Prop 100

I just realized I never explained what Prop 100 was. It's a proposed 1% sales tax for three years. The money would go to education and public safety if passed. Another thing I never mentioned was the budget cuts that are happening in education. Last year they cut something like $42 billion from education. That hurt but we all made due. Teachers were let go and some were hired back. However, this year, even if Prop 100 passes they are still going to cut another $45 to $50 billion from the budget. If it doesn't, it's something like $70 billion that will be cut. Pretty crazy if you ask me.

Teachers already spend enough in their classrooms. With these kind of cuts it will come down to teachers paying for everything in their classrooms out of pocket and/or parents being expected to pay for things like textbooks, workbooks, paper, etc. Not a good situation either way you look at it.

Prop 100

I've been thinking about Prop 100 a lot lately. With the election coming up on the 18th of May I find myself being torn by this one. As a former educator, having been raised by two educators who still teach and with a sister in education I feel I have some extensive background on education. I understand the importance of good teachers and the funding that is needed to make things happen, but here's where it gets hard for me. I don't believe raising taxes is the best way to fix problems. To me it is like giving a person a fish. It puts a bandade on the problem and doesn't truly fix it, whereas if you teach a person to fish you've taught them how to feed themselves for a lifetime. In my opinion, the government flat out needs to stop spending money they don't have. How many of us have had to live on a tight budget? How many of us have gone without because we didn't have the money. Why should it be any different with the government.

Now, with that out of the way, here's what I know is going to happen to teachers next year. This is for sure, even if Prop 100 passes. My dad is in for a 5% paycut and with him so close to retirement, that intern effects his retirement plan. However, if Prop 100 doesn't pass it will become an 8% paycut plus having to work for 3 or 4 days with no pay.

My mom, who teaches kindergarten for a different district, will have no aide in her classroom. That may not seem like a big deal to any of you who have never taught kindergarten, but let me tell you that if the government expects to increase class sizes--which it does--and take away the aides in kindergarten--which it does--it becomes near to impossible to teach 25-30 kindergarteners. It turns into strictly classroom management, i.e. keeping the kids from hurting each other. Teaching won't happen as well and all the testing and monitoring that is expected can't really happen without running the risk of kids hurting each other. Let me just say, you try to keep 25-30 5-year-olds occupied for the entire school day with no help.

I've been there. I taught a year without an aide and had 25 kids and let me just say how difficult it was. In order to get done what was expected of me, I had to basically get the class busy on a project, hope they stay on task while I tried to test one kid at a time. Not a pretty sight. Anyway, at the moment I can't remember for sure if there will be a paycut for my mom or not, but my money says that there is one coming. It's not a pretty sight.

The expectations for teachers will not change, yet their resources and their ability to do their job is being reduced. It's not fair to them and in turn not fair to the kids. We won't see the results of this immediately (other than those who are directly involved with education) but image ten years down the road when kids who's education has been taken from them because of what is happening in the government are expected to take over the very same government that did them no favors. It is really a sad scenerio.

For those reasons I will probably vote in favor of Prop 100 despite my reserve on how to fix budget problems. I know how it will effect my parents, students and the very future of our state and country. What a sad time it is when the first place people turn for budget cuts are education and public safety. That's another side I could get into because of the many neighbors I have in public safety, but I will save that for another time.

I would love to hear what you have to say about this. Here are informational links in favor of Prop 100 and against Prop 100.

Teachers

I had the privilege of subbing yesterday at a valley high school. When I arrived things were a little more chaotic than usual. The secretary apologized and said that they had lost a teacher last night and everyone was still in shock. I knew it would be a hard day on that campus. For me the day went rather well but it did get me thinking about teachers and just how many lives they touch. Not only did this teacher leave behind his immediate and extended family, but his school family of teachers and his school children, students.

Think about it. In a high school setting there is what? A minimum of at least 40 teachers? Plus all the staff. Then this teacher has six classes of 30 or more students. That's 180 kids, give or take a few. Add to that the sports programs this particular teacher was involved in and those are just the contacts this year. Depending on how many years at a particular school the numbers get high pretty quickly.

I think of my parents teaching for 30 years and all of the lives they have touched. What an impact just one person has on so many people. My heart goes out to all those whose lives have been touched by this teacher. My heart goes out to the family. My heart goes out to all of those who are mourning this loss. My heart goes out to all teachers who sacrifice and care for so many others besides themselves. I know my life would not be the same without the many teachers that have helped guide me along the way.