northside isd teachers (Austin: private schools, salary, taxes)

[adtobias]

Why are the most important front line people taking the biggest hit. Why can't we reduce the pay of the superintendents and the higher ups.

[kevcrawford]

It's not like reducing a few salaries would save jobs. They have to go through the budget and find all the money that's being wasted, and I'm sure there are millions being wasted. The education system is nothing more than a political machine now, and it needs to be changed. There is nothing in our education system that benefits our kids anymore. All schools should be privatized. Then you'd see people get jobs back and our kids start to thrive.

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

It's not like reducing a few salaries would save jobs.

True, but they should follow the lead of one of the Supers in Austin and "take one for the team." It's laughable that the common response to such a suggestion is that "we need to pay the top management a big salary to attract (or keep) the best talent." Well, then why is it being suggested to REDUCE salaries (see the current bills in Congress) of teachers? I thought we wanted to attract the best talent.

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

All schools should be privatized. Then you'd see people get jobs back and our kids start to thrive.

I highly disagree. How would privatization help? Most of the reason that there is "waste" in the public schools is because society and legislatures (State and Fed) have set excessive mandates. It wasn't the school's idea to overtest the kids. It wasn't the school's decision to have kids come to school hungry. Charter schools have not been proven (with some exceptions) to prepare kids any better than public schools even though they have the advantage of choosing kids. Private schools can't even be compared to public schools who must teach all that come through their doors.

[kevcrawford]

Originally Posted by Montirob

True, but they should follow the lead of one of the Supers in Austin and "take one for the team." It's laughable that the common response to such a suggestion is that "we need to pay the top management a big salary to attract (or keep) the best talent." Well, then why is it being suggested to REDUCE salaries (see the current bills in Congress) of teachers? I thought we wanted to attract the best talent.



I highly disagree. How would privatization help? Most of the reason that there is "waste" in the public schools is because society and legislatures (State and Fed) have set excessive mandates. It wasn't the school's idea to overtest the kids. It wasn't the school's decision to have kids come to school hungry. Charter schools have not been proven (with some exceptions) to prepare kids any better than public schools even though they have the advantage of choosing kids. Private schools can't even be compared to public schools who must teach all that come through their doors.

They shouldn't reduce the amounts teachers make. They shouldn't reduce the amount anyone makes. They SHOULD get rid of teachers that aren't any good, regardless of tenure, and comb through the budget to get rid of anything that's not benefiting our kids, which I'd venture to say is a HUGE amount.

Privatization would help this tremendously. If left alone, businesses have two choices. They can operate efficiently and provide a good product, or they can go out of business. If we get rid of the school taxes (of which a lot doesn't go to the school) and let everyone choose where to send their kids and pay for it, schools would compete and become better.

The government hasn't been able to efficiently run ANYTHING they've been in charge of over the last 40 years. Nothing. They've got no accountability and no drive to do anything that benefits our kids. They can SAY they are concerned about education to get elected, but once they're elected, not a thing that happens in the schools affects them at all. They've failed our kids miserably and it won't get better.

If folks have a financial reason to succeed and build a better product/service, they will. AIDS won't get cured because someone in the government wants it to. It will be because there's a huge financial reward to it. Schools won't get better because someone in the government wants them to.

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

They shouldn't reduce the amounts teachers make. They shouldn't reduce the amount anyone makes. They SHOULD get rid of teachers that aren't any good, regardless of tenure, and comb through the budget to get rid of anything that's not benefiting our kids, which I'd venture to say is a HUGE amount.

But how do you determine what teachers are bad? I'm not saying there aren't bad ones (I know there are), but how do you judge? You can't look at test scores because teachers of "repeating" kids or poor kids would basically be shafted. You can't look at student polls (actually suggested by someone) because students will tend to reward the "fun" easy ones. Administration review would be too political. Peer review might work, but...

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

Privatization would help this tremendously. If left alone, businesses have two choices. They can operate efficiently and provide a good product, or they can go out of business. If we get rid of the school taxes (of which a lot doesn't go to the school) and let everyone choose where to send their kids and pay for it, schools would compete and become better.

But businesses have the CHOICE of who and where to serve. A public school must educate whoever shows up. I don't disagree that schools can and should improve, but the last thing we should do is turn them over to people who have no idea about the way kids learn.

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

They shouldn't reduce the amounts teachers make. They shouldn't reduce the amount anyone makes. They SHOULD get rid of teachers that aren't any good, regardless of tenure, and comb through the budget to get rid of anything that's not benefiting our kids, which I'd venture to say is a HUGE amount.

Privatization would help this tremendously. If left alone, businesses have two choices. They can operate efficiently and provide a good product, or they can go out of business. If we get rid of the school taxes (of which a lot doesn't go to the school) and let everyone choose where to send their kids and pay for it, schools would compete and become better.

The government hasn't been able to efficiently run ANYTHING they've been in charge of over the last 40 years. Nothing. They've got no accountability and no drive to do anything that benefits our kids. They can SAY they are concerned about education to get elected, but once they're elected, not a thing that happens in the schools affects them at all. They've failed our kids miserably and it won't get better.

If folks have a financial reason to succeed and build a better product/service, they will. AIDS won't get cured because someone in the government wants it to. It will be because there's a huge financial reward to it. Schools won't get better because someone in the government wants them to.

Agreed 100%.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by Montirob

But how do you determine what teachers are bad? I'm not saying there aren't bad ones (I know there are), but how do you judge? You can't look at test scores because teachers of "repeating" kids or poor kids would basically be shafted.

I agree, but am also struck by the irony that teacher performance and accountability was a huge part of the rationale for all of this testing kids have been subjected to for the last ten years!

[kevcrawford]

Originally Posted by Montirob

I don't disagree that schools can and should improve, but the last thing we should do is turn them over to people who have no idea about the way kids learn.

We already do....

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

We already do....

I know. This is my point - we have legislators and (quite frankly, ignorant) members of the SBOE dictating how schools are run and how they should teach. This interference is one big reason the schools are "failing." Should there be oversight? Of course! But the near micromanaging that is going on is preventing success, not ensuring it.

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by Bo

I agree, but am also struck by the irony that teacher performance and accountability was a huge part of the rationale for all of this testing kids have been subjected to for the last ten years!

This constant testing is a big reason our kids go to a private school.