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LCPS Furlough Days

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by TeamDonzi, Nov 21, 2010.

  1. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    Just another reason to get rid of the entire Dept. of Education ...
     
  2. LMT

    LMT New Member

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    How about if we get rid of school sports instead (and other extra-curricular activities)?

    Schools could focus on academics (e.g., science, reading, writing, math, history), trade skills (e.g., computers, shop classes), and "lifetime" skills (e.g., health, personal finances, home ec.).

    After-school activities could be run by non-profits or for-profits. Students would pay these organizations fees to join them. These organizations would then take over the maintenance of the sports facilities AND the liability issues.

    I'm not an economist or an attorney (so I'm sure there would be some major challenges in doing this). But, it might save the district a lot of money and allow schools to focus on teaching...not producing the best football team, marching band, etc.
     
  3. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Here, again, is the EXACT quote from the article. What am I misreading??????

    "In addition, the guide states that the teacher cost comparison, a measure of salary and benefits costs for one teacher position with a hypothetical annual salary of $60,000, is the highest in the region at $82,638."
     
  4. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Thank you for proving my point. It does NOT say "average" anywhere in that statement. The teacher cost comparison bases the salary / benefits package on a hypothetical $60,000 salary in every district. $60,000 is NOT the average salary anywhere.
     
  5. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    That is not a constructive, helpful statement. Offer some solutions, please...
     
  6. mwb2218

    mwb2218 New Member

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    What valuable service has the fed provided to your dept? To me it just sounded you are required to comply with more red-tape and regulations that cost more money and interfere w/ how certain localities and the states would actually like to educate their children.

    I haven't met one local educator who thinks the fed provides a valuable service in the local classroom. Thats only my point.
     
  7. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Allow my to repost th full quote I originally posted:

    "While Loudoun may excel in sending its students off to college, the guide states that LCPS teachers are paid the least in the region, netting an average income of $59,376.
    In addition, the guide states that the teacher cost comparison, a measure of salary and benefits costs for one teacher position with a hypothetical annual salary of $60,000, is the highest in the region at $82,638."

    Allow me to elaborate the point: It says the average (there's that word) teacher salary in Loudoun is $59,376. Seems to be pretty close to $60,000 to me. It then states that someone making an average of $60,000 receives salary/benefits package of $83,638.
    If you want to refute this amount, or that other districts pay more, than go ahead. According to the article, these numbers come from the same WABE that you quoted.

    I still have no idea what your "point" is.
     
  8. sunnydog

    sunnydog New Member

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    I think your comment question is directed to me, not the poster that you replied to.
    While the USDOE and VADOE may not afford valuable services to local education agencies one cannot simply do away with them or fail to comply. In addition to risk of losing any (paltry) funding we would be assessed exorbitant fees for failure to comply with laws and regulations.

    Just a fact of reality. Kind of like paying taxes.
     
  9. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    Will someone explain the basis/debate of this thread? I understand the unscheduled furlough would have saved $$ for the county, cost $$ for parents needing to find alternative care, and would deprive/short students two days of "taxpayer/funded $$" toward education. Do I understand correctly too, that teachers would also lose $$ for the mandated time off? I thought teachers were paid a salary and therefore paid the same regardless of time off.
     
  10. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    It would be like unpaid time off. So people don't get paid because they lose work days, parents incur higher costs due to now having children not in school, and the education schedule is impacted.

    All because of money gaps that many argue is being because money is being wasted elsewhere in the system.

    Hatrick holds 'popular' things hostage as the first things that need to go every year in the budget process.

    It's like threatening to cut Fire/EMS services while driving your county provided car.
     
  11. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    It's my understanding that although they are salaried, money can be taken in or out of paychecks anytime. Kind of like how a paycheck amount is reduced each pay period to pay for insurance and taxes. Maybe the pay for those two days was deducted. Now it has to be returned to workers during an upcoming pay period.

     
  12. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    Hey- did the folks who voted to furlough the teachers for those two days also furlough themselves and lose 2 days of pay?
     
  13. sunnydog

    sunnydog New Member

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    Precisely.
     
  14. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Yes, T8ergirl, all this rant, and it's really true. It was approved to pay the teachers before Thanksgiving. Don't know where the money came from, probably from us. Whoever is saying the teachers need a day off...really? I'd take those hours and the guaranteed job any day of the week, heck they practically get every other Monday off as it is. AND if LoCo has such LOW PAY, (avg near 83k with benes), then why aren't the teachers leaving in droves? I'd still like to say that teachers are great, but Hatrick or someone (Board), is taking full advantage of the taxpayers, without answering to anyone. I hate this crap where people just think they can get away with whatever is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.
     
  15. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    No job is guaranteed anymore. And teachers work 5 days a week, from 7am-5pm. They don't show up at 7:50 and leave at 2:50 like the kids.

    Do you attend school board meetings? I've never attended one, watched one on TV or computer (they are available that way), nor read the minutes of a meeting. I don't think I'm in a position to claim the board is doing anything wrong since I haven't been involved with it in any way at all. It's easy to blame them but this thread makes it sound like you are bashing teachers, not administrators and staff. The teachers are the face of public schools and therefore get the brunt of people's complaints. That's a real shame.

    Where did the money come from? Here's what the Loudoun Times Mirror wrote:
    Loudoun County Public Schools now have an additional $9.4 million in federal funds to compensate employees forced to take two furlough days next week as a result of budget constraints.
    The Loudoun Board of Supervisors on Nov. 16 voted 5-3-1 to appropriate the money – granted by the Federal Education Jobs Fund – to the schools system.


    So while it did come from the taxpayers, it wasn't specifically and only from Loudoun or Virginia taxpayers, just a national pool.
     
  16. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Here's the homework I did on the subject:

    http://www2.ed.gov/programs/educationjobsfund/index.html

    The Education Jobs Fund (Ed Jobs) program is a new Federal program that provides $10 billion in assistance to States to save or create education jobs for the 2010-2011 school year. Jobs funded under this program include those that provide educational and related services for early childhood, elementary, and secondary education.

    State governors are eligible to apply

    See the Guidance document for more information and details of regulations.
     
  17. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    Nope, not bashing teachers at all. Teachers DO, however, get lots of days off. I'm pretty sure the teachers don't make the schedules or decide if they get furloughed or not.

    My sister is a teacher, a great one, and she is guaranteed a job until she no longer wants it, and gets insurance for life, and a pension too. That's a deal. Now if the whole world goes belly up who knows what will happen to all of that.

    But how is it RIGHT to pay someone for not working, using OPM? (Smacks of the Feds, doesn't it?) Let's not get into the UE benefits extension, but you don't pay someone when you agreed not to. In fact, I think they are dead wrong to do what they did, whoever did it. (Maybe they took it from the rainy day fund which was just increased by 5% for some ludicrous reason) In general, we don't pay if services are not rendered...

    If you do pay people to NOT do work, please let us all know so we can line up....you'd be mighty popular, PDQ! :santa:
     
  18. diana5869

    diana5869 Member

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    As Villager said, the money did not come from a rainy day fund, it came from the Federal Educational Jobs Grant, that the Governor applied for. It was granted to the county after the school calendar had been put in place, and the Board of Supervisors allocated it to the schools on 11/17, and the money could only be used for salaries and benefits of education employees.
     
  19. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    I don't think so. Maybe some go that early or stay that late, but I do not believe it is required.
    Any teachers care to chime in?
    I know of a teacher in my part of the neighborhood that was usually home before the kids got off the bus!
    This "work to the rule" game pushed by the LEA will, I think, damage the school budget more than help it. After all, they will be pushing for more funding when they were performing as little as possible. Not the smartest move when you want more money.
    They may not like it, but there are droves of people waiting to take their jobs if they don't like working for LCPS.
     
  20. TeamDonzi

    TeamDonzi ShowMeTheMoney!

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    I'm pretty sure the message has gotten mixed up. The money comes from taxpayers, who had to pay even more money to have their kids taken care of when they would otherwise be in school. So the teachers get a Bonus? What about the 2 days of school the kids missed?

    This is NOT about the teachers, it's about the abuse of a bloated system with very little oversight, IMO. The furlough was voted in to ease the LoCo budget, so instead, we take that money from US taxpayers, it still doesn't change the fact that the kids missed 2 days of school.

    Do you pay for a haircut you don't get?
    Do you pay for a lawn that doesn't get mowed?
    Do you pay for the milk you don't buy?
    Do you pay for a tutor that never shows up?

    Apply this to any other profession and you might have an issue with it.
     

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