employers and are more than willing to lay off even more workers - with no sympathy whatsoever. Sad.

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So what happens to Janesville when 70 more families are forced to move away? That's 70 more homes on the market - which decreases property values even more. That's 70 fewer families spending money at local businesses. Do you not see the downward spiral? You people should be fighting for ALL jobs in Janesville - public and private - in an effort to bring this economy back to life.

Grandys618: Please dont compare all teachers unions to the idiotic Milwaukee Public School Union. Viagra has never been a topic in the Janesville Union.

grandys648: "I lost all respect for the teachers union when viagra became more important to them than the education of our children."
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That's an interesting take on things. Wrong and stupid, but interesting. If you have ever spent more than 3 seconds talking to a teacher about their career you would understand why.

reality_bites: As a teacher, I must respectfully disagree with your statement that all teachers who have experience are better teachers. While some certainly are, I believe that at a certain point, many experienced teachers are just lazier. Some of them are so stuck in their ways that they barely maintain the status quo and are not as innovative as they could/should be. Additionally, in almost every other profession, employees get an annual, performance review. There are lots of things to consider when discussing the merit of an employee...it doesn't only have to be about the performance of an educator's students. It is frustrating to be in a position where you are a terrific, innovative teacher who gets a good response and positive reviews from administration and parents, only to lose your job to someone who's been sitting on their butts "maintaining" until their retirement. JMHO.

Eman: "Their salaries astronomical."
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If by "astronomical" you mean right in line with what people are paid for having professional level education, I think you're right. If I knew that there was this profession out there where you could get paid an "astronomical" salary and work 9 months of the year, I would be changing careers this instant. Why aren't you?
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"American teachers get paid two to five times what teachers are paid around the world"
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You shouldn't make up numbers like that. It makes you look really foolish. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2009, American teachers with an average of 15 years experience and the minimum level of training earned $43,633. The world average was $39,007. Under 12% higher than average. Further, if you compare teacher salary to GDP per capita, the average American teacher makes 96%. That's below average, sir. The average in the world is 117%. So, that shows that Americans share less of their wealth with teachers than other developed nations.

I believe that if the administration and teachers in our community were rising above expectations rather than failing to meet them we would not be having the same conversation. You hear the teachers all talk about their dedication to their craft yet after three children through the Janesville school system, which is 36 years of teachers, my children had three amazing teachers--what a shame.

Enrollment has been steadily dropping in Janesville for years. Part of a Wisconsin trend, where enrollment topped out in 2003 and has been declining since. Significant teacher # adjustments must be made, not just in Janesville, but across the state. All we can hope is that the best teachers are kept for our children's benefit, rather than simply keeping the teachers with the most seniority.

What seems like a "specialty" or "unnecessary" class or program to one person can be another child's path to college and their future. No matter what is cut, someone's child will suffer for it. Mr. Roehl, I wish you the best of luck & hope that you remain at Parker.

I hate to see teacher go. I think we have some of the best teacher around. Also for those who are saying cut sport and other activites, are you not thinking about the students. Taking these things away would leave us students without something to do.There is already nothing for us to do in janesville so what do you think we will do after that?

this is the perfect time to lead by example and run rock county off real numbers not just teachers but all public servants. times are changing and that means for all americans. fighting it waiting for more billions that we all know do not exsit? i went to school i'm smarter than this to just let it keep going and going

is there a website for people to make suggestions on how to maybe fix things and brain storm?

i'm not against teachers by any means they are public employee's same as law enforcement or the mayor's or public works....adjust the mill rates on the people in rock county or appraise the homes at fair market value and the numbers wont lie, run a balanced budget...make offers to those in public service and dont cut programs cut wages...WE WANT THE PROGRAMS...they are ours including snow plowing...

Shame on most of you. Give me a break! When the district begins hiring again, these comments should be required reading for all potential employees.
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What do people look for when deciding where to live? Jobs and schools. Janesville offers little in jobs. If this community has any hope it is in the schools. Certainly some cuts need be made, but not programs, not departments: slim them down, but don't eliminate.
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EVERYTHING can be learned from home and from private tutors - but that costs. The purpose of public education is to be "the great equalizer". We need to provide the highest quality options, opportunities, and experiences to ALL our students if we want a chance at saving our community, not just those that can afford it. Many of you are saying the "well is dry" as it is - imagine having 2 or 3 kids and being told that if you'd like them to have any enrichment you'll have to find the cash. We are supposed to be a community; unfortunately, we are not. We have become/turning into self-righteous, self-serving, and self-concerned people who happen to live next to each other.

This economy will effect everyone in some way or another. No one will go uneffected. Janesville will only get worse.

It's pretty disappointing to hear the lack of respect for the teaching profession, one of our most important jobs. It's also curious to see teachers being blamed for the economic situation, which they had little to do with. Certainly teachers did not cause the housing crisis or the loss of GM's SUV sales, both of which are primary causes of the district's cash crisis. Nor did they have much to do with the state reductions in revenue sharing.
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Obviously it's difficult to lose one's job no matter the profession, but teaching is a highly specialized career and you can't just move anywhere, especially when other school districts are also cutting. In the last two years, education employment has fallen 2.5%, and it's unlikely to recover as quickly as other professions. That means a fair number of mostly young teachers who had hoped to make this their profession will be forced to change careers.
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This isn't just a matter of sympathy for these individuals, then, it's a matter of concern for the country as we lose the investment of millions of dollars spent on teachers who will now be doing something else.

Give vouchers to people who don’t want their kids to go to public school. That will help clear out some of the kids, they will be able to lay more off, save money, and the people who can't afford private schools will be able to. Win win.

@Duckcarver,
How do you think a person gets "merit?" Probably by gaining experience by doing something for many years. That is kind of a no-brainer, don't you think? Do you want to be the first patient a surgeon operates on? Teachers get better with experience just like most other trades. Here's another thing, have you ever had to move for a job? It is much easier for a younger worker that maybe is not a homeowner, not married, and does not have children than a 45 year old with all of those things. Also, lets be honest, a younger worker will have an easier time finding a job. I also think your "hungry and productive" line is some kind of ultra capitalist talking point. In other words, it is complete and utter bullsh*t. If being hungry makes you more productive, then offer your employer some of your own wages to keep yourself "productive." You wouldn't want to lose your competitive edge, would you? I know with the cost of everything nowadays, daycare, gas, ect. I welcome every bit of money I can make. You know, all of the toys you bought your family for Christmas were probably made by people who truly were "hungry and productive," I wonder if you'd like to take some steps in their shoes?

Wow...these comments are heartless. No one should feel good about people losing their jobs. This town cant afford to loose anymore-teachers, retail workers, factory workers, etc. Im not saying raise taxes to keep them, but hasnt this town been through enough. More unemployment will increase foreclosures,etc. etc....you know the story.

On a side note...these are the "brainstorming" ideas the Administration and Board came up with? Are you kidding me? Instead of cutting jobs that hurt the kids and the local ecomony, how about cutting the "specialty" schools that cost so much in rent, close an elementary school, cut sports, etc.

Fromtheheart...My father always says that you shouldn't be offended when a horse farts and that's why I am taking your comments about foreign languages lightly. Aren't you the same whiz complaining that the Library was hosting a children's Las Posadas celebration and whining about making the HPL host another day by "English Students with food from our culture?" Let me take a wild guess, you are Janesville born and bred? Your very unfortunate Janesville-centric perspective shows precisely why children desperately need to be educated about other cultures, so that the horizon is open to them. They need wings so that they can break out of Janesville when the opportunity arises.

"The well has run dry. There is no more to give. Cuts have to be made."

You are correct, officerfriendly. This applies to the schools, the public works departments, the fire departments, the police departments, the state and federal agencies as well.

Be prepared to have your children taught less, your trash picked up less, your streets plowed less, your sewers working less, your fires fought less, your criminals arrested less and on and on.

It is time to do away with a lot of these overpaid public servants, no arguement there. There is no reson for ANYONE to making a living wage in this Post-American America, is there now?

Sure foreign languages & arts can be taught at home, but they are better taught in school. In middle school I had an interest in photography & took a class during summer school & in high school took another class. Then went on to college for photography & now work as a photographer. My family comes from a German speaking country & I learned German in school & even stayed there after high school. Now I would love to be able to teach my child German but have forgotten most of it & heck if there are any German language programs in the area!

All I can say is hey welcome to the real world. Times are tough, sometimes you get laid off. Deal with it.

Foreign languages and the Arts can be learned with programs at home or private lessons. As a tax payer, I don't want to pay for them.

Glad to see that the $26 billion dollar Education bailout is working so well.

See you out at the job center.

No mention of the charter schools - TAGOS, the international school, etc. being moved to on site at one of the school buildings instead of how they are now - offsite for a monthly rental cost.

It's sad that less experienced teachers will be the bigest target of layoffs. A constrained budget could afford more teachers that come with a smaller price tag than the tenured teachers that have a higher salary. Too bad the contract wasn't based on merit, not time in grade. Keeps everyone 'hungry and productive.'