The Politicians are not telling the truth re: education budget! (Raleigh: crime rate, public schools)

[Bmateo]

Originally Posted by meh_whatever

I agree.

I'm sorry to hear about your job, but it's a blessing in disguise. I quit teaching in 2004 and went back to grad school.

I make several times my teaching salary now working in the private sector.

Blessing for you, and hopefully one for the captain, but our children, and eventually our country loose. (Assuming you are both outstanding teachers) we have now lost two (many more) qualified teachers. Where is the next generation of great workers going to come from? The people that couldn't get a job as a bartender, or at trader joes are going to teach our kids?


Venice, I'll agree with you that the funding needs to come from somewhere. I don't have all the answers, but cutting the funding altogether is not a plan with any long-term vision. (IMO)

[VeniceBound]

Originally Posted by capt chill

Had nothing to do with qualifications. I was teacher of the year in 1983 in a NJ school district, never missed a day of work in the 4 years here in NC. Was given outstanding evaluations by my principals. My position was just not funded anymore. But the republicans said they were funding all teaching positions, which is a lie.

I don't know how that is possible because the budget is not official yet. The governor has not signed it yet according to the news.

Are you aware democrats supported it as well, which is the only way it became veto proof?

Partisanship serves no good purpose.

[VeniceBound]

Originally Posted by capt chill

Had nothing to do with qualifications. I was teacher of the year in 1983 in a NJ school district, never missed a day of work in the 4 years here in NC. Was given outstanding evaluations by my principals. My position was just not funded anymore. But the republicans said they were funding all teaching positions, which is a lie.

I hate to burst your bubble, but I just fired up the new budget and they are funding MORE teachers positions and NOT fewer. They are trying to reduce class size so teachers have fewer students per class. Whatever reason they did not renew your contract was not because of the new budget.

[VeniceBound]

Originally Posted by capt chill

Oh other countries kicking our butts??? Look at 3 BILLION a month on the wars... No other country is playin that tune. We are damn stupid as a nation.

Currently 5 wars and soon to be 6. From the frying pan to the fire. Very sad indeed.

[beowulf_ncsu]

Originally Posted by VeniceBound

I hate to burst your bubble, but I just fired up the new budget and they are funding MORE teachers positions and NOT fewer. They are trying to reduce class size so teachers have fewer students per class. Whatever reason they did not renew your contract was not because of the new budget.

You do realize that's just smoke and mirrors, right? That's part of their blatant lies/political games.

Here's the deal: They may be providing more state funding for teachers plus a few more in grades K-3. However, that's just one part of the budget. The other part of the budget forces local districts to slash millions in discretionary spending. Personnel is a huge segment of discretionary spending for school districts. Therefore, districts are having to layoff staff and teachers.

Look at it this way: One part of the budget fully funds teachers, but another part asks districts to cut/give back a huge chuck of money. Over the past 3-4 years, districts have cut and cut and cut until the only thing many school district leaders feel are left to reduce are teacher assistants and teachers. At this point in time, I suppose you could argue that to many schools personnel spending IS discretionary spending.

However, don't just take my word for it (and I'll add more articles as I find them):
NC Policy Watch
Education chief calls budget "smoke and mirrors" :: WRAL.com

[wheelsup]

Originally Posted by hopefulx3

I think you get the point -- instead of being a government of the people, by the people, FOR the people -- we've become a nation of every man for himself.

I don't know my history that well, but I think if you look at America's past you'll find that we were founded on every man for himself. You know, independence, freedom, liberty, etc. etc.

Entitlements are something relatively new.

[Bull City Rising]

Originally Posted by VeniceBound

If you want to pay more taxes then you should. There is a website you can go to to pay additional voluntary taxes if you so choose. Or you can move to a higher taxed state. Have you?

Look at how well Texas is doing. Businesses are flocking there and people are finding jobs. I plan on moving to Florida because I prefer the weather there over NC. NC is too cold for me in the winter.

You can tax all you want. It will never be enough. Lying politicians have never met a dollar they have not wanted to spend. It's just a matter of on what. If we were able to survive on 1.8 trillion in spending then why do we now have to spend double that? THAT is the problem. SPENDING.

You have to understand 100% of a public employees salary is paid via taxes. So in order to come up with the funding for one public employee, over a dozen other employees have to pay taxes in to reach that amount. Look at how reducing the REAL tax burden, not rate, worked out under JFK and Reagan. MILLIONS of jobs created which resulted in INCREASED tax revenue. THAT'S how you increase revenue to the government. You reduce the tax BURDEN, which creates more jobs, AKA tax payers.

History is an amazing teacher.

Venice, I'm not sure you got my point. I chose to leave a low-tax state for a high-tax state (Florida to NC) in order to be in a place with good jobs. And those good jobs come from somewhere.

I'm going to guess that your plans to move to Fla. aren't constrained by employment, meaning you're looking to retire to a warm place. Bully for you. But you're also moving to a state where, time and again, politicians have been pressed by retirees and low-earning service sector employees to keep taxes super-low.

The result? I'm sure you'll consider owning a gun in Fla., where the crime waves are off the chart. Don't be surprised if the young people you encounter at their jobs serving you seem incapable of serving you well (their schools weren't the best.) And get ready for way more political greed and corruption than you have in North Carolina... because when a citizenry doesn't pay attention to their local politics, all kinds of crap happens.

By the way, we did live in a marginally higher tax state (Massachusetts) for a few years. And yes, we did participate in the voluntary higher tax rate program.

But the point is, individuals don't get to choose what their tax rate is. We all pay for services that are in the name of the common good, like education, roads, public safety, and entitlement programs -- and yes, those are for the good of all, because they make a more stable society. (Have you considered retiring to Brazil? Didn't think so.)

[Fred Garvin (MP)]

Sorry to hear about your situation - best I can tell NC House Speaker Tillis needed the money to give his staff raises (see linked article).

N.C. House Speaker Tillis gives his staff fat raises - Politics - NewsObserver.com

If I had a magic wand, I'd fire that idiot trooper Stephanie Young that was using her shiny badge and gun to help her daddy out, and give her salary to you. (see linked article) Arrest was wrong, state says - Politics - NewsObserver.com

If our politicians won't stop bickering and grasp the realities that the country just might need to tax more and spend less ( a LOT less) - things are going to get a WHOLE lot worse than they are now.

Good luck to you. Unfortunately, I think you are going to need it.

[VeniceBound]

Originally Posted by Bull City Rising

But the point is, individuals don't get to choose what their tax rate is. We all pay for services that are in the name of the common good, like education, roads, public safety, and entitlement programs -- and yes, those are for the good of all, because they make a more stable society. (Have you considered retiring to Brazil? Didn't think so.)

The point I feel you may be missing is not all people feel the same as you. The landslide republican victory in NC and elsewhere shows people were tired of the spending policy. Spending and debt is what it was all about. Not that I think the weak republicans will actually do much about it. Many feel the entitlement programs ARE the problem. We are spending more and more money on education and it isn't working. Throwing money at problems has proven not to be the answer. It's time to put the shovel down.

Here is an interesting fact. Since the recovery, which actually is now recognized as a non recovery now, Texas has created 1/3 of all the private sector jobs in the country. If I was younger and needing to be in the workforce longer, Texas is where I would be moving to.

What we need are two things. We need all wasteful spending stopped immediately. This means programs that have failed or programs that retard the urge to take care of oneself on your own. The other thing we need is jobs. More employees working equal more people paying taxes. Why tax people more to pay for more people out of work, when we can simply create conditions favorable for more people working paying in more taxes and taking less from the government.

Entitlement programs are a ponzi scheme. They are all in trouble. They are unsustainable. Throwing more money at school systems never addresses the real reason why students fail in school. All the money in the world will not fix the problem. It just gets lying politicians elected by making it look like they care.

We have tried massive spending on schools and entitlement spending for many years now. Where are we after all of it? In real trouble and in massive debt. We have tried it and IT'S NOT WORKING. It's time to turn this ship around. I just doubt either side will really try. They will just do what gets them votes and that is usually buying them.

[CHTransplant]

Originally Posted by VeniceBound

I hate to burst your bubble, but I just fired up the new budget and they are funding MORE teachers positions and NOT fewer.

Here's what the budget that was passed cuts in education:

• A $124 million "discretionary" reduction passed on to local school districts, which is expected to lead to layoffs of teachers and teacher assistants. The cut is on top of $305 million in reductions to locals in 2009-10.
• A 20 percent cut to More at Four preschool program for at-risk children, and the transfer of the program out of the state's education department.
• The elimination of professional development funding for teachers, including the end of such programs as the Teacher Academy, the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching and the Teaching Fellows Program.
• The elimination of Learn and Earn online courses for high school students.
• The elimination of money for handheld diagnostic tools for teachers that allow them to track student learning.