All 2000 Providence teachers get a lay-off notice.

[Suu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110224/us_yblog_thelookout/all-2000-providence-teachers-told-they-could-be-fired

Providence, Rhode Island Mayor Angel Taveras is sending layoff warnings to all 1,926 of the city's teachers.

They won't all be dismissed, but state law requires the city to notify teachers by March 1 whether the district could lay them off before the start of the next school year. School officials say warning every teacher gives them the freedom to let go many of them later without having to single any of them out now.

Providence's school district is facing a $40 million budget shortfall next year.

"Are there going to be less teachers? Yes," Taveras told The Providence Journal. "Will there be less schools open next year? Yes. Do I know which teachers and which schools? No."

As you can imagine, the local teachers' union is not taking the news well.

They probably took the money from education and put it toward plowing last month....Or Cicilline used it to fund his orgies and congressional campaign. I'm guessing the latter.

[Juana]

Holy fuck, that's frightening.

[Suu]

And if you think the budget is bad for public schools, what do you think it's doing for public universities. 


-Suu
Didn't get her biannual raise.

[LMNO]

In Detroit, they're thinking of increasing classes to 60 students per teacher.


That's not a classroom, that's Thunderdome.

[Luna]

It's frightening... but it's a natural consequence of their contract stipulations.

The contracts are written so that they must be notified by March 1st if they won't be returning in September.  The school district is trying to deal with a $40 million shortfall, and have not yet decided where the cuts are going to fall.  So, in order to allow them to make the decisions they need to make, EVERYBODY got a termination notice. 

Also, termination notices, rather than layoff notices.  This is to dodge the "recall in order of seniority" stipulation in the contract, and let the board keep the teachers based on student need, rather than keep the ones there by virtue of filling a chair for decades.

Does it suck?  Absolutely.  Do I agree with the decision?  Tough call, I don't have all the details, by any means...  But, I can see why they made the decision to do it.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I really hope mine can graduate before the entire education system collapses... 

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

I'm starting to hate everything again.

[Luna]

I'm starting to hate everything again.

Come up in May.  We'll feed you homebrews until you find something you love.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I'm starting to hate everything again.

Yeah, I'm right there with you squiddy!

[Richter]

Seems MOST LIKELY a required posturing move, from what I've read.  Pawtucket pulls the same "Fire and Re-Hire yearly" BS out of contractual obligation more than intent to fire every teacher.  People jsut care more about Providence than Pawtucket, so it gets the press.  They will sink more money than 2000 teacher's paychecks into law enforcement without public schools available.  The whole city would be fuckign Thunderdome. 

[Luna]

Seems MOST LIKELY a required posturing move, from what I've read.  Pawtucket pulls the same "Fire and Re-Hire yearly" BS out of contractual obligation more than intent to fire every teacher.  People jsut care more about Providence than Pawtucket, so it gets the press.  They will sink more money than 2000 teacher's paychecks into law enforcement without public schools available.  The whole city would be fuckign Thunderdome. 

Not so much posturing as planning.  The board won't know how much money they've got to play with until the budget is done, and they HAVE to send the notices by March 1st if the teachers won't be coming back.  It's literally the only way they've got left to put off making the decision until they have all the information they need to make it.