http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140122/NEWS02/701229911
Published January 22, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield School Board cuts budget by $1M By Kevin O’Connor Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — This town’s School Board voted reluctantly Tuesday to cut nearly two dozen teachers and support staffers next academic year to slice almost $1 million from tax bills. “These obviously aren’t cuts we or you want, but we also respect the fact this is a unique situation,” Superintendent Zachary McLaughlin told the board. By slicing $960,376 from the 1,450-student, 359-employee school system, which covers pre-school to grade 12, the coming budget will rise less than $10,000 from the current year’s $28 million — but still require a tax increase of 6.2 cents because of changing variables in a complex state formula. Last week a crowd of 50 residents ranging from students to staffers to senior citizens voiced opposition to the plan for nearly two hours, with many focusing on the potential loss of Russian language study. In response, school leaders said they empathized with such comments but also had a responsibility to increasingly burdened taxpayers. “We’re not excited about it — this is going to have an impact and put more strain on existing staff,” McLaughlin said. “But this is the best we can do with what we’ve been given.” Under the plan: The grade K-2 Elm Hill primary school faces about $200,000 in cuts, including two classroom teachers, two paraeducators and a mental health clinician. The grade 3-5 Union Street elementary school will face some $150,000 in cuts, including four paraeducators and a mental health clinician. The grade 6-8 Riverside Middle School faces nearly $250,000 in cuts, including one world language teacher, half-time teachers for language arts, math, science and social studies, and one half-time and two full-time paraeducators. And the grade 9-12 Springfield High School faces $270,000 in cuts, including one social studies teacher, half-time teachers for English, math and Russian, one instructional assistant and the elimination of the Precision Valley alternative education program for students in danger of dropping out. One board member spoke in favor of reinstating the half-time high school Russian teacher. But in the end, the board approved the superintendent’s plan, which, depending on individual decisions about retirement or relocation, could impact up to 23 staffers. Springfield residents will vote on the proposed budget on the March town meeting ballot. 2014TopNewStories
I love how the $10,000 increase in the budget is considered a $960,000 cut.
ReplyDeleteWhy is that? Someone doesn't get a raise that was scheduled? Too many Pensions? They couldn't fit in any more in-service days?
Inflation of fixed expenses like heating, electricity, health care, and supplies. Kind of like cost of living increases.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what in-service days are? Not sure how that has anything to do with budgets...
Washington D.C. tactic. Over size the budget, cut it based on the inflated numbers then cut the numbers under the disguise of "tough" decisions. Yet the budget ends up higher that previous years. Or in other words getting through what they really want, trimming the fat by accusing tough budget decisions and then telling the sheeple how hard they are working to save us. (Not mentioning that some of these things should have been done years ago but we've been stuck with the bill over the years.) Thank you school board for at least starting to make some cost saving decisions. While most of the world may speak two languages according to Chuck, the second if normally English. We should be okay with one.
ReplyDeleteA good start now cut the “REAL” million. Quit putting it to the taxpayers we can’t take it any more
ReplyDeleteThey didn't really cut the budget, they just reduced the "proposed budget", which as others have already observed was sufficiently inflated so as to prevent an overall decrease year over year.
ReplyDeleteOf course our intrepid reporter Kevin and his media buddies present this to headline readers and casual observers as bona fide cuts in accordance with modern journalism's abandonment of the truth.
Congratulations Springfield taxpayers, you've just won another tax increase!
Are you serious?? Not sure what you were reading, but that is flat wrong.
Delete"Sufficiently inflated" so that 24 positions had to be cut in order to essentially level fund the budget?
Ah, 12:50, which part of 12:12 is flat wrong? The "cuts" ARE to the proposed budget, which is to say, we end up with a $10k INCREASE in spending if this 'cut' passes. Well past time to cut.
DeleteI wonder if those who want to "cut the budget" have children in school. I have heard way too many times that people with children who were contemplating moving to Springfield decided to move to Weathersfield instead. Why? Because the school is so much better ... I have heard about people who wanted to stay in Springfield, leave .... and go to where? Weathersfield. Why? Because the school is so much better. If anyone would like to see the economy grow here in Springfield, Vermont, then you HAVE to vote for a better school system here or we will continue to lose people who can afford to move away and we will not get in new people that have kids in schools. I do not have children in school and yet, as a Springfield resident that would like to see my town prosper, I KNOW that enriching the school system and making sure we don't lose valuable programs for the children of Springfield ... IS the way to help Springfield look like a GREAT place to move to, to bring a business to, to visit and SHOP! It really does start with the school system. It pains my heart to hear parents who do have children in a Springfield school complain about what is happening and how the schools are declining in what they can offer to children who are growing up and needing their basic education but also all of those activities that help a child grow into a well-rounded, well-read adult. We need to encourage the school board to think about these things each time they vote for the budget rather than let's see how cheaply we can provide an education for our children of Springfield. We need to realize that sometimes we have to spend money to help make money. Having a superb school system is definitely one of the MAJOR keys to making Springfield a desirable place for people to move to with their families, for businesses to want to bring new businesses here, and for people outside of Springfield to want to come and visit (and thus bring MORE money into Springfield by shopping here). If we continue to gut our schools of money to survive then we can just kiss Springfield ever pulling out of its economic slump goodbye. Support the kids of Springfield! Support building a superb school system that we can be proud of.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Very well said.
DeleteI agree with you mostly but get off your soapbox. I live here and my kids are getting a great education because of the teachers.
DeleteAll of the "anonymous" posters should attend the school board meetings (or watch them on SAPA) so that they can understand what actually happened with this budget and can understand the impact it will have on our children. Anonymously posting all of this mis-information does not help our children or our community as a whole. With natural cost increases (including but not limited to food costs, gas/oil costs, insurance costs, etc.), there is no way to provide a true "level-funded" budget because those are costs that cannot be controlled. (Just like in our own personal budgets. these costs impact us so dinners out at McDonalds or trips to the mall must be sacrificed in order to pay our bills and feed our children.) In order to make up for those natural increases and offer a budget that is as close as possible to the number from last year, other things must be cut (staff positions) if the community will not support a truly viable and educationally responsible budget. The budget approved by the school board last night is not an educationally responsible budget and will have serious long-term impacts on our children and their ability to be competitive in college and job markets.
ReplyDeleteWe need to make sure everyone knows that the "anonymous" posters have no idea what they are talking about when they dare question pouring more money into the Springfield school system money vortex where pouring more money into it each year has resulted with lower achievement levels each year. No accountability for less achievement but plenty of bleeding hearts crying that cutting the budget by raising it will result in a non-educationally responsible budget. There are plenty of school systems in this country that produce much better results with far less money. Some are even in Vermont! They say that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.
DeleteRe: Having a superb school system is definitely one of the MAJOR keys to making Springfield a desirable place for people to move to with their families, for businesses to want to bring new businesses here, and for people outside of Springfield to want to come and visit (and thus bring MORE money into Springfield by shopping here).
DeleteThis is patently FALSE. There are NO JOBS for people to afford to move here, particularly at this exceedingly unattractive tax rates. You're trying to put the cart before the horse. Springfield's schools grew and flourished because of the industry that used to be located in the town. Industry didn't decide to locate in Springfield because of the schools. The town has now lost its economic base and without restoring it first, it is simply a charade to pretend that the town can be saved by bilking taxpayers even further to gold plate the school system.
The fact that anyone would propose such nonsense is evidence in itself of a failed education system that apparently took its eye off the ball years ago!
Industry moved to Springfield because of the availability of hydro power, and Springfield was lucky enough to have a few geniuses among the engineers that arrived.
DeleteModern day businesses are not all based on industry; they're far more diverse, and no small number of them are entrepreneurial in nature. Who wouldn't mind having the young Bill Gates or Steve Jobs arrive here, looking for an idyllic setting in which to build a PC computer in his garage?
In short, we attract tomorrow's businesses by having the resources they are looking for. We don't want Unilever or Textron; we want the start-ups, the dreamers, the next can-do generation. We won't get them by digging a deeper hole; we get them by making them wish they'd only heard about Springfield sooner!
That's exactly what Howard Dean said when he finally suckered Springfield into hosting a state prison......Now why hadn't I heard about that gullible town sooner? Sorry Charlie, you won't be attracting anything anytime soon with the mess that's been made of this town!
DeleteI don't see any misinformation coming from the commentators, only from the article in question.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/vermont/teacher-salary-in-springfield-school-district/
Carry On.
This is just another example of the Springfield Taxpayer getting screwed by the teachers union plain and simple. Since the teachers are so committed to turning Springfield around why is it I haven't heard of them or their union proposing to cut their raises or increase the employee cost on healthcare. Hmm how about that? How committed are these teachers to their community? Yeah EXACTLY as I thought. What we need is a union buster here to rid the school of its union!
ReplyDeleteHere is another choice....I think we should consolidate with other local school districts to reduce costs. That has been an option for awhile now. Nope nobody wants that either. Wait wait...maybe our school leadership will seriously study other schools use of furlough days. Everyone takes a cut for the bigger and better good.
Teachers went three years without a pay raise. With their new contract, they work longer hours for the same rate of pay. A number of teachers work and pay taxes in this town. You want them to take a pay cut and still pay the tax increase? Stop ripping the teachers apart! This town and the schools have been mismanaged for far too long. Its a dying town. The only way to fix it is to bring in more businesses. That's not likely to happen.
DeleteIt's not going to happen with the huge taxes we have to pay.
DeleteThe "huge taxes we have to pay" is a fable.
DeleteWhen you consider how little we pay for good fire and police protection, good water and sewerage, etc., and compare it with what we pay for commercially-provided goods and services, you can see how much more value we get with our tax dollars:
--We lose 30% of the value of our new car as soon as we drive it out of the dealership-- $10,000 right there, and seven years later, it's becoming a bucket of rust.
--Until Obamacare came along, a lot of us had to pay an additional $10- $20,000 in out-of-pocket expenses before our $1,200 a year for-profit health care insurance kicked in.
--Those toys we buy in Wal-Mart for our kids are sold to us at price boosts ranging from 800 to 1,700 percent and more, and two years later, we toss them in the trash.
--For lack of regulation, many of us who were able to invest in an IRA have often gotten ripped off for 25 to 50% of our total investment.
"Republicans campaign on the premise that government is bad for you, and when elected they proceed to prove it."
--Thomas Frank, "What's the Matter with Kansas?"
Start thinking of your own good and stop paying attention to the Republican basura. Taxes are an investment, not a waste, and our children need a superlative school system.
Chuck the huge loss of a new car is inevitable when you think about the tooling and research and development that goes into them. The 7 year rust bucket comment. I think your driving the wrong car. Also with all the government enforced laws for fuel economy and now every car has to have traction control. Plus the UNIONS with there pensions and demanding of wages. It's no wonder they are so expensive.
DeleteObamacare ha..Health insurance was created to combat government imposed wage control. A problem created by government.
The toys we buy in Walmart are so cheap because they are made in china...Why are they made in China? Because of the taxes/ minimum wage created by government.
IRA...Why do you need that if you enjoy paying so much tax anyway?
Why bring up Republicans? Does that mean you are a Democrat? You shouldn't be too proud of that either. Picking a side is foolish. Have an open mind Chuck.
Your stuck in your ways and no longer "think" for your self you just are what life has made you.
The teachers didn't go without a pay raise for three years, that allegation is not true.
DeleteRoger C-- 1. thanks for using a moniker. 2. Airplanes and bikes don't lose 30/% of their value when you drive them off the lot; why are we so willing to blow our money on something that merely makes transportation more convenient, when our taxes produce more for the money? 3. How did it feel the last time a family member of yours got sick and you didn't have the money to pay for the care? Or, go without insurance for the next 20 years and get back to me how it went for you. 4. Why do we buy crap for our kids, when we could teach them to make their own toys and put that money to better use? 5. That wasn't an answer; that was a dodge. I was lucky to have a state agency monitoring my IRA; instead of losing an additional 40% over my working lifetime, I only lost 30%. How did it feel to get charged to buy Enron, to get charged to sell Enron, and to get charged every time you followed your stockbroker's recommendation? 6. That's what Thomas Frank said about the Republicans. When the Dems decided to suck up to the big money (with the Dem Leadership Council), they became very much like the Republicans, BUT they didn't start telling the voters government was bad for them. So, they haven't had to prove that claim, although they have quite frequently demonstrated it, sad to say. 7. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I lived among peasants who had better dreams for their kids than I find among many of the commenters on this blog. I don't want to live in a town where possession of a lot of appliances blinds people to an impending culture of a peasant mentality.
DeleteAnd I'm sure Chuck would welcome anyone and everyone to help themselves to his property and possessions in the name of universal harmony and goodness. My guess is that he'd be dialing 9-1-1 faster than you can say "One large coffee, cream and sugar, please!"
DeleteRe: "Springfield was lucky enough to have a few geniuses among the engineers that arrived."
DeleteWell, at least you admit it was LUCK that allowed genius to be bestowed upon the town and not the result of some grand GUB'MENT design!
If it hadn't been for "GUB'MENT design," America would have been a year later getting geared up after Pearl Harbor. FDR sent his people around to manufacturers, giving them contracts which made it possible for them to expand and operate their industry smoothly, thus preparing them to convert within months to a war footing.
DeleteBut of course if you buy the line that government is bad for you, then you get what you expect when you vote, right?
Chuck, Monikers...hmm so few on here.
DeleteCars are not only about convenience for some they provide enjoyment. I whole heartily disagree that taxes create more for the money and blowing our money on non essential things is about freedom, happiness and also is a societal...problem? that I do not see going away until this government of ours gets us so far in debt that it destroys our current ways of life.
I have health insurance and I pay for it...I also have a family member who requires a lot of hospital and doctor time. I have bills that my insurance won't pay for. I believe if insurance was not created in the first place we would all be better off. This may sound like a talking point but socialized medicine is road this country does not want to take it will only lead to total government control over mind and body for the sake of the "greater good"...Communism..It's been tried...it's wrong... it won't work... It will create mass amounts of death and poverty in this country.
Your response about buying our kids toys. That's freedom we choose to buy what we want and it's not anyone else's right to tell us other wise. It's also a societal issue.
I don't think I really dodged the IRA question. I don't do IRA I don't do 401k...I don't trust the government or the stock market or the federal reserve haha. Our money is a joke now. Who bought Enron? Why did they buy Enron? And why did they sell Enron? Maybe you don't need to answer those questions as it may be a long lesson. But I guarantee the government had some involvement. If propaganda was not so prevalent then maybe everyone would have voted for RON PAUL.
Towns that you want to belong to are few and far between. Sometimes I think it would be nice but others I think I will miss my car and my computer and my phone television and all the new technology that I have grown up with.
It happens every generation new technology.. I am only 31 and I have children and I can show them a cassette and they don't know what it is. New technology...Is what all that school budget money wants to go to..Oh and pensions..
Almost all politicians are the same R and D
PS... my Moniker is close enough. It atleast hides me from web searches haha. also I am not re reading this so any errors in there are staying.
Roger C~~ I'm more than twice as old as you, so have a little more context behind what I say. I'm rather surprised that you know anything about Communism, since it collapsed when you were only six years old. I lived through the entire Cold War and played my part in hoping to combat it by volunteering for both the Peace Corps and the Navy in the mid-Sixties. Bill "Spaceman" Lee, the pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, summed up the conflict like this: "Capitalism is a system in which there is a God and it's every man for himself. Atheism is a system in which there is no God and it's every man for himself. Chrisitanity is a system in which there is a God and we are supposed to look out for one another. Communism is a system in which there is no God and we are supposed to take care of one another. So, how come capitalists aren't atheists and Communists Christians?" The more you find out about both systems, the more you'll understand the virtues and defects of each and the need to use the best from both.
DeleteAs for your health insurance-- If it has low co-pays, has no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, no maximum payouts (e.g., coma care for years following a traffic accident), allows you the doctor of your choice at no extra cost (mine didn't), gives you a say in any rate hike and stays with you even if you lose your job, then you have a policy 99% of Americans don't and 100% of all the people do in First World countries. To understand why this is, I recommend you watch "SiCKO." But it's likely that you've been told Michael Moore is a treasonous, fat Communist. However, he pulls no punches, going so far as to show how Hilary Clinton got more campaign contributions from the health care industry than did George W. Bush. It's a study in a grave flaw in the capitalist system as we (and not the other First World countries) practice it.
I hope you have a pension plan. I didn't get connected to one until I was 43 years old, and in the two decades that followed, I was able to put enough aside that now I am living quite comfortably-- but without Social Security I'd be living under a bridge. I don't know how well you and your wife might do on just SS-- which would be about $1400 a month for the two of you (if she is employed)-- but $750 wouldn't do it for me. If it's at all possible, go for a "defined benefits" pension plan, which guarantees you a lifetime income, like an annuity, rather than a lump sum. Since these are run by professionals, they are not stripped by Wall Street vultures as you get older. The only danger is if the company decides to default on its pension obligations-- but the "gubmint" obliges them to park their account in a federal rescue plan-- which is hard on America's budget, but provides some protection for the retired.
Hard to believe you can't remember what you were doing when you got the news Kennedy was assassinated. I remarked to a 25-year-old once that that was probably the biggest thing that happened in the last fifty years in America, and he said, "Well, there was the Twin Towers…" !!!
Whoever commented that we only need to speak english needs to get out in the real world the US is no longer the center of the universe, knowing a second language is very useful and makes it easier to find a decent job (not around here though). I don't think knowing French will help much but Russian would, in fact, we had the head of the Russian dept for UVM make several trips down here to recruit students because the few that went to UVM were so well prepared. Didn't see anyone down here recruiting math, science or for any other subject, or for football for that matter
ReplyDeleteI am in the real world and travel it often. What second language would serve one best in the world economy you speak of but don't experience yourself? I can run them all down and maybe have a reason for all of them but then you'll need to speak about 50 different ones. Now if you were to venture into the business world (not just think you are because you're teaching from a book) you will find that English is the second language of the world. Often broken and sometimes misused, still the most common. Does is hurt to know a second or third language, of course not. To your points, French would be very helpful if you will be doing business in Quebec (that's north of here just across the border) so do you drop that. Spanish would be very helpful but there are so many variations on words it can be confusing. Not sure of the Russian connection or why the recruiting maybe you can explain in more detail between classes. As far as UVM recruiting for math or science makes little sense. And since they do not have a football team I doubt they would be here recruiting for that matter (which makes me question your comments here of bases of as you seem not to know that).
DeleteSo maybe focus should be put on speaking English. Many of the youth I talk to seem to struggle with it. I'd start with teaching them to make a complete sentence. Then you'd have others besides UVM recruiting here.
So how many dollars should we spend on teaching Russian? And how may kids will it benefit? I'm going to call UVM and ask about this, I find if very interesting.
Yeah, it's important to keep Springfield provincial, so let's get rid of all the foreign languages.
DeleteSaudi Arabia makes it a point to refuse American ambassadors who have a knowledge of Arabic. Now, what might that mean?
Anonymous at 9:37: Have you ever played a team sport? You'd probably understand better what Springfield needs if you'd played football and thought of the town as a team. Sometimes you have to take a hit for the team.
DeleteIn ancient Athens, the citizens had a term for a man who refused to participate, who thought only of his own comfort and gains: idios. I don't know that we have a word in English that describes such a person.
Chuck, what years did you play football for SHS?
DeleteYou never played a team sport, did you?
DeleteChuck, seems you are playing a team sport. You're just on the wrong team!
DeleteA resume crossing my desk with Russian language fluency buys me nothing. Show me an industrial engineering/mechanical engineering/journeyman machinist/tool maker with positive references and you'll have a job offer same day.
ReplyDeleteAh, but if you get an applicant industrial engineering/mechanical engineering/journeyman machinist/tool maker with positive references AND the ability to speak Russian, and you'll have a man who can open very remunerative markets for you! Nothing like staying ahead of the competition….
DeleteChuck. IF you have a world-class product, the world will beat a path to your door, regardless of the language you speak. That used to be the case before the town's crown jewels were lost. Now, for some inexplicable reason, the misguided continue to insist that spending more on poor performing schools is the road to salvation.
Delete11:30: It will beat a path to your door, including the charlatans who will do what they can to screw you out of it. Vermont's most famous instance of this was the Quadractor, whose Troy-based inventor (and no speaker of Chinese) had it manufactured in China to such abysmal standards that the company collapsed, taking with it a world-class innovation.
DeleteI am sorry you are unable to perceive good education as an investment.
Chuck, good education is not something you purchase like a luxury car. You can not obtain quality by mindlessly throwing money at it. Hell, if money alone was the factor, we'd already have the finest school system in Vermont
DeleteWhat part of home owners, many being elderly, retired on fixed incomes not being able to absorb such increase do you fail to understand? Do you have no empathy towards those that ask nothing from anyone, yet go without themselves to fund this town?
My Grandmother had only an 8th grade education, having attended a one room, school house in Weston Island over 100 years ago. I can vouch first hand as an employer having interviewed many, recent SHS graduates, She had far better English, grammar, penmanship, geography, and basic math skills. Through her entire adult life, including the depression, she was never at a loss to hold gainful employment.
So please Chuck, explain to us all once again exactly how money equates to a quality education.
Anonymous at 12:00: Money is an indicator of how highly a community values its educational system: You pay cr*p, you get cr*p. When a community values education, it pays for it.
DeleteNorway is acknowledged to have the best K-12 system in the world. They decided that the people who should know best how to teach are the teachers, and not only do they pay them well, but they expect them to have an education appropriate to their pay level. An entry-level kindergarten teacher might have only a bachelor's degree, but to rise any higher will require at least two years of post-graduate work. There are no teachers' colleges; they earn a bachelor's degree in a field and get a master's and/or a Ph.D appropriate to their chosen field of study.
The teachers set the curriculum, using any of a number of nationally-certified ones which are proven to "encourage activity and creative enthusiasm at school." (E.g., the Nysgjerrigper Method: http://www.forskningsradet.no/servlet/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition%3A&blobheadervalue1=+attachment%3B+filename%3D%22Nysgjerrigper-web-eng.pdf%22&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1274460370128&ssbinary=true
They teach all the students according to age range, not ability. There are no special groups or classes for the gifted or the slow learner. They are given broad latitude to teach, evaluate and assess their students, and their advancement in their profession is based on peer, not administrative, review.
In short, Norway has said, "We want good teachers, we expect them to be smart, and we will pay them accordingly." And they have the best students in the world. And nobody grumps about the teachers' union.
How much do teachers in Norway get paid? Here it is, in Euros and (American dollars)
Starting Average
Pre-primary E45,025 ($58,500) E53,235 ($69,205)
Primary
and lower E50,799 ($66,038) E58,923 ($76,600)
Upper grades E 53,109 ($69,041) E63,150 ($82,095)
"Holy Sh*t!" you exclaim; "how can they afford it?" And you'll go to the Internet and find out that they have North Sea oil. "Well, h*ll," you say, "if we had North Sea oil, we could do that, too."
Except that they are not borrowing money on the oil reserves to pay for education; they're paying for it with taxes on economic activity, their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Which is $54,397 per person (CIA figures cited in Wikipedia).
Now, our per capita GDP isn't that much, but it is $51,704, which happens to be 95%. So, if we really valued education, we would love to pay a highly-qualified, thoroughly professional beginning kindergarten teacher $55,600.
But we don't.
Instead, we pay that sort of money to the pimply-faced offspring whose parents have connections on Wall Street. And Wall Street has only one skill-- to have transformed fantasy football into the game of fantasy finance. (Read "The Looting of America" to see how well that turned out.)
What you want, Anonymous at 12:00, is an educational system which will provide you with employees with appropriate skills-- and I'm sure your grandmother would have been one. However, what we need is education for the people who don't work for us which will help them make decisions in our best interest, be they convenience store clerks, clerics or Wall Street CEO's.
You seem to be unaware of the tax breaks for the more indigent elderly property owners in Springfield, but that'll have to wait for treatment some other time.
Formatting the "starting" and "average" salaries didn't work out properly; the first two figures in each are the Euro and American equivalent of starting salaries; the latter two are for average salaries. So while a kindergarten teacher starts at $58,500 a year, the average salary for one in Norway is $69,205.
DeleteThe second comment above shows what happens when you assume and we all know what that is. I am not a teacher and have nothing to do with the schools excepts pay taxes. I wasn't refering to UVM recruiting for football I said no one has recruited for anything in Spfld except for Russian. I also know for a fact that all the shops in town had German translators on their books. While we may design something here I doubt if you only want to sell it to English speakers or to Quebec. I would still say that of all the languages (fewer by the minute) that are taught in Spfld French is the least useful. Also we would be doing the kids that really want to play football a favor by dropping it so they could go play for Windsor or BF.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent of an out of district student that needs help with his work and even the sending district will pay, Springfield doesn't want to do anything to help the student. I am amazed because it is money coming into the district. I guess I will find another district that cares about the students.
ReplyDeletere: "As a parent of an out of district student that needs help........"
ReplyDeleteWhy is it someone else's burden to tutor your child beyond what any other child receives? What's the obstacle to taking time yourself to provide the help they need? Is no other voluntary resource available? To what do you expect this entitlement?
Just curious, what's your child doing at this instant? Just a guess, but doubt it's studying for class tomorrow morning, right?
You are all insane. Springfield Schools are rated as one of the lowest districts in the State of Vermont. Cutting positions will not help support the growing population of special needs kids, let alone the independent workers. Do you guys even know how much a teacher makes? You all talk about it like they make a fortune. Most work a second job just to get buy. They go through years and years of education and end up with giant student loans and are paid less than some McDonald's employees. You have all lost your minds and your focus. It takes a village to raise a child. Start supporting your neighbors. Have some respect and pride for your community. You all make me sick. No wonder why the town is going downhill. Everyone sits behind their computer bitching and complaining but no one is doing a damn thing.
ReplyDelete