A S.C. House panel is looking at shortening the current school year from 180 to 175 days – a move it says would save $105 million from the state’s $20.2 billion budget. Basically, that translates into a five day unpaid furlough for South Carolina school teachers and support staff – but not necessarily top administrators.
It also translates into less classroom instruction for South Carolina students.
South Carolina taxpayers are pouring a record $8.4 billion into its public education system this year – or more than $12,000 per pupil – and at last count districts have an estimated $800 million stashed away in reserve accounts.
Still, academic achievement in the Palmetto State continues to fall further behind the rest of the nation.
South Carolina’s overall graduation rate remains among the worst in the nation – which is consistent with our state’s declining SAT and ACT scores. South Carolina’s rural graduation rate also ranks dead last.
As if these atrocious numbers weren’t bad enough, educrats are currently attempting to dumb down our standards in an effort to fool parents into thinking more children are passing.
Hmmmm … “less classroom instruction, lower standards and teacher furloughs.” That appears to be the S.C. General Assembly’s definition of “education reform.”
Oh, for those of you who think these front-line cuts are necessary, consider this – a whopping $2.76 billion was spent in 2008 on bureaucratic costs in South Carolina’s K-12 system – up $220 million (or 8.5%) from the previous year.
That represented nearly two-thirds of the state’s total funding increase.
By Todd January 19, 2010 at 4:31 pm
It would take a half assed decent administrator to save that much in office supplies from this bloated education system. Try to walk the halls in the education building on senate street without running into 800 consultants and high level administrators….
By Toyota Kawaski January 19, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Start after Labor Day go till Friday before Memorial Day cut down on Christmas break
By BIN News Editorial Staff January 19, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Todd is bloated.
Bloated with voucher scam rhetoric that sic(k) willie and the Voice for Voucher Clowns keep pouring down our necks.
We know the difference between rain and what they keep pouring down our backs. Give it up, “boys.”
Vouchers are dead in SC. Just ask Jakie.
Really dead in this economy. Tell Howie.
Voucher scam pimps know the real issues facing education in S.C. You know. Racism. The shameful “minimally adequate standard” that law makers allow to fester. Poverty and brazillions of social ills that come along.
By countryboy January 19, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Yeh, I’m an old fart, but I never started a school year until after labor day and never went a day in June. Yet I graduated from high school in 11 years (skipped one), retired at 58 and more than a decade later, live comfortably. Of course there is a very good reason I got that very good public school education.. You figure it out.
By Katherine Jenerette January 19, 2010 at 7:03 pm
How about the South Carolina House furlough the South Carolina House and Senate for about ten years?
Another – That’s all for now from Katherine
By me January 19, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Do it. We learn more in 3 hours a week(over 2 days) in college then a high school kid learns in 10 hours a week over 5 days. The only reason public school is so long is for daycare.
By TruthBeTold January 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm
I must agree with countryboy & ToyotaK!
By countryboy January 19, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Katherine, what the South Carolina House and Senate need is not a furlough. To use another military term, they need a discharge. Pretty much the whole bunch needs replacing. And they don’t have to be replaced with lawyers, just common sense intelligent people who act in the best interest of the people of South Carolina, who elect them.
By countryboy January 19, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Teachers should not be paid based on days worked per year. It should not even be legal to cut a teachers pay by declaring a furlough day. Teachers should be paid based on a “school year”, whether it is 180 days, 175 days or some other term.
By Liberty For Me January 19, 2010 at 10:00 pm
How about making all schools charter schools…That would do away with all administrators and would cut cost per student.I know..that is just CRAZY TALK.How could we ever survive without the government controlling the schools?Just look at their record….I hope there is a real true revolution in my lifetime.How long can this corruption go on?
By Jeffy January 20, 2010 at 7:01 am
I’m so bummed…….I agree with BIN. Ugh
By UpState Native January 20, 2010 at 8:52 am
Countryboy don’t even get me started on not allowing a teacher to be furloughed. How do we rate a teacher? A state employee, a county employee or a school district employee? There is a cut from every piece of the pie going to them. If a SLED, DNR, DSS, DPPS, DPPPS, DHEC, DOC, and every other state employee take a hit in the pay just so a teacher that works 100+ days less a year will not have to feel the crunch then how dare you stand by that idea? Some of the County Sheriffs are having to give furloughs to Deputy’s a strong look so it’s ok to furlough a School Resource Officer but not the teacher?
Since when did what’s good for the Goose not be good for the Gander?
By Darth January 20, 2010 at 11:58 am
Ditto Katherine, furlough the Dept of Ed and the ligature, er legislature, we’ve dumped enough on the teachers. We need to start grading the teachers on performance or outsource the schools.
Lock in a Republican on Arsenal Hill, nominate Jim Rex for Gubna’
By baker January 20, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I have a hard time with these numbers. After TWO rounds of budget cuts, is South Carolina actually still spending as money on public education as Will Folks claims?
If so, then why the need for furloughs? Is the state — along with local districts — spending THAT much more on administrative expenses this year than a year ago, or 3 years ago, when furloughs weren’t necessary? Something doesn’t really add up.
Spartanburg District 4 recently announced furloughs. OK — some may say that, well, Spartanburg shouldn’t have 7 districts. That debate can be had. Some may argue that District 4 would have more money to spend if it didn’t have a bloated administration. But I’m not sure the evidence suggests that. In fact, District 4 was one of the districts the Policy Council several years ago PRAISED for running things efficiently.
There surely may be room debate the roles of administrators and the state department — but this notion that cutting the jobs of some “educrats” is going to solve everything seems shallow at best. Again, I don’t claim to be an expert on school district or state budgets…..but the basic math doesn’t seem to work.
By countryboy January 20, 2010 at 8:13 pm
UpState Native – Having a bit of a problem understanding your post to me. Perhaps you should have valued those english teachers of yours a bit more.
By Upstate Native January 20, 2010 at 9:13 pm
DOC is short for Dept of Corrections = Prison Guards, you know the ones that have to watch rapist and killers inside the Prison walls. Prison Guards are State Employee’s also, Teachers are state employee’s. If a prison guard can be laid off why not a teacher. Is that simple enough of a question for a county boy.
By Tank McNamara January 20, 2010 at 9:19 pm
countryboy, what upstate native is trying to say to you is that why should the rest of us state employees be asked to sacrifice more just so that teachers won’t be furloughed? i’ve already had to take 7 furlough days (that’s seven days without pay!)and there is a very real possibility that i will have to take more days off without pay. don’t get me wrong, i’m very grateful and fortunate to have a job but i have a family to support just as most teachers do and and loss of pay hurts.
By Teacher January 20, 2010 at 9:38 pm
We already recieved a furlough this year and are now getting one mid year and had to find out from the News on Yahoo before hearing it from the district. I make less than my SRO who spends more time talking to other employess (ofice and hall staff) than anything else. SO yes I feel he desrves the cut and I think 1 was enough for me and my fellow teachers. By the way forlough days are a joke. They are taking away our work days. LOL…we will just be working at home and not receiving a dime. I work weeknights and weekends to plan and prepare teacher created worksheets to differentiate my math instruction.
My scored went up on county testing (some classes went up 15%) when other classes around the county went down, so yes I believe I deserve every dome so that I am not forced to take on a second job that will take my attention away from creating the best lessons I can for my students.
SO upstate native try to walk a day in my schools, working in a title one school where it is harder than anuyhting to get the attention and respect of my students and get them to understand the value of your teaching…..
I would switch with you in a heartbeat just so you would know that we do not have a 100+ days off (we work in the summer on curiculum and workshops to create a better education for our students the next year). But I wouldnt put my satisfaction of proving you wrong over my students.
ALl the people like you are a joke. Thats the problem….the people making the decsions and giving their opinions of what should be done have no clue.
Sorry for any grammer errors but I am upset and have to get back to my plans.
And before you say oh well you are on the internet, I am at home at 9:37 taking a break if that is okay.
By Dawn January 22, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Ureal. PAY CUTS FOR TEACHERS. Not all teachers. There is a teacher, J. Bollman in Lexington School District V, who is pulling down $136,000 as a classroom teacher. Check this out on WLTX channel 19′s data center and then call and find out what is going on. There must be a story here?????
By WTH January 23, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Dawn – The “J. Bollman” to whom you refer, is none other than Dr. Lee Bollman, the former Chief of Instruction for District Five. The party line is that he asked to be reassigned. If that is true, then he would only be making a teacher’s salary. He must have been reassigned for some reason we do not know…well, yet at least. If you know HR law, then you can surmise that the school board did not want to fire him, they wanted him to go quietly. I don’t know the full story, but I bet it is a good one. Fits, I would think you’d be sniffing this one out. One way or the other I think the truth will come out.
By Teacher January 24, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Tank,
I understand your frustration, but as a teacher when you loose a day of pay, you still work. You grade papers, do plans, ect.
Or I should say a good teacher does. As it is the days they are taking away are the begining and the end of the year, setting up your classroom getting everything ready, our work days for parent confrences and catching up on grades, and our last day where we have to pack up the room and get checked out. We will still have to do all this but just at home or on our own time without pay. Will you be taking home your work or going into work when you are furloughed?
Everyone need to walk in another’s shoes to understand what their job is like, but the problem with furloughs for teachers is we already work after the day ends and on weekends (again if you are a good teacher) and for title one schools all furloughs are going to do is take away good teachers that can not afford to teach because they need to get another job and can not keep up with the work it takes to be a good teacher and raise test scores.
By RU Serious? January 24, 2010 at 9:03 pm
WTH, you mean WTF? District Five is paying a TEACHER $136,000 when the rest make less than one half of that? This is a freekin’ joke. Why hasn’t anyone called that out? Educrats and school board members make me sick. In today’s economy???? Come on.
By scteacher3 January 26, 2010 at 9:40 pm
As a SC teacher, we get paid based on salary. Salary that we know ahead time based on a contract. We do not get paid for the 50+ hours we put in each and every week on an hourly basis. Teachers, like me, are expected to be at work at 7am until 3pm with supervision duties. Right there is 8 hours. That does not include the time to plan, grade papers, set up materials for a rigorous and engaging next day, and not to mention the continuous scoring of countless data (benchmarks, DIBELS, Oral Reading Fluency, MAP analysis). If you furlough teachers, you are taking away the agreed apon salary. It should not matter whether we work 180 or 175, we as teachers make up those days in the countless “overtime” that we work to make our students the best they can be. As a younger teacher, one with excellent PASS scores, I am already burnt out from the numerous things that are required of me. SC is going to lose all of their good teachers to complete nonsense they require and focus they put on data. We have to remember that these are kids. We are testing these kids as young as 8 years old. What about making these kids productive citizens in society, or allowing them to actually experience something fun within school? This state does not take care of their teachers, it shows! The ones that need to make these decisions are the ones that have experience in the classroom within the past few years so they can realize what is actually going on as far as the expectations with curriculum. In other jobs, when you succeed – you are awarded with a pay raise or perhaps and advancement. Well when your student’s scores are great and your school has worked hard enough to make AYP (annual yearly progress), we don’t get anything but a great job – which is fine by me…but don’t decrease my salary because you haven’t figured out how to create a budget that works. I am thankful to have a job at a time like this; however, I strongly believe that teachers and military/LE are crucial, and we need to take a stand that if we want our future to become better than we need to invest in it. I do have a suggestion – 4 day school weeks – saves the schools millions in lunches, electricity, busses, etc. Gives teachers a chance to plan quality (not quantity) curriculum and gives our students a break to actually absorb information and not be flooded with it. I leave you with this, think back to your school days – what is it that you remember most – I remember the great teachers that made me feel welcome and wanted at school. I don’t remember specific curriculum – and that comes from a student who graduated at the top of her college class.
By RU Serious? January 27, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Yea, but what about Lee Bollman’s salary in District Five. You have to admit that is criminal, especially since it appears to be a part of a covert up.
By imateacherinsc January 30, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Kudos scteacher3! … What I see from the above article is that if the school year is changed to 175 days and they leave the law that teachers can be furlowed 5 days in a school year, that will actually end up being 10 days of no pay and not just 5.
There is not a day that I don’t spend at LEAST 3 hours extra working on lessons … including weekends, sitting at ball practices and games when I should be watching and cheering on my children doing lessons and grading papers. Holiday and Spring Breaks??? Summer Vacation??? Breaks are spent grading papers and lesson planning. Summers are spent analyzing the previous year’s lesson plans and attending workshops or taking college courses for recertification … paid out of my pocket. Certainly can’t afford taking my children on that trip to the beach or to Disney World.
I am a single mother with two children, driving an over 10 year-old car that breaks down every few months, and trying to keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, food on our table, doctor and dentist bills paid and even pay for the workshops and classes so I can keep my teaching credentials so I can stay in what is increasingly becoming a thankless job. I am trying to pay back student loans for over 6 years of college and graduate school (will still be paying even when/if I ever get to retire) on a salary that has not changed in 4 years with gas prices almost double+ what they were, increased insurance premiums…. Now, everyone else who is not a teacher is complaining that we are paid too much.
We have a number of families in our school whose children are on free meal programs, get free food from our churches on the weekends, are on the holiday meal and gift lists. Yet these same families drive to school in the newest cars, wearing the nicest clothes, have fantastic manicures, children have the latest game systems and clothes… and they complain we are not doing enough for their children… Their children … who are disrespectful because their parents badmouth teachers so why should they listen to someone their parents disparage? A number of children are not held accountable by their parents for studying, doing homework, coming to school with a decent night’s sleep (because they are out at Wal-Mart or at the movies with their parents on a school night or stay up late playing on their game systems… Yet these same children who are not being held accountable at home are not achieving in school so the TEACHER is always the one blamed for the low scores …
This is what we get for trying to make a difference in children’s lives.