Monday, May 3, 2010

Educating the Instructors

The March issue of Philadelphia Magazine gave the distinction to Downingtown "The Grower".  The article, "10 Awesome Neighborhoods To Call Home" took a look at several places around Philadelphia and the suburbs to find some diamonds in the rough.  Having lived in Downingtown for 16 years now I would say for the most part it is a great place to live, but some of the drawbacks tend to make my temper flare at various times and lately the school district is stoking the fire.  DASD just released a statement saying that the budget will fall short approximately 5.6 million dollars and there will be some serious cuts in programs.  The board has looked at outsourcing jobs, done a transportation study, going paperless, not hiring as many new staff members and "streamlining" where they can.  In fact the next few years do not look good and even more cuts might be needed.  Normally this would not bother me, but enrollment numbers have not increased since the 2008-09 school year, yet a new middle school along with a STEM Academy are being built within the district.  In fact there was talk about raising taxes above what can normally be done within a district;special permission at one time was being sought.

When my children were in sixth grade, about two years ago, DASD teachers went on strike for more money and lower insurance premiums.  One of the only reasons the teachers returned to work was that their salaries were published in the newspaper, otherwise they most likely would have been out a lot longer.  When published the lowest paid teacher in DASD made almost $20,000 more than the median income in Downingtown and most certainly for working less hours.  DASD teachers race for the door once their "contract time" is up.  In fact they are in arbitration right now because they worked 10 minutes more than they were supposed to on "Back to School Night."

So here we are the residents of Downingtown, looking at paying more taxes for what in the long run has become a lackadaisical education on the part of some of the educators in DASD, a brand new middle school and a STEM Academy when those monies could most certainly be used in a more responsible way.  Those of us who live in Chester County know that our taxes are high for a reason, but when the reason is not viable nor visible why should we pay through the nose?  It's time to educate the educators on basic economics.....you don't buy a boat if the lake has dried up.

13 comments:

  1. In a day and age when; a lot of friends of mine have lost jobs due to business closings, or others have taken large pay cuts to continue to have a job, the teachers have made very few sacrifices. I have yet to read one article about teachers or administrators taking a cut in pay or a large round of layoffs. Does DASD really need a new school when enrollment has not increased??? What about making the best out of what we have? How about adding on another wing for more classrooms? I have a strange feeling when the teachers contract comes up if they start asking for more money there is going to be some loud voices in the crowd.

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  2. ...You bet there will be tony and I will be right their with them protesting. The teachers contract begins negotiations this year and if we don't get a handle on this situation this time, we will be taking it in the shorts once again.

    I encourage you to go to the DASD.org website and take the STEM acacemy online course. It familiarizes you with the program and what to expect. These moneys did not come from the district. It is part of an Obama educational initiative.

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  3. I think I am a little confused B2 are you for the salary increase for teachers or against it?

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  4. I found your blog while trying to find information about the negotiations for the DASD teachers contract. My daughter was a senior at D-East during the strike year, and my son will be a senior at East in 2011-2012 so I hope they get this contract negotiated without a strike for yet another one of my kids during their senior year.

    My comments on the STEM Academy: If you've never been to either of the middle or high schools you would then have no concept of how overcrowded they are. My son's geometry class his freshman year was in a closet in the library that was converted to a classroom, and kids are routinely eating lunch in the hallways due to lack of space in the cafeteria. This year, they started letting the junior leave early (used to be only the seniors) if they have a study hall at the end of the day. When I asked Mr. Pavlick why the change in policy, he said due to overcrowding. DASD has just as many kids as West Chester and they have three high school and 3 middles schools. The STEM Academy is a much cheaper alternative than building a third high school, and will reduce the populations by 400 (200 per building) at both East and West.

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  5. I HAVE been to DMS since both my boys attended there for three years. The STEM Academy used already built space which in and of itself is fine, but with no growth in the district is it really cost efficient to build a new school or could the appropriation of other buildings within the district be a better option. There are ways to avoid raising taxes to build another building.

    As for the teacher's strike I am not looking forward to the heated negotiations that will ensue. There are some very good teachers in the district and those that do spend an enourmous amount of extra time outside of school, but it appears that those teachers are fewer and farther between than it used to be and then people wonder why our children are failing.

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  6. Parents receive a great education for their children in Downingtown. Shame on you for bashing the teachers and the countless hours they put in for your kids. Remember your snarky remarks the next time your kids ask for a letter of rec. or help after hours.

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  7. Wow is the above a threat? The parents receive a great education FOR their children....really? Shame on me for bashing the teachers? You have got to be kidding. I am a parent who has had to pull teeth sometimes to get cooperation in helping my children to succeed in school and you dare to threaten me with the above. I hear teachers constantly complainng that the parents don't want to be involved yet when a parent truly is and asks for help, begs for help it is sometimes in short supply or it moves at a hurry up and wait pace. When you become a teacher you know exactly what you are getting into and if you don't you have no business being in this profession. I know I WAS a teacher. I did not say ALL of the teachers in the district are difficult to work with nor is all of the administration, but it is most certainly hard to find cooperation in most cases. But rest assured that IF we should ever find it more difficult to find cooperation for anything my children need then I will keep a copy of your comment and make sure to let them know that threatening a parent who is trying to do right by their child is a civil suit waiting to happen.

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  8. Wow is that a threat? Because if it is I will make sure to keep a copy of this since that would most certainly be a civil suit in the making.

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  9. Those of us who had some foresight, bought a house in Downingtown shortly thereafter. We are now looking forward to the STEM Academy being at the top of the state. The population in Downingtown and the enrollment in the school district has blown up! I guess potential buyers paid no mind to this blog.

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  10. Elaine - Your husband is running for mayor?!? Really? It looks like he has some work to do at home.

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    1. I can assure you that Elaine and I have done plenty of work on ourselves and our family. It is a process that never stops. We are far from perfect but we love one another greatly, and that is more then most. I have not been a saint by any means. Elaine is a wonderful woman, rich in character, and strong.

      Tony Babcock

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  11. I sure do hope so. Elaine was way off base. There is data to support her ignorance.

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  12. That my be YOUR opinion, but I do not share in it. I do not see where she is off base and I do not see where there is any ignorance either.

    ~ Tony babcock

    P.S. Why not post with your name?

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