Monday, March 4, 2013

Sequester sparks no panic in CMS

Budget gridlock may be tying Washington in knots,  but don't expect the sequester to bring massive layoffs or school cutbacks at home.  Federal money for 2012-13 is already in place and won't be cut off by any automatic federal cuts,  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools advised employees in a Friday newsletter.  The district is bracing for federal cuts as officials plan for 2013-14, the newsletter says.

In a related note,  the Washington Post's Fact Checker blog called BS on U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's talk that the sequester would trigger immediate and massive teacher layoffs. "There is little debate that across-the-board spending cuts in education funding will cause pain for some schools and states. But there is no reason to hype the statistics  --  or to make scary pronouncements on pink slips being issued based on misinformation,"  the blog concluded

Meanwhile,  if you're trying to keep up with the blizzard of education proposals swirling around Raleigh,  the Public School Forum of North Carolina is posting a "bills to watch" feature in its weekly reports.

If you missed it in Sunday's Observer,  House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County wrote about some possible changes afoot.

Tillis
"We should examine North Carolina’s tenure law with a goal of allowing district flexibility in personnel decisions, while maintaining due process for teachers,"  Tillis wrote after meetings with numerous teachers,  principals and superintendents.  "We should discuss giving school districts the authority to implement compensation models based on teacher performance. Lastly, we need to encourage (school districts) to drive out inefficiencies – and reward them by allowing them to reinvest savings in their own schools."

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/03/3887616/nc-houses-education-reform-innovation.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


And close to home, Superintendent Heath Morrison and his 22 task forces are holding the second of three town hall meetings today, from 6-8:30 p.m. at North Meck, 11201 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville.  I didn't make it to the first one last week.  I'd be curious to hear from those of you who did;  was it helpful?

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, we all know what a buffoon Duncan is anyway. Just look at how he left Chicago schools.

Anonymous said...

No, no immediate cuts at this time. But if the sequester continues, around April 30th the pink slips will roll out for those who won't be back because CMS has to give a 60 day notice.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of buffoons. Mr. Tillis, do you truly think we buy your rhetoric? Pay for performance by any other name still smells like sewage.

And there is no problem with the "tenure" for NC teachers when it is properly handled by administrators. If a teacher has career status (tenure) and they need to be gone, then the administration just needs to do their job.

Anonymous said...

1. If all the "cuts" Big O is telling about actually happen we would probably save $500,000,000.
2. Big O has put us $6,000,000,000,000. further in debt. We need to cut spending by a trillion dollars a year thanks to his poicies. If we have this much heartache cutting $85 billion we have no chance surviving as a nation. Greece here we come.

Anonymous said...

1. $500,000,000,000.
It is tough keeping track of all these zeros.

Anonymous said...

Greece?

Since day one, Obama has been running this country as unitary, (as is Greece)instead of federal, as we have been for 233 years.

As another blogger noted, all one has to do is look at Chicago, where Obama and the majority of his minions come from. Pretty much sums up the direction of America.

The sad fact is, local politicians will scream for more local money to keep the same pathetic status quo in place if federal funds are cut.

Anonymous said...

Afganistan has been a Billion a day since what year?

Iraq has cost how much since when?

No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have been a bipartisan effort on buffoonery for how long?

As long as there are Republicans, Democrats, educrats, and ill-informed BOEs involved, there will be equal amounts of Spewage from all factions.

BolynMcClung said...

FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING WAS HELPFUL

I serve on the Time, Capital and Resource Management TF.

We had a visitor who came representing a middle school. The person wanted us to hear about the bell schedule as a poor use of time and not very good resource management.

While there is a Bell Schedule Task Force, it seemed clear that our task force would have to include a bell schedule discussion. Since the original plan was a money saver, removing or altering it could likewise affect our recommendations either on the next budget year or for the 2017 and beyond plan.

Bolyn McClung
Pineville

Anonymous said...

We had two visitors to the Process and Systems Improvement Task Force, one of them a project manager, the other a lateral entry teacher. Good questions were asked.

Wiley Coyote said...

Bell Schedule Task Force

You can't make this stuff up.

Missouri said...

I am not sure where the failure is. One, what the sequester is is simply an "decrease" in the "increase" of spending of $2.4 trillion done from $2.5 trillion. So bototm line, there is no net decrease in spending. It is still going up.

So here's the question. Is this a deliberate misrepresentation by the President and his minions? If so, is it impeachable? Sadly not.

Or is this the lack of critical thinking ability by most of the main stream media, present company accepted? More than likely. Maybe the effect of the deline of the public education system.

Or is it the lack of critical thinking ability by most of the voters (low information voters?) thereto also a sign of the decline of the public education system?

If only the case was that the increase in spending was eliminated and therefore schools and other federally funded programs would get the same amount again next year and the next year.

Remember too that all the entitlement programs are exempted from this sequester.

Anonymous said...

Morrison and the BofE

FALSE PROPHETS

Anonymous said...

Bolyn, The bell schedule kool aid your being served by CMS is simply false. Tell me if you can drive your car say 25 miles a day to work. Yet the following week you make the same drive twice each day to same destination. Which week did your fuel cost rise? Your a smart guy I am sure you can see the variance. The late bell has cost CMS and frankly alienated parents from CMS. It's caused over a 37 percent turn over rate and is a complete cancer. It's gotten beyond the CMS world and to the state level since CMS has not responded to repeated requests. It's could end up like the airport issue in time. All the while causing under and over used facilites. Keith W Hurley

Anonymous said...

4 miles to school.
Bus arrives at 6:05am for a 7:20am start time.
No wonder so many people drop off their kids.

BolynMcClung said...

.
Keith,

Subject: Bell Schedule - The door to lower public education expenses.

I've heard two good arguments about the Bell Schedule. Then I've heard two good arguments against. It's not a Kool-Aid issue.

Pro: Reduces number of buses on the road. Reduces mileage.
Pro: Title I schools effective use of the extra 45 minutes.

Con: Children suffer loss of family connections
Con: Teacher treated unfairly - pay.

Yes, the Bell Schedule is a poor half-solution that swept the nation during the collapse of the U.S. government's flawed Homes for Everyone Lending Program. (HELP).

I'd like to see further reductions in the transportation system. Yes, it is possible. Charter schools are an example. I don't know how many time I've heard the complaint that charter school don't provide transportation out of their dollars while the public schools run by public employees(PSPEs) have to.

While the Bell Schedule has been hard to swallow, it will in the end be a blessing-unless someone returns to all buses all the time. It will force the PSPEs to eliminate unnecessary expenses.

Next in line. Cafeteria services.
Next in line after that. A serious consideration of Privatization.

Bolyn McClung
Pineville
.

Anonymous said...

Missouri, you obviously get talking points from Fox News and write several things exactly as they say them, you're a good parrot.

Mr. Hurley, a 37% turnover rate? Prove it or are you just up numbers like you usual.

Anonymous said...

Bolyn, I have a growing trend on Bell schedule data. A high number of parents take kids out of late bell school and shift them to next closer school. Resulting in over and under used schools, teachers and buses. The bus has to run just not twice. The heat is turned on along with the lights at every facility no matter how many kids enter. I know I am taking my child out of Carmel Middle next year and shifting to AG for a number of factors that are all negatives. A great resource is to acutally suffer with a child for a year in a late bell school. None of the CMS executives do this that I know of. Keith W. Hurley

Anonymous said...

ANON 10:02 , Data is from Carmel Middle school 2010 thru 2011. I also took out the 1 teacher who did have a baby that summer and never returned. Its 37% and its a fact much like I am willing to put my name on it. I have a child at that school and as a concerned involved parent did the research as presented. Should you have more questions or need data put your name on it. I will provide fact sheets. Keith W. Hurley

Anonymous said...

This is getting comical. The 37% number being thrown around is completely false. We attend a late bell schedule school. Not one teacher has left this year, and i am not aware of any student/family that has gone to another school due to the late bell.

Where are you coming up with this stuff? Sounds like it just doesn't work for your family.

Anonymous said...

Why are there so many buses that are running half full? The transportation dept should know that just because 50kids are assigned to a bus, doesn't mean 50 kids ride the bus.

Another poster makes a good point. why are students being picked up at 6:05am, sit in the HS parking lot for 15 mins before doors open at 6:45. The next school start time isn't til 7:45am. Inefficient. Most HS students drive or carpool anyway so the 25 buses that are running in the mornings could be reduced to 15 to save lots of $$$$$.

Anonymous said...

ANON 5:02- If you read the post prior that you cowardly have responded to you would know were the data comes from. Carmel Middle school and the principal you can call is Marc Anger or go to their website to email him. Give me the name of your late bell school and I will gladly collect the public data and prove you incorrect that no teacher left in 2012-2013. Its simple math divide total number of teachers by the number that left. I have old math machines to help you with the math. I dont know many families that the late bell does work for , BUT you seem to not be like the rest of working parents. CPCC may have some data courses for you that I highly reccomend. Keith W. Hurley