To cope with budget, Cobb shortens school year, raises class size and cuts teachers. Welcome to the new normal
I can’t help but be depressed at the continual AJC news stories about larger classes, fewer teachers and shorter calendars.
This story is about Cobb, a school system that has been an academic pace setter and a major factor in the county’s appeal to middle-class families. When these top systems start slashing, I worry even more about the future of education in Georgia.
Here is the latest report from the AJC:
After failing to reach agreement last week, the Cobb County school board held a special meeting Monday for another go at next year’s budget, and approved one with $841.9 million in spending.
The 2012-13 budget, which kicks in July 1, cuts 350 teaching positions. That should increase average class sizes at all grade levels by two students per teacher.
The new budget pulls back from other cuts that were contained in the tentative budget approved in April.
Instead of five furlough days, for instance, teachers and all other employees will get three. That will mean a reduction in the school calendar, from 180 days to 177. Also, the hours for elementary school media paraprofessionals will not be cut as originally proposed. The budget was approved in a 4-3 vote, with board members Alison Bartlett, Tim Stultz and Kathleen Angelucci opposed.
The board also approved a new school calendar, with the furlough days on Dec. 21, Feb. 15 and May 30, 2013.
Other elements of the budget: a mid-year step increase for eligible employees, the use of $23 million in sales tax excess funds to lower the property tax millage rate and the use of $28.2 million in reserve funds to help close the deficit.
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109 comments Add your comment
Cobb History Teacher
May 22nd, 2012
1:35 pm
@Donaldo
“It is a NO BRAINER for this former educator…..” Cut and run hun? I love the mentality…if you don’t like the system leave, rather than change for the better. I don’t think were arguing teachers should be paid more I think were arguing that we shouldn’t be expected to do more for less.
Cobb History Teacher
May 22nd, 2012
1:38 pm
@Don H.
“But as the old Soviet Union and the modern Greeks have discovered—taxpayers have limits on just how much revenue they’re willing to divert from their own families’ needs to support perpetual mediocrity.”
Teachers can only do so much with the resources they are sent. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.
GoinCrazy
May 22nd, 2012
2:17 pm
Amazing that no one on here mentioned that the School board and Central office higher ups gave themselves a payraise this past year. I’ve heard it was, on average, $80k, but have no proof to support that. Still, isn’t it nice that get raises while I continue to take pay cuts and have higher student-teacher ratios. I work in a 40+ year old school building. My room is at capacity with 28 students. I’m not sure how I’m going to fit 32 in my room along with doing all of the center-based instruction that is required out of the new Math and LA Common Core Standards. However, I will continue to strive to do my best to provide a quality education to my elementary students. That being said, instead of us fighting each other, wouldn’t it be better if we worked together to come up with the solution? And oh yeah, my students have worked until the end of the year. They haven’t been just slouching off since the CRCT, though that is what they would have preferred.
Dondee
May 22nd, 2012
2:40 pm
While it may seem to some that the year is over after the CRCT, that is far from the truth. We still have grades to take. Also, this is the time of year we get to do the “fun” stuff the calendar does not allow due to pacing before testing. We get to do research and reports and make fun, yet educational artifacts. So, maybe your student is telling you we are finished teaching, but that is just not the reality.
Elizabeth
May 22nd, 2012
8:02 pm
To Reality Check, the reason we have Prek, K, 5th, 8th, and 12th grade graduations is because parents would have a cow if we didnt! I have been teaching in Troup County (LaGrange) for the last four years, we are used to the cuts. I feel bad for Cobb since you all have been living the life of luxery, but the rest of the state has been suffering. Meriwether and Muscogee counties have had 10 furlough days for several school years now. In Troup 2 years ago we went to a calendar of 165 days, also we have half time music and art for probably 10 years. It’s tragic for students, but it’s life. I’m not saying it’s right, but until policy makers step foot into our buildings, take their children out of private and charter schools, it won’t change. Also, I am anxious to see how NCLB will be once 2014 rolls around…are all children reading on grade level
By the way, once CRCT is over many times schools aren’t teaching any longer. I do, but many don’t. If you have a problem with this, call the school. Be proactive!
CMST
May 22nd, 2012
11:02 pm
Elizabeth – While we haven’t had ten furlough days, I wouldn’t exactly say we’re “living a life of luxury.”
When this all started three years ago, we all took a permanent loss of one day (for some weird reason we had been on a 191 day contract). From the new 190 we took three furlough days, had no step increase that year, and we had a permanent 2% pay cut. In addition, 700 positions were lost (and while the official word was that it was all due to attrition, many teachers did in fact lose their jobs).
In the years since, we have continued to have furloughs, increases in insurances, delayed step increases, and huge classes – not very luxurious. We have not been immune.
What is really annoying is that, not only do we typically tax at a higher millage rate, a lot of of taxpayer dollars go to other counties under QBE.
A Teacher
May 23rd, 2012
12:19 pm
To the library lady and another comment – if you spent more time promoting the importance of education at home and less time trying to sound like you know what you’re talking about, maybe your kid wouldn’t come home with the “what’s the point of learning” attitude after CRCT…REALLY! In my MIDDLE SCHOOL we teach until the last day and give our finals the last three days – and guess what – all we get is GRIPPING AND COMPLAINING from the parents who can’t figure out why we are still doing work when they want to leave for a vacation or don’t want to listen to their child complain about having to go to school (parents do your jobs)!
It is UNBELIVABLE that we get slammed no matter what we do in schools…if we do Olympics, or show a movie, or have a party, we are wasting time and get slammed as being poor educators, AND if we teach and/or test through the last day, we “aren’t considering the family and students need to be out of school.”!!!!! We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t!
I propose all of you who obviously know so much about what it’s like to teach, how to run the schools, and what we are doing wrong, should just home school your kids – because then maybe we could really focus on what we need to do as teachers AND NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH IDIOTS LIKE YOU!!!! Oh and a 15 yr. veteran who had another career before finding the best one – teaching – we get so much less in the “public sector” than you do in the “private sector!”
Real story
May 23rd, 2012
8:07 pm
@Real story -
Your comment about salary vs. hourly employees really do not apply to teachers at all. Teachers are CONTRACT employees and are given annual contracts for a set amount of money for a set number of days.
The crime about furlough days is that the school systems BREAK the contract by decreasing the pay and keeping the same number of work days…. and the employees have no recourse.
If the employees try to break the contract then the school system insists that the teacher certification is revoked by the PSC.
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@Public HS Teacher
I’m not sure where you read that I said anything about hourly or salary employees….I merely pointed out that the 3 approved furlough days were the Friday preceding Winter Break, the Friday preceding President’s Day and the last day of school. Furlough days are “no work, no pay” days….we don’t work and we don’t get paid! I understand that the contract is signed for a certain number of days and that’s not great…but the way I look at it, I have a job….and I’m thrilled to still be doing what I love!! Yes, I love my job, but apparently many in our profession do not! I’m still going to show up every day and do what’s right for my kids despite the difficulties with the budget. So, I get it that people are upset, but I choose to be positive every day when I go to work….it is a choice!!
Public HS Teacher
May 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
@Real Story – You certainly backtracked from your post where you “went off” on me explaining the difference between salaried employees and hourly employees!!!!