From:  (Larry Starkand)
Newsgroups: ca.general
Subject: Re: California Public Schools Funding: A Masterplan for Failure
Date: 19 Nov 92 02:06:40 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Apple Computer Inc.

In article <1eeivdINNefe@mizar.usc.edu>, genzuk@mizar.usc.edu (Michael Genzuk) writes:
> 
> Ron Dippold responds, "
> 
> 
>    "Sorry, but when the teachers are less than 50% of the school system
>    employees I have trouble feeling much sympathy for the system.  Too
>    many administrators and total waste.  The private school teachers in
>    CA are almost 90% teachers.  They don't have anything to gain by
>    bloating the bureaucracy, unlike the public schools.  The public
>    schools have all the resources they need, they just need to stop
>    pissing so much of it away."
> 
> Where in the world do you come up with these figures?  They are totally
> erroneous.  It is one thing to disagree with a point of view, but 
> certainly  another to fabricate statistics that are non-existant to
Several newspapers have quoted the statistic that the California 
school system employs 110 administrators for every 100 teachers,
this would equate to less than 50% of the school staff being 
teachers. This statistic is straight from the california state
dept of education. Furthermore just recently in san Jose their was
a big brouhaha about the fact that the S.J. Union school district
spent close to 7 Million (? on the figure it may have been 1 million)
dollars on creating new administrative offices (refered to as the
pink palace), while the kids were still being taught in temporary
buildings (you know, the ones that look like quansit huts).

> defend your position.  Public school systems have many areas that need
> reformation to make them more productive and to address the needs of
> their current clients, however, stating they have all the resources they
> need is ridiculous.  And comparing private schools with public schools is
> like comparing apples and oranges.  When private schools are required
> to accept every student that applys for entrance and when private schools
> supply the social services that are required of public schools, then
> talk to me about possibly making some comparisons.  As it is now it is
> really quite amazing that schools are doing the job that they are.  

Maybe what they need are better educated teachers, recently a junior
high teacher taught her english class  that only 2000 people were
killed in the concentration camps during WW II.
> 
> Administrative and bureuacratic bloat is mentioned as a major cause of
> public schools funding problems.  Take a close look at the downsizing
> that has taken place in recent years in public school districts.  Rather
> then taking the time to bash what you don't understand, I suggest you
> roll up your sleeves and get involved.  Take a look at the thankless 
> responsibilities that many school administrators are given. Take a look
> at schools that have employed shared decision making strategies and you
> will see one of the major setbacks has been the unwillingness of teachers 
> and other personnel to assume administrative responsibilities.  
> 
> Where the real energy needs to be placed is not on bashing education and
> administrators or beuracracies...but on creative solutions.  Rather then
> downsizing and looking for ways to cut services, look at ways of supporting
> and showing the importance of education to today's youth.  How do you
> think it looks to students when all they see and hear is the negative 
> side of the educational system.  And don't respond that's because there 
> is no positive outcomes.  If the media would report the overwhelming 
> number of success stories that exist in schools there wouldn't be room
> to print the gloomy stories.  But that doesn't sell newspaers or air
> time. We need to shift focus to preparing children for the 21st century.  
> This will entail far more than the three R's.  Technology, math, the sciences,
> language and human relations among numerous other areas must be shared
> with today's students if they are to carry on the tradition of America's 
> leadership in the world.
> 
> Surely there is enough for everyone within this state of California.  It 
> is a tradedy that good things are not more widely shared.  All our children 
> ought to be allowed a stake in the enormous richness of America. Bickering 
> over diminised resources is an age old strategy of dividing and conquering
> that we no longer can afford.  

What we can't afford is a bloated system which is more interested in protecting
there perks than in changing in order to meet the need of an evergrowing and
diverse population. There are inadequate standaards for both teachers and students
and when the budget is cut the first ones to go are the teachers not the beureaucrats.
Teachers should  be required to pass a general proficiency test as well as be required
to take continuing education credits in their area of specialty. Teachers are paid for
their summers off part of that should be dedicated to continuing education.
> 
> "What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"
> Keep these words of Langston Hughes in mind when you argue to cut resources 
> for todays children. Dreams are what made America great.  We must establish 
> basic eqity for all schools and assure that each and every child has an equal 
> educational opportunity.  You may feel that I am dreaming.  But we as 
> teachers, administrators, parents and concerned citizens should not be 
> concerned withjust teaching children, we should be teaching this nation. 
> We need to change the political climate of this country so that these things 
> will happen.
>
> Michael from USC 

Yes but lets not assure that equal education by lowering the standards of the better 
schools but by raising the standards of all the schools, and requiring our educators
to uphold them.

L.S.

These opinions are my own (I always do prefer homemade,to canned).
Newsgroups: ca.general