Orange County loses 19,400 jobs over the month, 13,000 jobs over the year

<p>NSR, </p>

<p> I take it you don't have any idea on what teacher's make or how a school and school district works. </p>

<p>The people in the school district that make the big bucks are the Principals, Superintendent and all the other people in the upper management (Board of directors et al.). The real waste comes from management making decisions and then reversing them (usually somebody's "vision" of how the students should learn....).</p>

<p>In school I know of, they put this principal who micromanages her teachers.... Ok, this principal has never taught a class or for that matter never in ANY form of school.</p>

<p>Upon this, the school districts uses certain schools as "feeder" schools or training schools. You get a VERY good teacher who is spectular and they IMMEDIATELY get moved to a school which is has better performing students.... Same goes with principals and faculty. These schools continually rotate their staff and faculity, everything is in flux, who suffers? The students who are trying to learn, the whole reason for the school being there.... You do the math.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
<p>I didn't know it was possible to get into admin any other way than from the classroom. IMO that position is not a promotion - at least the vice principal/principal level. The level of work the VPor principal does is staggering. I am still close with my student government advisor from 20 years ago, and he and I chatted about it recently. He told me his average work week was roughly 80 hours, and year round!</p>
 
In the public school system, you have to have taught a minimum of 3 years in the classroom to become a school administrator. You can't even get your admin. credential without the 3 years.



In general, teachers are not moved to other schools unless they ask for a transfer. Teachers do like to go to higher performing schools because the pressure to raise test scores is very high in underperforming schools.



I was a school administrator before I had children and the workload was tremendous.
 
<p>Average salaries and union scale is public info.</p>

<p>There are great teachers and poor teachers.</p>

<p>Again, the results speak for themselves. I don't care how they fix it, but at present, they are broken. I'm open to any ideas however that should include real examination of the boatload of sacred cows as well as bureaucracy, mandates and a real discussion about how much funding is going to the classroom and how much isn't.</p>

<p> </p>

<p> </p>
 
<p>While we're at it, looks like not only schools are facing cuts if you're in Sacramento or Vallejo:</p>

<p><a href="http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/03/grim-news-in-arizona-state-budget-and.html">http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/03/grim-news-in-arizona-state-budget-and.html</a></p>

<p>First the IE, and then we're next kids.</p>
 
What truly enfuriates me is that when prices skyrocketed in the last few years, property taxes for those homes sold was so much higher than what it should have been had the bubble not increased due to the credit creativity.





You would think that someone would have the foresight to save some of that for a rainy day.





I guess everyone in Sacramento was of the belief that home prices, and thus property tax revenue, can only go up.
 
<p>"There are great teachers and poor teachers"</p>

<p>That's a big part of the problem. Too many poor quality teachers making mega bucks because of that union scale and job protection. When my wife was teaching in Huntington Beach City SD, they had a senior special ed teacher that was falling apart. Ugly divorce, drinking problem, etc. The woman would sometimes fall asleep at her desk during class. She would schedule IEPs and then fail to show up for them or even complete the reports or assessments. In the real working world, she is fired in a heartbeat. She was a walking liability. There, after a year or two, they got her out of the school on a TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) doing god knows what. Of course, she was still pulling down her $90K... The world would have been a much better place if she would have been whacked and they hired two gung-ho new teachers to replace her for the same money.</p>

<p>CA teachers are underpaid relative to cost-of-living as compared to other states. Over the last decade, their salaries in general probably have just kept up with inflation. While I love the union scale personally since my wife benefits from it (locked in raises every year are nice), if there was no union at all for teachers, the cream could rise to the top and be compensated for it. The dead weight could be jettisoned allowing for more competitive salaries. It'll never happen, but the power and protection of the unions allow for inefficiencies and inequities to persist.</p>

<p>In my opinion, most school administrators are worth every penny. They work their tales off and have an extreme stress level. It's a tough gig...</p>
 
<p>To all who have posted about the school budgets,</p>

<p>The way the public K-12 schools are funded breeds the most horrid sub-culture I have ever witnessed. I've dated 3 teachers over the years, my wife and mother have both worked on the administration side, and from the information I have read and seen I consider our current education system to be mafia-like in size, scope, and nature. I would have been harsher in my reply to Winex, but I didn't want to start down that path. Since you've already gone there...</p>

<p>The system is so thoroughly corrupted by money and power-struggles it boggles the mind. There is no shortage of money spent on education, but it is horribly wasted. Bad teachers are rarely fired, but rather moved into administrative roles at the same or higher salary. It isn't just California. It's the same in Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and any other state you care to mention. The NEA and teacher's unions and school districts are fighting for control over the dollars fleeced from the taxpayers and use kids as hostages. There is no accountability because "standardized tests are unfair", there is no authority in the classroom because we can't hurt children's feelings or bruise their self-esteem, and there is no parental involvement because both parents are working (or one is working two jobs) in part to pay for the taxes that support this system.</p>

<p>Teaching is a noble profession and more than half of the teachers are very good as what they do. But more than a few are complicit in using public funds to expand their world view and their power base. Even the good ones are too often silent for fear of retribution, reassignment, or reduction in their wages. It is a sick, diseased system that isn't just robbing kids of a better education, it's robbing our country of it's future.</p>
 
<p>Nudist!</p>

<p>"<strong>Teaching is a noble profession and more than half of the teachers are very good as what they do. But more than a few are complicit in using public funds to expand their world view and their power base. Even the good ones are too often silent for fear of retribution, reassignment, or reduction in their wages. It is a sick, diseased system that isn't just robbing kids of a better education, it's robbing our country of it's future."</strong></p>

<p>I completely agree with this statement. I used to teach in my early years in both college and regular schools. Both of my parents were teachers and then there are several of my extended family members who are in the teaching profession. It is sick as to what happens with the upper admin. One of my parents (who has been an excellent teacher for 40+ years) is currently going through a tough patch now. It seems the principal (a Phd who has never taught a single class...) is very threatened by her seinority, salary and ability to actually teach well (has long had underperforming students passing their assessment skills class - bilingual education). Unfortunately this principal has/is constantly micromanaged her classes and shuttled her students around. Unfortunatley my mom believe these students should actually LEARN instead of studying ONLY for the assessment tests. (It seems some teachers actually cheat on their assessment tests by allowing the kids to take them home as well as giving them the test 2-3 times in a row to get them to pass....).</p>

<p>Anyways I'm very upset because of my experience with schools (had a vindictive woman who hated men, that is except her son, whom she hired as a teacher...) and what is currently happening with in her school district.</p>

<p>oh well... </p>

<p>-bix</p>
 
<p>Nice site to donate to for all those little extras for the classroom that never seem to be covered by school budgets, in any funding year...</p>

<p>http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html</p>
 
<p>The amount of money from federal grants that actually gets to students is disappointing. My sister was a 5th grade teacher and was tasked with applying for a special federal grant aimed at helping ESL students. Her school hired a consultant to "get results". She ended up writing the grant (i.e., doing all the work), he took it to DC and made sure they won the grant. He charged a percentage of the grant which ended up being like 30 grand in his pocket for kissing the right politician's butt. What a joke. </p>

<p>Her school didn't make the most efficient use of the granted money, but that's a another story...</p>
 
what does your state do with all your taxes, anyways? and if OC is losing jobs, oh man. Tax revenues going down, employment down...ouch. Now you get to see what happens when you ride the good years and spend every single increase and them some from revenues. Poof! Hit a down year and all $hit breaks loose. Don't worry though, cuz most states are in the same boat. Can't spend it fast enough when the goings are great and then the train is off the rails. California's numbers are just a bit more shocking than my home state, cuz it just dwarfs us.
 
<p>I see IPO, Nude, Biscuit and I are actually all coming from the same point of view.</p>

<p>I'll conclude that it is just further proof to how messed up the system is that we can't tell at first. Thanks for the clarity nudist!</p>
 
<p><a href="http://www.ocregister.com/news/unified-teachers-districts-1992665-cuts-school">County's potential teacher losses may near 1,900</a></p>

<p>Irvine Unified, Anaheim join cities in sending out layoff notices, terminating temporary workers.</p>

<p>Anaheim Elementary: 75


Anaheim Union High: 99


Buena Park: 20


Capistrano Unified: 266 teachers, 161 other staff


Cypress: 20


Fullerton Elementary: 60


Irvine Unified: 210.16 posts, <strong>including teachers</strong>


Orange Unified: 200


Placentia-Yorba Linda: No classroom teachers, up to 125 non-classroom staff.


Saddleback Unified: 241


Santa Ana Unified: 570


Savanna: up to 15</p>
 
<p>On the detailed link it indicates that Irvine is cutting 210 posts, including <strong>temporary</strong> teachers. That helps me digest it a little better. This whole school cut thing is not going to be fun for any OC school districts, but I guess I'd rather weather it in Irvine where there is very strong community (active PTA's and Pub School Foundation) and business (TIC) support supplementing the budget, rather than in some of the districts where community involvement is not as strong.</p>

<p>My family has been assessing the schooling landscape very hard in the last couple of weeks in light of the recent cuts announced, as we have a daughter starting Kindergarten this year. Despite the fact that we really like what we have seen from the Tustin USD schools serving Northpark and West Irvine (and love those areas), we have decided to shift our focus to a home in the Irvine school district --- if for no other reason than there seems to be more financial firepower from the community to backing IUSD. Even for a optimist knife catchter like me, the down economy has a way of influencing our lives.</p>
 
Irvine company has been using the Irvine ISD as a major selling point for a long time. If Irivne ISD starts to have "material suffering" to the extent that will affect the school performance and ranking, I bet you Irvine company will at least think about doing something about it - ie. donation, etc. Irvine Company donated $20 million to the Irvine ISD in 2006.



If I were Irvine company, I would seriously considering making a donation to the Irvine ISD once the budget cuts are final ( although they are identifing positions to cut, but the actuall budget cuts won't be finalized until June I think). Especially IF they already have short term or medium term plans for any donation for tax planning purpose etc.



Talking about the biggest bang for the buck: the headline will read something like: Irvine company cares about the community they develop, makes the a donation to the Irvine ISD to avoid any cuts. Just image the impact it will have on potential buyers out there.



They don't need to do this just to be nice or pretend to be nice...this is partically a business decision or you can call that a PR investment.
 
<p>By the way, did you all notice that Irvine company udated their website. Interestingly, this new website includes the older Irvine company village descriptions - i.e. oakcreek, quail hill, etc.</p>

<p>I strongly believe that one of the biggest asset of Irvine is the Irvine company due to its vested commerical and residential interest in the city. </p>
 
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