KISD is laying off over 500 teachers... (Houston, Katy: rent, transfer, school)

[rubynicholson77056]

So what does this mean for education within KISD? My kids are young (1st grade and preschool) so I've never witnessed this sort of thing happen before...

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by usc619

Katy ISD laying off 550 employees, says more expected to come | abc13.com

...And to think they just passed a $459.8 million bond , they should have just rezoned the entire district and scraped building new schools until the economy gets better.

This is pretty bad. It looks like the government unionism that has affected the entire nation extends even to Texas. A better solution would have been across the board wage cuts. Service cuts are just a way to hold taxpayers hostage and force them to vote for tax hikes. Katy needs a new mayor.

[Texascrude]

Somewhat related -- how does Texas deal with Charter schools? My wife and I used to live in Arizona where you could basically sign your kid up for any charter school and the government would just send them the money associated with your child instead of sending it to a public school. While there were definitely charter school's that provided a lower quality education, having the option (and several great schools) was nice to have.

[usc619]

Here's a nice read on our situation in Katy
In Wake Of Katy ISD Layoff Announcement, Residents Offer Reaction | InstantNewsKaty.com

“In his letter, Frailey even says the district had been expecting this situation since as early as 2008. Why in God’s name would the district promote a bond issue and keep spending like they have knowing all the time this could happen? That’s absolutely irresponsible.” Williams said. “Did Frailey not tell the trustees? If so, he should be fired on the spot. If he did tell them and they still approved all this spending, they need to be voted out of office.”

[usc619]

I notice Ft. Bend is starting to see the light

YouTube - It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp (Superintendent)

School districts are becoming a racket.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by usc619

LOL Frailey just accepted a 8K raise on top of his 280K base salary(I didn't add the numerous perks) while laying off teachers and you're going to call Slick Rick's policy greedy? Nevermind all of his high six figures cronies(IE; assistant superintendents), hell even his secretary makes more than most Teachers in the school dist. And all this time I was thinking "it's for the kids"

Same situation at FBISD. Jenney is WAY overpaid at $247K as a base. And it is ridiculous that his "secretary" earns $80K and doesn't even have a college degree. He relocated her from Virginia where he is from...like her talent is so special, there weren't any qualified applicants in Fort Bend County?

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Same situation at FBISD. Jenney is WAY overpaid at $247K as a base. And it is ridiculous that his "secretary" earns $80K and doesn't even have a college degree. He relocated her from Virginia where he is from...like her talent is so special, there weren't any qualified applicants in Fort Bend County?

She just may have a "special talent"

A blogger wrote this on that linkhttp://instantnewskaty.com/2011/04/06/20468 I posted, pretty much hit the nail on the head(couldn't have said it better myself)

1. Arched windows, marble floors, extravagant buildings . . . no competitive bids, no cost-savings. Hello? Who does business that way? Oh – Katy ISD does business that way. Unlike tax-payers who live on a budget and make smart decisions, the BOC and administration have consistently built outrageous campuses. Whatever happened to sensible schools? Do the math – it would have saved (almost exactly) the millions needed to keep teachers in the classrooms had building decisions been left to us dummies. It takes real, deliberate effort to squander millions . . . And we pay these people to bankrupt the school district. Unbelievable.

2. Before you protest, YES, the BOC and administration certainly have bankrupted the district. Remember them telling us how fiscally safe and wonderful the district’s finances are? Oh yes they did, right before the bond election. In fact, we got an ear full of assurances . . . except now Frailey is saying that they knew of looming budget problems as far back as 2008. What? Back up, what was that? So . . . our tax dollars have meant nothing more to these wasters than Monopoly money. It’s been a big, festive game of spending and waste. Hope they had fun, because now they have to cram up to 40 kids in classrooms and lay-off 500 teachers. Nice going there, board of trustees. How’s that working for you, Katy, Texas?

3. Do we really need 5 superintendents? Really? Everyone of them makes more than the Governor of Texas. Hello! Is anybody listening?

4. When children arrive in Kindergarten, we are obliged to provide them a free and appropriate education. We have entire halls of children who need to learn English, yet are taught in Spanish. We can’t continue to be the surrogate economy for another sovereign nation. I’m sorry, but if something must be cut, let it be the immersion programs which are – unfortunately – simply unaffordable during this crisis in funding.

4. Substitute teachers used to be processed by the temporary employment personnal in Human Resources – a system that worked just fine. Did we really need a new administrative person hired solely to handle substitute teachers? Hello! This is just one small example of a bloated administration who should be ax-ing from within the Merrell Center first. Chop the fat, get rid of some of the chiefs and leave the teachers alone. Seriously, is there a remedial program out there for administrators who are incompetent? Because if we are stuck for another term with these – ahem – “mental giants,” then they should be required to take “no-administrator-left-behind” coursework. Just my two cents.

5. Aside from this huge crisis, the little things have bugged me for years. For instance, if it is true that Beckendorff Junior High puts on two open cast plays a year, but Morton Ranch Junior High can only afford to do this every other year, then we should be asking WHY? Why are not all schools equal recipients of funding . . . can we start there?

6. How about a basic education? Gasp. Imagine providing reading, writing and arithmetic . . . throw in some citizenship and technology. Have kids take P.E. Cut the rest. Extracurriculars – I know this is a touchy subject – aren’t really necessary, are they? After all, kids can take club sports if their parents can afford it. If not, they can ride bikes and skateboard at home, and play like the normal kids of yester-year. Do we really need girls’ wrestling teams? Really? Or boys’ wrestling teams, for that matter? I know it sounds harsh, but shouldn’t the basics come first? Leave the teachers alone to teach and make those nasty, painful cuts in non-instructional activities.

6. Suggestion: Cut teacher’s salaries a bit, weed-out the top heavy administration and get rid of non-essential activities. How about sorting out the ridiculous bussing that goes hand-in-hand with rezoning kids to schools that are further from their homes? Isn’t this especially important now that we’ve now heard (once again) how fuel costs are plaguing the school district? Common sense, people, common sense.

7. Now maybe the administration and BOC will stop calling objectors names. After all, we were right and they have been sooooooo abysmally wrong. I have to question every single decision they make, because all of their efforts to date have led to this debacle. Yep. - "Told You So"

My question is how can an area like Katy(full of Conservatives) not have a problem with this, much less not see this coming?

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by usc619

She just may have a "special talent"

I bet she does.

[TVC15]

I wonder were this 13 Billion went or how it was used??

Supporting Education

[testmo]

it is hard for me to garner up empathy for teachers, but i understand what it is like to work in an environment run by greedy politicians that the ignorant public keep supporting. i am more than burnt out working in the public sector. i'll take my "lavish" benefits and get a job in the private for 20% more pay

i have no idea how the state of texas is going to keep its employees