Does the North Carolina State Board of Education Have a Clue?

[VaNC]

I guess my question is, how can teachers just take days off and it not impact students/learning or require subs? My understanding is that they are at the maximum allowable teacher work days. Should they just reduce the number of days kids get to be there to learn? Is that your solution?

[underPSI]

This is just another brilliant idea from our idiot of a governor some of y'all chose to put in office. Hopefully she won't get reelected.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by VaNC

I guess my question is, how can teachers just take days off and it not impact students/learning or require subs? My understanding is that they are at the maximum allowable teacher work days. Should they just reduce the number of days kids get to be there to learn? Is that your solution?

Read the calendar. There are days that teachers work that students are not in attendance. These are staff development days and teacher work days to work on grades etc. There are early dismissal days which could count partially. Perhaps, just perhaps the state government should have furloughed folks in day units and not hour units. Most states have furloughed for a specific number of days and not hours which probably makes it easier to implement. Also when government has to go into a containment mode regarding the work force (bad weather) they identify people as essential employees not subject to the containment. Why not label bus drivers as essential employees (they are) and not subject them to the process. Is a bust driver suppose to furlough themselves if they go to the bathroom when they get to one school and before the start their next pick up?

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by VaNC

I guess my question is, how can teachers just take days off and it not impact students/learning or require subs? My understanding is that they are at the maximum allowable teacher work days. Should they just reduce the number of days kids get to be there to learn? Is that your solution?

Teachers work more days than students are in attendance. Other districts are furloughing teachers and using teacher work days when students aren't in attendance. If the state had said 1 1/2 days or 2 days it would have translated more easily to one inservice day and one early dismissal day or two non student attendance teacher work days.
This isn't rocket science folks. Perhaps it was just the spokesperson
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/...11116623.shtml
But the Republican chairman of the House budget panel that handles education, state Rep. Ed Lindsey, said Tuesday that the state should consider having teachers give up six planning days. The roughly $200 million in savings then could be funneled back to cash-strapped school districts to help them avoid layoffs.

[Herd33]

TuborgP, I agree with you. They should have just called it a salary reduction and moved on. We laughed out loud at the comment of a teacher not needing their planning time or having "free" time they aren't using.
Don't get me wrong, I am one of the folks directly affected by the layoffs, so I get the double whammy of the reduction and then not being able to take the time "off" later in the year, so I truly hope other jobs are kept safe by implementing this. But it just doesn't seem to be a very well thought out plan.

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by Herd33

TuborgP, I agree with you. They should have just called it a salary reduction and moved on. We laughed out loud at the comment of a teacher not needing their planning time or having "free" time they aren't using.
Don't get me wrong, I am one of the folks directly affected by the layoffs, so I get the double whammy of the reduction and then not being able to take the time "off" later in the year, so I truly hope other jobs are kept safe by implementing this. But it just doesn't seem to be a very well thought out plan.

I am hoping that it was just the spokesperson who didn't understand school operations. Yes that is scary also. But couldn't he just be quiet or do some background work on what other government units around the country are doing. Why hours and not days like others are doing? Is this innovative education North Carolina style?
Salary cuts, furloughs OK'ed in budget deal - Las Vegas Sun
State workers will take a 4 percent pay cut by being forced to take one furlough day a month while teachers and higher education employees also will be asked to take a 4 percent cut.

"This stings," said Lynn Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association. But, she added, "These are very difficult times. I believe they've done all they can do."

Because the Legislature sets the funding, if school districts don't reach an agreement with county school unions, the cuts will have to come from someplace else.

The joint committee also decided to suspend merit pay increases for state employees and longevity pay.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Well, yeah, .....they may be missing the boat in a few areas, but.... in their favor, they are not banning the teaching of evolution, nor trying to water it down with any of that "creation science" stuff that some states have come up with.