It took me a long time to get over the fact that we, Californians, voted Arnold Schwarzenegger into office. I'm reminded of the stupidity every time I see my Official Teaching Credential. You see, the governor signs our credentials, so I have the Terminator's autograph. On my credential.
I called it my cartoon credential when I first got it, but that didn't go over well with prospective employers.
Anyway, the whole reason I'm telling this story is because Arnold has been touring the state of CA to observe and eyeball the "underperforming" schools and districts in the state. In order to raise test scores on the ONE test that is measured for the year, some schools may need new teachers and new principals. There are only 96 districts in the state that are in this predicament. Hmmm...sounds systemic to me. But what the hell do I know?
Anyhow, the next news story (and I mean, next; right on the heels of) was about the state budget crisis. Major cuts are expected in certain areas like, well, you know, education. Teachers, school counselors, support staff will be laid off. Special programs would be eliminated such as technical education, family literacy, parent resource centers, after-school programs. Class sizes will increase...you know, stuff like that. No big deal. I'm just seeing a disconnect. More demands, fewer resources. Now, I'm no business major, but things don't add up.
P.S. Yes, I had to look up how to spell Schwarzenegger
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