Saturday, July 4, 2009

Moreno Valley schools budget approved; services to take 'some hits'

10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, July 2, 2009
By DAN LEE
The Press-Enterprise


"Sorry Moms, Dads, Families, Kid's - but It's Going to Get Worse!" Much Worse Than This.

Moreno Valley children will have fewer teachers, larger classes, less supervision for suspended (Read: ALL) students and fewer sports teams when they return to school this fall. The Moreno Valley Board of Education this week approved a $284 million budget for the 2009-10 school year, closing a $23 million gap between projected revenue and spending. "There's definitely going to be some hits," board President Tracey Vackar said by phone. The district issued layoff notices to 254 teachers (and counselors) in May and eliminated nearly 30 administrative or supportive positions; increased elementary classes sizes; reduced bus driver hours and school maintenance services; and delayed buying new textbooks to help close the shortfall. Does any one else read the missing text? Bob Krank is giving away the question. Most importantly will we pit careers against salary schedule? (see my answers at tbe end of this peace.)

Parents and students will have to get used to slower ( Read: almost no ) services, because the district has fewer employees, Vackar said.
In addition, the board reduced the amount of money budgeted for student activities and athletics, eliminating freshman sports teams. "The good news is that a lot of freshman kids will be eligible to compete with the junior varsity," Vackar said. The board did decide to keep three school resource officers at middle schools, because members felt that health and safety are priorities, she said. But district officials know that they will likely have to trim another $20 million because of state funding cuts that are expected because of California's budget crisis. The district could use federal stimulus funds to help close that additional shortfall, but those monies are only available once and are usually not used for recurring expenses. The board does not want to use all of the stimulus money at once, Vackar said. "You would pass off your problem for another year," she said.

Instead, the district will use some of that money and make up the rest of the expected shortfall with further cuts, Assistant Superintendent Bob Crank said. Those cuts could include increased class sizes, furloughs or pay cuts, he said by phone. Further layoffs are a possibility, Superintendent Rowena Lagrosa said. Eighty-four percent of the district's budget pays for personnel, she said. "You can't help but touch upon personnel," Lagrosa said by phone. Some of the cuts might come during the middle of the fall semester or be implemented for the spring semester, Vackar said. The district may be (read: will barely be) able to afford to provide only a core curriculum, she said. After the district addresses this (years) $20 million shortfall, it will have cut (over) $62 million... since January 2008 because of reduced state funding, the recession and declining enrollment. Extracurricular programs like those aimed at helping students prepare and apply for college may face cuts, Vackar said. "It makes me sick," she said. "Those to me aren't fluff programs. Those are programs that help kids become successful."

Now for my answer. Let me quote the prophetic Pro Football Coach and philosopher Bear Bryant: "SEEMS LIKE DEJA VUE ALL OVER AGAIN."

No comments:

This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out?

What's taking so long? This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out? "Hell has a special level for those who sit by idly during times of great crisis."
Robert Kennedy

The Art of SETTING LIMITS, Its not as easy as it looks.

Art of Setting Limits Setting limits is one of the most powerful tools that professionals have to promote positive behavior change for their clients, students, residents, patients, etc. Knowing there are limits on their behavior helps the individuals in your charge to feel safe. It also helps them learn to make appropriate choices.


There are many ways to go about setting limits, but staff members who use these techniques must keep three things in mind:
Setting a limit is not the same as issuing an ultimatum.
Limits aren’t threats—If you don’t attend group, your weekend privileges will be suspended.

Limits offer choices with consequences—If you attend group and follow the other steps in your plan, you’ll be able to attend all of the special activities this weekend. If you don’t attend group, then you’ll have to stay behind. It’s your decision.
The purpose of limits is to teach, not to punish.
Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable consequences. By giving such choices and consequences, staff members provide a structure for good decision making.
Setting limits is more about listening than talking.
Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits.
Download The Art of Setting Limits

SYSTEMATIC USE OF CHILD LABOR


CHILD DOMESTIC HELP
by Amanda Kloer

Published February 21, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT
category: Child Labor
Wanted: Domestic worker. Must be willing to cook, clean, work with garbage, and do all other chores as assigned. No contract available, payment based on employer's mood or current financial situation. No days off. Violence, rape, and sexual harassment may be part of the job.

Would you take that job? No way. But for thousands of child domestic workers in Indonesia, this ad doesn't just describe their job, it describes their life.

A recent CARE International survey of over 200 child domestic workers in Indonesia found that 90% of them didn't have a contract with their employer, and thus no way to legally guarantee them a fair wage (or any wage at all) for their work. 65% of them had never had a day off in their whole employment, and 12% had experienced violence. Child domestic workers remain one of the most vulnerable populations to human trafficking and exploitation. And while work and life may look a little grim for the kids who answered CARE's survey, it's likely that the most abused and exploited domestic workers didn't even have the opportunity to take the survey.

In part, child domestic workers have it so much harder than adults because the people who hire children are more likely looking for someone easy to exploit. Think about it -- if you wanted to hire a domestic worker, wouldn't you choose an adult with a stronger body and more life experience to lift and haul and cook than a kid? If you could get them both for the same price, of course you would. But what if the kid was cheaper, free even, because you knew she wouldn't try and leave if you stopped paying her. Or even if you threatened her with death.



Congress Aims to Improve Laws for Runaway, Prostituted Kids

by Amanda Kloer

categories: Child Prostitution, Pimping

Published February 20, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT

The prospects for healthcare reform may be chillier than DC weather, but Democrats in the House and Senate are turning their attention to another warmer but still significant national issue: the increasing number of runaway and throwaway youth who are being forced into prostitution. In response to the growing concerns that desperate, runaway teens will be forced into prostitution in a sluggish economy, Congress is pushing several bills to improve how runaway kids are tracked by the police, fund crucial social services, and prevent teens from being caught in sex trafficking. Here's the gist of what the new legislation is trying to accomplish:

Shelter: Lack of shelter is one of the biggest vulnerabilities of runaway and homeless youth. Pimps will often use an offer of shelter as an entree to a relationship with a child or a straight up trade for sex. In the past couple years, at least 10 states have made legislative efforts to increase the number of shelters, extend shelter options, and change state reporting requirements so that youth shelters have enough time to win trust and provide services before they need to report the runaways to the police. Much of the new federal legislation would make similar increases in the availability and flexibility of shelter options.

Police Reporting: Right now, police are supposed to enter all missing persons into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database within two hours of receiving the case. In reality, that reporting doesn't always get done, making it almost impossible for law enforcement to search for missing kids across districts. This hole is a big problem in finding child prostitution victims and their pimps, since pimps will often transport girls from state to state. The new bill would strengthen reporting requirements, as well as facilitate communication between the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Switchboard

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women
Nor the Fool Politicians that used so many American GIs' lives as fodder for the fight over an english noun - "Communism"