Furlough Days

[csgray]

FYI
For all you supporters of charter schools: the budget crisis is being used as an excuse to further slash the budgets of charter schools in an attempt to kill charter schools by a death of a thousand paper cuts. Per pupil funding of charters is already about 1/2 of the funding regular DOE schools get, and is supposed to go down another $600 next year, plus charter schools have to pay for buildings and facilities out of their per pupil funding, DOE schools don't.

Now the Special Education staffs at charter schools are being furloughed, but it is a violation of the civil rights and state and federal law to have the special education students on campus without SPED staff. This means that charter schools, many of whom found ways to cut their budgets without furloughs, will be forced to close on furlough days or else operate in violation of the law.

If you support charter schools, and want them to be a viable option here in Hawaii, please contact every legislator you can and ask (demand?) that charter schools be funded at the same level as all other Hawaii schools and students. Without equal funding charter schools will not exist in Hawaii in another 3-5 years.

Carol

[JerryCarr]

Thank you, Carol, for pointing out something very important. The DOE will indeed use the financial crisis as an excuse to try to kill the Charter Schools yet again. I wonder if the legislators will listen, though. They seem to be heavily invested in the status quo and union support, IMHO.

[missydog1]

I don't think of the school as day care. But the fact is that when a parent or parents have a young child who cannot be left alone, there has to be an arrangement so that the parent can work. Most will use a combination of day care and the school time to cover the shift. The day care centers run at certain hours, which are all based on the school schedule. Suddenly the schools change it all around and don't give parents the chance to find a new system. They just go full speed ahead. My grandson already had all of last week off as some sort of Fall Break. Now the Fridays. It really sucks. I am not detached enough to worry about the political games. For my family it is literally about losing the roof over the head and food on the table.

My grandson is in the special needs program. That includes physical therapy that is crucial to helping him deal with cerebral palsy and learning to walk. Losing one day a week is not OK, and it is not something a day care person or family member can do. It's hard enough for us with the regular schedule, as he cannot get into the after school program because they state failed to fill the position for a special needs person at the only day care in town.

[David M]

Situation sux, but did we really anticipate anything different!!!

QUOTE:" raise the 4.2% tax to 6%"

While I suspect most here know my feelings on tax increases, this is one I could support provided 3 conditions are part of the increase:
1. 100% dissolution of any union involvement in any agency receiving the funds.
2. Total dismantling and reorganization of the education bureaucracies.
3. Development of a transparent means of budget execution.

Seems like the mantra these past 40 years has been more money, more money, more money. Results - failure.

David


Ninole Resident

[Carey]

For those who do not want a tax increase.... You had a one year tax reduction (the gas tax was repealed for one year)

Are you at least willing to give back the fuel tax that was removed for one year? For every 10 miles per week you drive, the $0.12/gal equals a little over $62 for the year.... Are you willing to give that money (or time equivalent) to the education of the youth in your area?

I will believe that education is important to most of us when I see more of our community take the action on this, until then....I am ashamed to admit that I do not believe most really care....

Most of us live in communities that have facilities that can be used for furlough friday education.... now show me what Punaweb is made of, or PLEASE do not point fingers.... The wonder of a democracy is each of us has responsibility for the actions of our government (Thanks to Bob L, I was reminded last year of the totality of our responsibility...)

[mdd7000]

Vouchers are probably the best answer. If the school doesn't achieve, the parents vote with their voucher.

[missydog1]

>>>Most of us live in communities that have facilities that can be used for furlough friday education.
No options for my grandson.
Give back $62 a year? Are you kidding me? Carey, this furlough thing is costing my family something between like seven to ten thousand dollars a year in lost wages, plus $50 a week in gas for extra travel expenses.
No one is doing week day child care in the area where we need it. We have looked and looked.

[holahan]

aloha all,

i find it interesting that people believe increasing taxes will improve anything. no matter how much money we "give," our government, they'll miraculously find a way to over spend and still require more. the answer isn't more taxes and thus more government, it's the exact opposite.

this is my gripe with the whole universal healthcare argument right now. i think it would be great if we could figure out an economical way to provide care for all, but our government has a horrendous track record spending our money, and i fear that putting them in charge of more of our life will benefit no one. we're being taxed to death in this country...

clean out the administration and bureaucracy in the schools and give the money back to the teachers and students.

[Carey]

Kathy... obviously those families WITH children are, and will continue to bear the brunt of this situation... next year there will be 7 ADDITIONAL furlough days, for a total of 24.

I was addressing the idea of giving back to the community (I never addressed where to give) to those who are pointing fingers. We are ALL responsible for this, and the impacts will be felt for a long time.

I did not say that $62 alone will have an impact. I have always asked, how as a COMMUNITY, can we ALL help deal with this. The Punaweb community alone has many resources and talents. If we combine our resources and talents as a community, we can help.



ETA: Vouchers will not work well here until there are more schools to choose from.... most of the schools that could be voucher-ed already have long waiting lists....




ETA: I came up with the idea to give back our tax break on Sunday, sitting at church coffee hour, a group that was mostly like us, older, with no current child agers.

There was a heated discussion about how no one was willing to pay anymore taxes. I asked if anyone would be willing to pay a tax back, if it had not been collected. and many had said 'of course'.

I reminded them that the gas tax was not collected & asked if anyone was willing to pay that back.... there were a lot of laughs & 'sure, I'd pay that $0.12 back'.... I then reminded them of the actual cost.... $62 a year for every 10 gallons of gas used in a week....

Some started to realize that when that one tax was removed last year, without a budget changes & without our complaints, we ALL contributed to where the state is today....

As I have said many times, EACH OF US IS RESPONSIBLE, so what is everyone doing? not just the families with children.

[mella l]

Hey I'm all for supporting education. Pay for education and socialization now and prevent some of the police and prison tax dollars that will be increasingly necessary in the future. Idle hands and minds leave room for bad stuff. Think about it, 24 more days on the loose to get into trouble or 24 more days to get some education and enjoy your friends and growing up together and preparing you for a more fortunate future be that a job, career and or a successful family of your own. Like it or not today's children are tomorrows leaders, workers and or problems.



mella l

"I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."