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California schools are failing to make the grade
Saturday, June 20, 2009 5:32 AM PDT
Although Lodi Unified School District passed a budget for next year by using $7.7 million in State Fiscal Stabilization Funding from the federal government, what will happen in future years as California's financial crisis grows is unclear — and frightening.
The deep and ongoing cuts in California's education funding are an assault on what was once the most progressive system in the country.
Exactly 160 years ago, Robert Semple, the president of the California Constitutional Convention, said: "If the people are to govern themselves, they should be qualified to do it. They must be educated, they must educate their children; they must provide means for the diffusion of knowledge and the progress of enlightened principles."
Where, oh where, have those "enlightened principles" gone?
While more than 370,000 California high school seniors graduated in 2008, the state ranks only 40th nationwide in its rate of high school graduates that enter college.
One in five students dropped out of a California high school last year — about the same as the year before, according to state Superintendent Jack O'Connell.
Think about all the millions of taxpayer dollars essentially wasted on those failed students during their primary school years.
Although California is the nation's wealthiest state and home to 20 percent of the world's billionaires, teachers live on the margin. The state's approach to mending education's never ending crisis — cutting jobs and mandating pay cuts — guarantees that teaching will be an ever less attractive career for those high school students who actually make it to college and might pursue education courses.
College-bound students are increasingly fewer. In 2008, the Public Policy Institute of California conducted a survey in which 84 percent of Californians responded that affording college is "somewhat of a problem" for today's students, while 53 percent called it a "big problem." Sixty-six percent of those surveyed believed that the cost of a college education prevents qualified students from enrolling.
One big reason: The California Postsecondary Education Commission found that 18 percent of public college graduates and 29 percent of private college graduates have debt that would exceed manageable levels by accepting a job with earnings equivalent to a teacher's starting salary.
As it is, California teachers have only the 32nd highest salaries in the country when adjusted for cost of living. And like most teachers nationwide, they frequently pay out of pocket for basic classroom tools like pencils and paper.
The continuing assaults on public education undermine the living standards of teachers and school administrators. But more critically, virtually every California resident is negatively impacted because all rely, directly or indirectly, on public schools, colleges and universities to secure a decent education for their children and, as a result, to contribute to society's common good.
California's budget shortfall in its present form stems from the housing and high-tech collapses. But when it comes to money for education, as the old saying goes, "it's always something."
At this late date, Californians can do little to reverse education's downhill trend.
However, I'll recommend the same solution I have put forward for more than 20 years: smaller families, stricter controls on immigration and tougher enforcement of existing immigration laws, all three of which would immediately ease the pressure on California's soaring population.
And, returning to another related theme that I have promoted for as long as I can remember, California's multiple social pressures would be alleviated if the state had fewer residents.
But does anyone out there listen?
Joe Guzzardi retired from the Lodi Unified School District last year. Reach him at guzzjoe@yahoo.com.
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Pat Maple wrote on Jul 3, 2009 11:46 AM:
science8c wrote on Jul 2, 2009 11:40 AM:
Observer wrote on Jul 2, 2009 7:56 AM:
Lodian wrote on Jul 1, 2009 10:20 PM:
Observer wrote on Jul 1, 2009 6:42 PM:
Gator wrote on Jul 1, 2009 6:10 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 30, 2009 6:35 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 30, 2009 6:25 PM:
Lou wrote on Jun 29, 2009 9:42 PM:
Lou wrote on Jun 29, 2009 9:38 PM:
I am serious, get help. "
dyan wrote on Jun 29, 2009 8:59 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 7:02 PM:
Lou: I think you're the one that needs a breath of fresh air. You seem stagnant. Go outside! Maybe to Catalina! ;-) Heck, that website of yours can take care of itself for a few days. lol! Take a vacation. "
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 6:58 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 6:49 PM:
Get a cluuuue, Lou!
All involved are what make a school great. To say the teachers are what makes the school is bull! It takes the teachers, the students, the principal, support staff and....listen carefully... THE PARENTS!
You are making teachers out to be saints. They are not. There is a lot more that goes into a great school. "
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 6:43 PM:
THAT is insane! "
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 6:42 PM:
Man, you've got some heavy duty blinders on there pal. Obviously you feel this way because your wife is a teacher, but geez... open your eyes!
And, yes, as a matter of fact I thought very highly of our school principal and office secretary too. They were the first people I went to see at an elementary school reunion. Of course I had my favorite teachers as well.
Unfortunately the bad teachers can squash a lot of progress made by a student and make the year almost unbearable. It can take quite awhile into the next school year to overcome the negative experiences from a bad teacher. Been there done that. Following a bad year (bad teacher) the new teacher has to help sort it all out. What a shame that the bad teachers are allowed to harm their students year after year because they have tenure. It's shameful and pitiful that this continues. We just have to wait for the bad teachers to retire. The bad ones don't deserve the retirement they will receive. "
Lou wrote on Jun 29, 2009 5:28 PM:
Teachers have tenure. Tenure means they have a guaranteed job. Yep, that's controversial, yep, it sounds unfair, yep there are some teachers that shouldn't be teaching.
That said, teachers represent the very heart of any school ...the culture of the school; I will go so far as ...they are the school. You say, Vinewood "was/is" might be a good school. Why do you say that, who makes Vinewood good or bad or something in between? Answer: The teachers do. Without the teachers the school is just so many buildings and managers.
As tough as it is to put up with truly incompetent or lazy teachers (and there are some) for the most part, most teachers are not. Tenure serves a purpose that even must teachers refuse to recognize. Their guaranteed jobs allows them to speak-up and speak-out. And, in this district, there is plenty to talk about...sick buildings, unsafe protocols, poorly written texts, abusive administrators. Hey, Lodian, when you go back to your old school, who do you visit...the principal? "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 29, 2009 5:15 PM:
C-passo: I agree with a lot of what you say...some I do not. Take a look and make sure that you are going into your classroom every day with the good attitude that you often display here.
Dy: The Colorado report is a good one...when you look at the socio/economic demographics it includes the education level of the parent(s)(they did not take into account the single parent dynamic). The lower level of education the less likely the parent is going to be able to help. See the Lou comment above. "
dyan wrote on Jun 29, 2009 4:43 PM:
Observer wrote on Jun 29, 2009 3:55 PM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jun 29, 2009 3:54 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 3:13 PM:
I can agree with you, but there are certainly teachers in the LUSD that do not care as much and do not communicate well with the parents so as to make sure all are on the same page. All need to take responsibility here... student, teacher and parents! "
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 3:10 PM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2009 3:09 PM:
Gator wrote on Jun 29, 2009 1:50 PM:
my neighbor who was a Sub for Millswood said the kids were spoiled rotten
and showed the same lack of respect.. Where Laziness, bad manors and lack of respect come from?? Funny you should ask!! Right from the home…It’s
Just like politics until there is major involvement by the parents it will not only stay like it is it will get worse…Schools are a direct reflection of the
lack of discipline we see in this country to-day.. The I want it my way and I
want it now!! Greed, Laziness the beat goes on…Genius has it’s limits. Stupidity Knows no bounds!!! "
Lou wrote on Jun 29, 2009 9:24 AM:
As we should all remember good old Len spanked us for about a cool million for working his last 6-months at LUSD. Where's he working now, AIG or Merrill Lynch? "
Lou wrote on Jun 29, 2009 9:20 AM:
Let's talk about what we can control. First on my list, are we using our student's time effectively and efficiently. I know the answer to that one...NO!
Our system of education is badly broken and whatever metric you want to use school and failure has become a compound-word. So, what's next. Change. Change everything. Start with how we spend our money. Would it be better to get rid of the Senior project 300K and about 5 worthless administrators 750K, and hire 100 low-end mentors, tutors and four year teachers...at say $20 per hour.
How do children learn; they work; work must be supervised; their parents can't an won't supervise. We must have an afterschool program dedicated to just completing homework. Brilliant yes? When do we start? "
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 29, 2009 12:07 AM:
I suppose you think teachers are responsible for teen pregnancy, drug use and maybe even the decline of Western Civilization as we know it!!! "
dyan wrote on Jun 28, 2009 9:07 PM:
Middle class families saw gardes as important. Lower class only saw staying out of trouble as important. "
Gator wrote on Jun 28, 2009 7:34 PM:
I don’t know if it still is but Vinewood was the Class of Lodi before we
Left… tremendous parent involvement.. When I sold my house the first thing listed on the flyer was Vinewood attendance area… The Realtor
Said Vinewood was worth 50,000 on the sale price.. I got that in spades. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 28, 2009 5:12 PM:
Galt High loses 150-200 students each year at the soph/junior level because they go back to Mexico and do not return...fact. They are counted in the drop-out rate.
You are suggesting that we educated them in a different...lay it out for me. You will still need facilities, teachers, programs and whatever else is in demand by the State at the time.
I have suggested that we have cyber-schools and help fund home-schooling. Look at the data on Charter schools...there is not much difference between them and traditional. Give me some of your ideas...I will listen. "
dyan wrote on Jun 28, 2009 3:40 PM:
Years of "change." Billions in wasted dollars, the result? The dropout rate remains the same. Not because of "poverty," but because of self-serving bureaucrats trying to hammer square pegs into round holes. The only thing that has "changed" is their salaries - the third highest in the nation behind NY and CT. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 28, 2009 10:01 AM:
dyan wrote on Jun 27, 2009 9:11 PM:
dyan wrote on Jun 27, 2009 9:10 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 27, 2009 2:52 PM:
dyan wrote on Jun 27, 2009 9:30 AM:
dyan wrote on Jun 27, 2009 9:27 AM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 27, 2009 7:06 AM:
Lodian wrote on Jun 27, 2009 1:36 AM:
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jun 26, 2009 11:36 PM:
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 26, 2009 11:01 PM:
Funny how you agreed with the comment about the bus schedule....Does that mean that you think perhaps there is another party to blame (besides teachers) for the lack of success of the students?
Hypocrisy is punished in the 8th level of Dante's Inferno........ "
dyan wrote on Jun 26, 2009 7:25 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 26, 2009 5:21 PM:
Do we have problems? Yes. Can they be fixed? Yes. How? Get people like you elected to the school boards. Hire business people to run them. Demand responsibility and accountability then follow through.
My previous post was in reference to the new Galt HS principal hiring. Sorry for the confusion. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 26, 2009 5:19 PM:
Do we have problems? Yes. Can they be fixed? Yes. How? Get people like you elected to the school boards. Hire business people to run them. Demand responsibility and accountability then follow through. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 26, 2009 5:09 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 26, 2009 2:30 PM:
" McNair and other LUSD HSs are LARGE comprehensive Division 1 schools GHS is LESS than half their size. Yet, the District chose to compare the new principal to them? There is no need for competitive pricing..."
You want to know why the state and Districts are broke? Why the system is in dire straits? This is why. "
dyan wrote on Jun 26, 2009 4:04 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 26, 2009 2:48 PM:
For myself it was people like Mel Enze, Gordon Collet, Cindy Enze Griffith, Kim Tutt, Nancy Schmidli (my sister),my mother Stella, father Robert and brothers Kelly and Bobby that knew I could make it...none of them were teachers like Don Levy, Bob Hansen and Ron Braden. It is those who are around us and encourage us that motivate success and keep us going. Besides, they can always learn to swing a hammer. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jun 25, 2009 2:27 PM:
dyan wrote on Jun 25, 2009 1:24 PM:
science8c wrote on Jun 25, 2009 12:14 PM:
ttian wrote on Jun 25, 2009 12:13 PM:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wherewestand/
(5 segments) "
ttian wrote on Jun 25, 2009 12:02 PM:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U&feature=related "
Lou wrote on Jun 25, 2009 11:28 AM:
Most of the industrialized countries go to school 220-225 days per year; we require about 185 days; do the math.
Parents are the biggest problem with our school system not teachers, not students, not even idiotic school boards.
Since NAFTA this country does everything in its power not to build anything of use. Most young people have a choices between selling real estate, selling insurance, sueing someone (over 2 million lawyers in this country)...or working in low-end poorly paid retail jobs or fast food joints....isn't this about the right shoe size?
All the engineers, doctors and high tech jobs are imported from elsewhere. or exported elsewhere. We have become the land of missed opportunity. The only big bucks young kids see are in drug distribution, they have given up on school and school has given up on them.
We need a complete revolution in our school system; I mean top-down, total overhaul. "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jun 24, 2009 11:10 PM:
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 24, 2009 5:32 PM:
Does that sound like we are not trying to raise the bar? "
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 24, 2009 5:30 PM:
I make a diligent effort to impart true college prepatory curriculum. However, if the student chooses not to complete an assignment, that is not my fault. The heterogeneous groupings in the classes has diminished the teachers’ ability to concentrate on curriculum because we are forced to spend too much time with discipline issues of the students who are not interested in going to college and think it’s funny to disrupt the class. When the classes were tracked, teaching was more effective. The lower level classes often had more behavior problems, and the teacher could adjust the direct instruction to accommodate the time spent with discipline. "
wtf wrote on Jun 24, 2009 9:24 AM:
Press One For English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0 "
Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jun 24, 2009 12:59 AM:
Cogito wrote on Jun 23, 2009 9:48 PM:
Leonard wrote on Jun 23, 2009 4:46 AM:
" The answer to this is simple...quit teaching to the lowest common denominator. Many genius level students drop out for exactly this reason. As an outsider who spent 14 years on school Boards, I found that we not only expected less and made more excuses for the results we also voted in people who had little interest in raising the bar for the students. As Mr Semple said: if they are to govern themselves (or others I add) "they must be qualified to do it"... not happening. We need to encourage those with some common sense to run for statewide office...and vote out those who want to make the world easier for the masses...suck it up...the world is a hard place to live.
Unlikely as it seems, I agree with Pat. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 22, 2009 8:04 PM:
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 22, 2009 7:54 PM:
Sci8: I proposed that exact same thought about 12 years ago at the elem level and 7 years ago at the HS level...couldn't get a bite...I think you have a GREAT idea but too many parents would complain if you held their student back. I do like the outside of the box thinking though.
Contra: What do you think of Sci8's idea? Believe it or not most kids DO want to come to school...for various reasons. However you are right in that some come for the wrong reasons. I am not a teacher, I am someone outside the norm who gets to hear ALL sides of the problem and then tries to come up with a solution. I do not have all the answers but... "
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 22, 2009 5:44 PM:
Also, remember that kids on sports teams are not hostages, like public school students are. The kids who participate in sports do so willingly, and I believe that accounts for the idea that "those kids who can will help those who cannot." "
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 22, 2009 5:41 PM:
science8c wrote on Jun 22, 2009 5:40 PM:
Whoa Nellie! wrote on Jun 22, 2009 4:55 PM:
Where has common sense gone?
Not all kids need to study Algebra. Some kids want to take Industrial Arts like woodshop or drafting. Where will our next generation of craftsmen, carpenters, or architects come from?
The LUSD Educrats all think every student needs a college education. I often wonder if they've even been into any middle or high school classrooms in the past ten years. "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 22, 2009 6:43 AM:
Contrapasso wrote on Jun 21, 2009 3:54 PM:
Gator wrote on Jun 21, 2009 9:49 AM:
days it’s Teach to the test and to cover the administrations A** no more no less…It’s all politics and to H*** with education.. Strong parental involvement are what make a good school even better…The economic disaster of California is going to make it even harder.. As for LUSD it is a
disaster all it’s own and From the superintendent on down all should be held
Accountable [ie] by full parent involvement. Don’t just talk, act!! "
max stanfield wrote on Jun 21, 2009 12:21 AM:
sam wrote on Jun 20, 2009 7:05 PM:
Amen Pat. Thank you ! "
Pat Maple wrote on Jun 20, 2009 1:49 PM:
Comments on this story are now closed.