The Public School Board passed its $207.2 million dollar budget last week with absolutely no fanfare or apparently public interest. Simply a press release from the Board Chair. The tiny item in the SP (June 25/11) buried on a side bar in the paper disclosed little other than more full time kindergarten, which satisfies the need for day care. There will be more invested in English as a Second Language programs and a newcomer student centre downtown. Elementary student fees are eliminated, those being the fees that covered out-of-school excursions.
There is nothing reported with respect to classroom ratios, new or lapsed programs or teacher salaries.
I can only speculate that since the school boards lost access to the mill rate, no one really cares how they spend over $200 million.
So sad.
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"The tiny item in the SP (June 25/11) buried on a side bar in the paper disclosed little other than more full time kindergarten, which satisfies the need for day care."
ReplyDeleteTEACHERS ARE NOT DAY CARE WORKERS. We are TRAINED and EDUCATED...PROFESSIONALS.
It is too bad that there is no mention of money for teacher salaries.
What is this province coming to, we are becoming the next Alberta wanna be where civil servants and government employees are abused and disrespected by the government.
So sad is right.
Anon 10:12,
ReplyDeleteTeachers ARE glorified babysitters. Deal with it.
This post was more about the thought behind (or lack thereof) funding for Saskatchewan schools. It is further evidence that the system is broken and needs reform.
Should we be amazed that our students score among the worst nationally meanwhile the teachers spent the better part of a year trying to justify 16% over 1 year for their current efforts.
Mistress would you consider running for school board again?
The number one problem with the funding of school boards is that it is so easy to pull on the heart strings of parents.
ReplyDeleteI know teaching isn't easy, I would never want to do it, however there is not one teacher that will take the blame for a student not achieving as there are so many excuses that are at the teachers finger tips.
A Quick list
a learning disability
Class size,
work load,
Parents that don't care
hunger
stress
other teachers (not at grade level to start with)
etc, etc, etc.
Now the school boards have brought on all kinds of individual programs in an attempt to compete with one another. many programs go with 15 students while the main focus subjects see 30 plus in a class.
Sometimes the simple solutions are the best so lets just ask our schools to get back to the basics and teach the 3 Rs enough of the special programs. Oh and while we are at it Time has come to meld the school systems together. One publicly funded system dual stream but enough is enough with wasting tax dollars on advertising and competition for students. That includes all these new schools when many existing schools sit half empty.
As for the Mistress running again for the school board I doubt her ticker could take it.
Mistress
ReplyDeleteCorrect with the "nothing reported"
Maybe "no controversy" means "no media coverage"
lots of information if people take the time to read the documents located here http://www.spsd.sk.ca/files/board/boardpackage/June2111.pdf
Anon 10:12 - I agree with your comments that you are professionals and employed to educate our youth. Regretfully many of today' parents simply see schools as day care centres with the add on of an educational component. Its why they complain about PD days, early let out or work stopages. Its why they send their kids to school when they are sick or pick them up late after school or events. Its what happens when schools try to be all things to people- they lose focus of the original mandate.
ReplyDelete