How can Herb Torres stand at a board meeting and talk about cutting personnel when he was hired during the school year at who knows what cost? And how can Steve Sanchez justify paying who knows how much per child for a computer test that tells me less than I already know about a student? Whose pockets are we lining--reminds me of Dr. Diaz and her pals!
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I watched the school board meeting last night, and heard Dr. Torres' explanation of handling the "personnel problem" through attrition. The problem is not caused by the temporary employees. The problem are the glut of administrative positions and PLT's hired in the past five years. Tackle the tough decisions--positions not necessary for the instruction of children. Teachers and counselors, hired after the start of the year and therefore "temporary", are not the superfluous hires. Make the tough decisions and don't hide behind "attrition." And start with the central office, not people in the trenches.
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Let's encourage our counselors to go with this budget crunch; our students could use some new blood!
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I am teacher, hear me roar;In numbers too big to ignore...Step away from any salary decreases!!
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What's the update on all the various legal suits that have been filed out of central office? Why no word for the public?
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Staci Sompii and her cronies are at it again; this time she has made decisions for the high school's 9th grade English curriculum, without consulting 2 of the 3 high school English departments! Very typical of her department!
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One of our vice-principals has been pouting and throwing tantrums for about a month; does anyone have any Midol to help relieve his pms?
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Anyone hear about the RTI programs that have been mandated by the state? What a joke! Study skills will not help reluctant learners; hands-on teaching/learning would be a more viable approach!
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I heard that Alma d'Arte is scheduled to become the physical location for the new charter high school that will be headed by Joyce Aranda? Is this true?
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The teachers all had exit exams/interviews at my school over the last three days of school; the teacher associates and support personnel did not...maybe our voices do not matter?!
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Do these cuts mean that the aes facilitators and plts will be gone? I sure hope so...
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posted by LCPS1 @ 8:15 PM
8 Comments:
The idiots ARE running the asylum! We are going to use MAP software district wide for our assessments. We are cutting teachers because we are broke, yet we can pay an outrageous price for a useless assessment, and the director of Instructional Technology doesn't have the knowledge about a computer that my fifth grader has.
At one time a teacher had to be certified in Early Childhood Educ. in order to teach Kindergarten in Las Cruces. Is this still true? Am I the only one who feels that all of the Reading/Writing testing that is being done on Kindgergaten children is inapporopriate? What has happened to the concept of developmentally appropriate practice. Sure, there needs to be some testing done to find out what these 5 years old know when they come to school and then again at every report card period to check their progress. This testing needs to be about the basics, like being able to recognize all the alphabet letters and/or sounds, not just a few like they have to do when we give the DIBEL Test. The "current" kindergarten curriculum is what used to be the "regular" first grade curriculum. All of this one on one testing is wrong for Kindergarten. It takes entirely too much time out of day to day learning for a teacher to sit in a corner or outside the classroom door and test each child individually. I don't want to tell you what the rest of the class might be doing, because it probably isn't very educational. Please, look into this and do what is right for the children and let kindergarten once again be a place to learn, socialize and have fun without all the stress of TEST, TEST, TEST!
The Las Cruces Public Schools will never change, because the people won't stand up and demand competence downtown. As a result, we have these people working in a bubble, making decisions as benevolent lords of all, even though they're ill conceived and horrible in the first place. Here's what we have to look forward to next year:
- 140+ "temporary" positions possibly gone, even though these are dedicated professionals.
- A district wide response to intervention that borders on insane. There is NO RESEARCH to support us doing something so drastic.
- A continued focus on Nancy Fetzer's writing and reading systems, which involve little innovation beyond quirkly 'total physical response' activities, which I could have found (and did find) on the internet for free in about 10 minutes (who knows how much we pay Fetzer for her workshops).
In spite of it all, I'll be there in August to greet my new students and do everything I can, because I am a teacher, and along with all the other teachers in the district, I actually do the job that everyone downtown acts like they're in charge of. Those people can quit tomorrow and it wouldn't change a thing that I do in my class.
Teachers, you are all awesome, and have earned your summer. Let's come back ready to do the job we have been trained to do, and forget about all of those morons downtown.
You might hate your PLT, but we actually like and value ours. She has really helped the teachers who want her help. The teachers in my school that don't want her help are the ones who look for the easy way out of everything. They just want to do what is easiest for them, not what is best for the students.
So much finger pointing, so few facts!!!
I would like to thank all the LCPS teachers my children had over the years. Both have completed Master Degree programs. I especially want to thank the AES Facilitators. Without them, I think my youngest would have slipped through the cracks. Instead, she graduated a year early, and just completed her Masters degree at the tender age of 22. Thanks again - You're great!
As a parent, I'm worried about the bitterness shown by (what seems like) just a few burnt out staff members. Seek therapy. Have a summer. Get a new job. My children need a strong education- and the whole "plt" witch hunt and griping about individuals on your staff is not for the good of our children. This district has serious issues (continuity, leadership, instruction, testing, real world skills)and we need to encourage and support the dedicated and successful practices and people rather than read from haggard school-marms who just want to fire everybody but themselves!
Torres and Sanchez, the hatchet man and the enforcer. Who are they being the bad guys for?
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