Sunday, June 1, 2008

What Budget Cuts? Tweed Central Staff Increase: 18% in 4 years

Graphic and article at Eduwonkette.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Un-Norm-al, when you're right, you're right. It doesn't happen very often so enjoy the moment.

That's some pretty disgusting statistics as BloomKlein prepares to cut school budgets. When one consider's the 6 figure salaries most of these DOE drones make, it's really fubar that if a single DOE position was cut, it would stop the budget loss for a single large sized school.

BloomKlein needs to re watch this classic Star Trek 2 clip (1:30 in)...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hFyl4GxBzEw&feature=related

Spock preaches "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one."

Chaz said...

Sorry anon, the Kleinberg administration believes in a different Vulcan saying to it's highly-paid consultants. "Live long and prosper'. Of course on the DOE money with no-bid contracts.

Norm:

I wrote about Klein's "fuzzy math" and it seems that very few people are buying his act anymore. I just hope it's not too late for the NYC public schools.

ed notes online said...

You know Chaz that I take the position that this is not about Klein but a nationwide attack on public education. Teh Democratic party is totally wrapped up in this - see Chicago, Washington, Baltimore. Therefore it is too late for the NYC and other urban systems.

And a major culprit is the UFT even though the Unity slug from comment 1 agrees this time, the focus on Klein as the enemy is part of their obfuscation of the issues and a diversion from the fact they are ultimately partners in crime.

The UFT/AFT is the only force - along with the NEA that could have led a counter attack and their inaction and outright support has left teachers hanging out there like chads.

Anonymous said...

Norm>

You are right about the UFT failure to draw a sand in the line. However, there cannot be anymore retreat and a public relation blitz on the damage these "Educational Reformers" are doing to the students.

ed notes online said...

Chaz- Sorry but the UFT is what it is, as illustrated by this well-known fable.

The Scorpion and the Frog
One day, a scorpion looked around at the mountain where he lived and decided that he wanted a change. So he set out on a journey through the forests and hills. He climbed over rocks and under vines and kept going until he reached a river.

The river was wide and swift, and the scorpion stopped to reconsider the situation. He couldn't see any way across. So he ran upriver and then checked downriver, all the while thinking that he might have to turn back.

Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the rushes by the bank of the stream on the other side of the river. He decided to ask the frog for help getting across the stream.

"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion across the water, "Would you be so kind as to give me a ride on your back across the river?"

"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know that if I try to help you, you wont try to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.

"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I try to kill you, then I would die too, for you see I cannot swim!"

Now this seemed to make sense to the frog. But he asked. "What about when I get close to the bank? You could still try to kill me and get back to the shore!"

"This is true," agreed the scorpion, "But then I wouldn't be able to get to the other side of the river!"

"Alright then...how do I know you wont just wait till we get to the other side and THEN kill me?" said the frog.

"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because you see, once you've taken me to the other side of this river, I will be so grateful for your help, that it would hardly be fair to reward you with death, now would it?!"

So the frog agreed to take the scorpion across the river. He swam over to the bank and settled himself near the mud to pick up his passenger. The scorpion crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp claws prickling into the frog's soft hide, and the frog slid into the river. The muddy water swirled around them, but the frog stayed near the surface so the scorpion would not drown. He kicked strongly through the first half of the stream, his flippers paddling wildly against the current.

Halfway across the river, the frog suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the scorpion remove his stinger from the frog's back. A deadening numbness began to creep into his limbs.

"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we shall both die! Why on earth did you do that?"

The scorpion shrugged, and did a little jig on the drownings frog's back.

"I could not help myself. It is my nature."