It is the duty of the Government to take care all the affair and this is the very important point.

Diamond Jewelry | Round cut diamonds

“Database system for all of Navy Medicine” at $80k versus educating our children for $60k annually.  I can tell you which one is harder, much harder.

You know what I may because I am in a profession of my choosing. And could lose everything I worked for.

I personally not asking for a bailout, I will go back to Texas and just make it happen again. I don’t want a dime from my government. I don’t expect any hand outs. I don’t expect the government to take care of me. I will do it on my own. Unfortunately we are becoming a country of, like i SAID BEFORE THE CODDLED NATION JUST LIKE many of our children are.

Stacy i am trying to be logical here .

Dulles has three parallel runways. Why would the weather conditions have anything to do with it??? since they are all parallel and fairly close together . Anyway I complained to the FAA for the first time in my life as I assume many others did.

And all of a sudden the noisy planes stop flying in on that runway. Just thinking common sense, use the other run ways especially at night and during the wee hours of the morning. Not rocket science. And believe me I am NOT very noise sensitive so when stuff like this happens, I am sure it bothered many others far more.

Leej – I’m not an air traffic controller, but I used to work at a small airport. It more than likely had a lot to do with the weather conditions this morning. If the sun was up, that will come into play as well.

On a different note. What is the logic in directing the nosiest planes onto the new runway over the most populated part of Loudoun early in the morning. ;-)  Again people in the government at times seem to have brain cells missing. This is stuff for Saturday night live. OK we now have four runways and the yet the dummies directing these planes want to direct most of these planes. (ok again) onto the one runway that is over the most populated part of Loudoun. Do these people get some perverse pleasure out of this. ha ha ha I am sure the complaints went way up at Dulles airport this morning.

lookingforward yes I do believe there is truth to that phrase, but of course there are many in teaching and government that do a exceptional job. So it is not all that simple.
I am somewhat joking here but bring back the drive in theater and that is where many of us, at least my generation discovered the meaning of what life is about ;-) sounds silly but true :-)

Leej, I think in particular, we agree with regard to a Loudoun County upbringing compared to our own.  Mine was years ago, in another state, where all of the schools were 20 years old and a number of us did pretty well for ourselves despite our poor communities and old schools.  But one of the reasons I did well for myself was my teachers. I can name more than a dozen who were instrumental in my life.  Were there some bad ones who did not deserve the salary they were getting?  You bet.  But the others stand out much more in my mind and I know for certain that they were underpaid.  No system is perfect.

My old grade school still serves that function forty years later.  Somewhere near my home there is probably still a drive in movie theatre still in operation.  I know for certain that there are more than a few drive-in food establishments where the waitresses come out to your car.  Loudoun is a different animal that’s for sure.

Good night.

In my opinion The best part of Leej ran down his mother’s ass during the gangbang

i grew up pretty much a charmed life. don’t get me wrong it is far from perfect. Don’t get me wrong it was far from perfect. But when I see the kids today yes, I am glad I had my life. Kids have it much tougher then I had. Perhaps we need to go back in time when there was a drive in movie theater. ;-)

Leej, I am not sure how to take that answer.  I am wondering if we are seeing the more human side of you - the gray area side of you. 

Ar you saying that you are not sure if you despise teachers and government workers?  Or, is it that even if you do despise them, it will be okay?  At this point there is no hidden agenda on my part and I don’t blame you if you don’t answer, but did your parents have a strong dislike for teachers and government workers?  Again, I am done with this conversation whether you answer honestly or not.  I appreciate the fact that you seem to be soul searching.  Maybe I am reading too much into it.  I wish you the best no matter.

I just don’t know anymore. I wish like when I was in school or like my parents said ” it will be ok”

that can mean many different things to many people

just the way it is and we all know who said that or we should

Hey Leej!  Here is your comment from earlier and I have also reprinted my questions related to that comment.  What sayeth you?

“Don’t take this wrong and I am sure I will get killed for this. But there is a phrase you all know.

“People that can’t do become teachers or work for the government. People that can do go out and do in the private sector.” Not my statement but you hear it all the time.

My questions:
Do you believe it(this statement) or not?  Are all teachers and government workers losers who couldn’t make it in the private sector?  With regard to the teachers, are we entrusting our children to the dregs of modern American society?

You want to say what is on your mind or would you prefer to hide behind some anonymous comment that you know we have all heard?

I work in private industry and we longer can support you all any longer it just gets worse.  not better. everybody is is hurting

I wonder how the public will react when they find out teachers are contracted to work only 7 hours a day.  This work to rule campaign will backfire on the LEA, big time!

That’s right! Forgot about the Wheatland fiasco. Guess that one got swept under the rug!

I hope LEA’s rally in Sterling tomorrow is the start of positive things to come for our teachers. If anyone knows any more details, please share. Like some of these posts say, teachers, “Do something about it!”

And don’t forget about all of the horrible land deals negotiated by the idiots running the Broadlands Taj Mahal.  They’re more than willing to significantly overspend there, but saddle you teachers with two furlough days to try to score political points.  One of the botched Wheatland deal properties that they wanted to spend 1.2 million for just sold on the real open market (not the connected LCPS crony market) for $600k.  And you wonder why some of us are so peeved with LCPS spending and taxes.  Once again - we’re not the problem.  You know where it lies - do something about it.

Marble hits the nail on the head below.  Teachers need to be more upset and protest more against the backwards spending policies of Hatrick and his cronies.  The BOS provides plenty of money annually to the school system.  They then choose where it gets spent.  Obviously teachers aren’t at the top of their priority list.  Quit falling for Hatrick’s annual game playing and stage a real protest against the real problem.

Dont forget about teacher appreciation day and end of the year!  Hey, all I’m saying is don’t take it out on us parents and our children!  Of course teachers deserve more money, but don’t we all.

The posts get more and more interesting as we go along. Perhaps someone needs to do an “expose” on the school system. Posted issues such as the treatment of teachers, the spending, the decision making, and other factors should be checked out.

With all of this said, I am wondering how the other Northern Virginia counties are? How do they treat their teachers? What do residents in these other counties think of their educators? Also, do the educators in these other counties have as much venting as our teachers do? Hmmmm.

Laughing, you’re funny!  In fact, I am laughing.  Teachers can only eat so many chocolate covered cherries and fruit cakes.  And you can only get so many Christmas ornaments on a tree.  You might be overvaluing those Christmas presents just a wee bit.  But, hey, as we all know, it is the thought that counts.

The teachers that say they’re not giving up any of their “free time” to help their struggling students need to find a new profession. What about the hundreds of dollars you get in gifts from the parents every year? Parents don’t “have” to give you anything! If you were my childs teacher I wouldn’t even waste my Childs “free time” drawing you a picture! Be happy you HAVE a job! Millions of people are jobless and you’re complaining about 2 days without pay??!!

“But teachers are not required to do these extra things, people have come to expect it, they rely on it.  And now that some teachers are standing up for their CONTRACTUAL rights others are angry.
Work to the Rule is not VILE it is the right of our teachers to stick to the parameters of their contract.”

Well said, “hanzelgretel! In my opinion, and from the discussion that I’ve had with neighbors and friends, the “work to the rule” is really about how teachers are sick and tired of being mistreated within the system. Teachers naturally WANT to help their students, but unfortunately, when “a few” in the system take advantage of the teachers, then action needs to be taken, especially when this has gone on for a long period of time. 

“Leej,” although I respect your opinion, I’m sorry to say, Loudoun teachers are far from coddled. Every time you turn around, there is some new program or policy that is “shoved” upon them, and it just adds to their overflowing agendas of “things to do,”  on top of the original item, which is to TEACH their subject material. I have heard these stories first hand from my teacher friends and neighbors, some of which are contemplating quitting the profession or moving on to other schools. Why? They want to teach the subject matter entrusted upon them to teach. Frankly, it makes me sick, especially when I know their quality in the classroom is exceptional! For example, I’ve stated before that teachers should be teaching their SUBJECT matter, instead of teaching other things, such as Health and Computers, especially when they have “highly qualified” people (P.E. teachers and TRTs) to do this.

Also, as for the quote, “People that can’t do become teachers or work for the government. People that can do go out and do in the private sector.” That is total BS, because behind everyone, there was at least 1 teacher who believe in that student, went the extra mile to help that student, and constantly “pushed” that student to use their full potential. Not everyone can walk into a classroom of 25-30 kids and teach. Teachers CAN DO, and I commend them all! Semper Fi!

Earlier in this thread I commented that people could honestly disagree about the LCPS budget without trash talking educators.  One response to that came from leej who wrote:

“WE all love our teachers and our anger should be directed to the school board and Hatrick who really use the teachers and kids as pawns in this chess game with the BOS.”

More recently, leej has written:

Don’t take this wrong and I am sure I will get killed for this. But there is a phrase you all know.

“People that can’t do become teachers or work for the government. People that can do go out and do in the private sector.” Not my statement but you hear it all the time.

It seems more than a a bit disingenuous, leej, to float this statement as something somebody else has said, and let it hang there without embracing it as something you believe as well. Or maybe you just think teachers are too stupid to see through the disingenuousness. 

Do you believe it or not?  Are all teachers and government workers losers who couldn’t make it in the private sector?  With regard to the teachers, are we entrusting our children to the dregs of modern American society?

There is so much that you wrote in that last posting that I totally agree with.  However, you diminish your entire argument when you paint good people in these broad brushes.  There is no doubt that much of your philosophy derives from your deep disdain for anyone who works in education or government. 

Teachers, I will tell you again that I believe in you.  I appreciate the sacrifices you have made to become teachers.  I appreciate the sacrifices you make each and every day that you serve as a teacher.  I appreciate the extra hours you give to serving as sponsors to countless extracurricular activities for our kids.  I appreciate the fact that you do purchase supplies, with your own money, for your classes.  I appreciate that you spend hours on laborious lesson plans.  I appreciate that you manage classrooms with youth that range from exceptional in behavior all the way to poorly behaved children who need their butts whipped.  Of course, you could go to jail for that.  I appreciate that you adjust to the contant changes in curricula thrust upon you by bureaucrats and education-related businesses that just have to sell their newest textbook and teaching model.  I appreciate you for adapting to the latest testing regimen thrust upon you by bureaucrats and education testing businesses that just have to sell their latest testing scheme.

Be reminded that I am not a teacher.  My spouse is not a teacher.  I have no children.  I am a Loudoun County tax payer who believes - as Marble below has confirmed - that there is fat in the LCPS budget.  I am sorry the LCPS chose furloughs to save the $4.5 million.  I am not sorry the BOS held firm on this issue.

Keep up the good work, teachers.  I know why the vast majority of you do what you do.  You do it because of your passion for children and youth and education. 

God Bless you.

and you too, leej.

And I will throw this out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tExNoRlXU-E&feature=related

These guys are some of the most skilled people out there and not because of the public school system. They work for my rich Texas buddy who barely made it out of high school and yes it was a coddled school system like we have here in Loudoun which did him not much good. But he made it on his own later in the real world of hard knocks.

Anyway those guys in the video are more highly skilled then most college graduates and make far more more money then most college graduates.

They in this video are just having a bit of fun on a oil rig. Don’t get this wrong they are completely safe in the fun they are having before doing some of the most skilled work and technical in the world.

And don’t equate this to the blow up recently in the Gulf. That was caused by highly educated college grads, that couldn’t even stop the oil for months and months. So much for coddled education.

I am going a bit over board for a reason, because yes a good education is wonderful, but it does not necessarily prepare for the real world.

And I will go a step further. My grammar and spelling suck because I don’t take the time to proof read. Yet very few people on the planet can make as much money as I do from drawing pretty pictures. And that talent did not come from college or school. And not to brag from that self taught talent when I was a junior in high school I was far better then the teacher that was teaching the drawing class and the teacher recognized it and allowed me to assist him with teaching the class. Now English class I was not so good. ha ha ha ;-)

Loudoun Schools are the coddling system.

Teachers and parents coddle their kids so much that many of them can’t a job out of school.

And when they do get a job they quit because they are NOT coddled in that job so they can not stand it.

There is all kinds of articles written about this.

Just do a search.

Some the most innovated and successful people come from poor families and a very less education then what Loudoun schools give.

I would like to see a study on how well Loudoun kids actually do once they graduate. A real study not some lip service by the school system

The good thing about the school systems reaction to the BOS decision is now they set up another war with the budget session next year which again there unreasonable demands will again be denied.

Loudoun is broke as well as the nation. People in the public sector have been coddled so much they don’t live in reality anymore. Don’t take this wrong and I am sure I will get killed for this.

But there is a phrase you all know.

‘’‘’ People that can’t do become teachers or work for the government. People that can do go out and do in the private sector’‘’‘’ Not my statement but you hear it all the time.

Personally I think this teacher slow down will actually be good for our kids, and the kids will NOT be coddled so much and the parents will actually have to do more for there kids and the kids will have to do more for themselves. That will give our next generation of kids a backbone which has been lacking in the last several generations. :-)

@Loudoun Insider
Why is Work to the Rule vile?  Teachers that are following WTR this year are sticking to their contract hours.  They are working what they are paid to work.  I don’t see how anyone can say that is a wrong. 

Now it does IRK people that teachers are not going to be volunteering 5 to 15 hours of free time each week and the some of the clubs don’t have a sponsors this year. 

But teachers are not required to do these extra things, people have come to expect it, they rely on it.  And now that some teachers are standing up for their CONTRACTUAL rights others are angry. 

Work to the Rule is not VILE it is the right of our teachers to stick to the parameters of their contract.

First, all of Loudoun County’s teachers are great and should take pride in the work they are doing.  Some would say they are being paid enough.  Not true!  Compare a teachers pay with administration salaries.  Some teachers have the same amount of education and experience and make far less than staff in Broadland.
Compare salaries in Broadland with like positions in other departments, like health, safety, sheriff’s department.  Major differences because the school board’s budget can not be screened for these overpayments.
As an insider, not a teacher, but an administrator in the Broadlands castle, I know there is major waste in the school system’s budget.
How many deans and vice principals do schools need?  Three of each in middle schools.  Certainly we could get by with one less of each.
How many coaches do the schools need.  High schools sidelines look like a college team or maybe the Redskins.
And why do any of the schools need an athletic director?
$500 to $600 for an office chair for a secretary?
Out of state conferences that 6 to 10 staff need to attend?
Purchases are almost like the feds paying $600 for a toilet seat.
Teachers have to take money out of their pockets for supplies for the classroom.  No administrator has to spend their own money for supplies.  Why?
Teachers drive their own cars daily to school and pay for their own gas and upkeep.  Why not administration staff at Broadland?
If someone really went through the school budget they would find the money needed to avoid furloughs easily.
I know!

Finally, LCRez, I do appreaciate what teachers do, but as your list points out, the real budget decisions, including furloughs, are the purview of Hatrick and the School Board.  That’s who deserves the blame for this set up confrontation, not the BOS.

Kelly Burk didn’t vote because she would benefit directly from said vote - that is called a conflict of interest, and is disallowed by law and the BOS’ own Code of Ethics.  Even though she didn’t understand that recusal also means that you should refrain from debate and lobbying your fellow lawmakers, at least she finally did the right thing by bowing out of a school budget vote.  Finally.

The vile work to rule email is at TC:

http://www.tooconservative.com/?p=7646

Everyone is hurting these days and making do with less - join the crowd.

First, on behalf of my Loudoun teacher friends, I want to thank Supervisors Buckley, Miller, and McGimsey for their support. I am not sure why Kelly didn’t vote, and wanted to briefly address Waters’s comments about “education policy reform. Here are a few reforms to start with, as shared with me:

1. Why are elementary classroom teachers teaching Health when there are P.E. teachers who should be doing this? Classroom teachers have enough to teach, including SOL-related subjects.

2. Why are elementary classroom teachers teaching Computer classes to their students when “highly qualified” teachers who have the title of “TRTs” SHOULD be doing this. Again, classroom teachers have enough to teach.

3. Treat teachers like they are human beings and respect them for what they do. Tell them “thank you,” instead of being quick to get rid of them (Yes, I’ve heard of the “December List,” and think it is a waste - It’s good to have teacher friends who keep you informed)! 

4. When looking at the budget, look CLOSER at positions in the admin building first that are non-essential. Teachers ARE essential!

Next, like a few posts have mentioned, teachers you NEED to stand up for yourself. Although Virginia is a “right to work” state, there are a few organizations to join (Disclaimer - I don’t works for any of these), and they WILL help you! They are:

1. The LEA (who is affiliated with the VEA and the NEA). The LEA seems to be more proactive when it comes to teacher and education-related topics of interest.

2. The Virginia Professional Educators.
(Note: Groups 1 and 2 have lawyers who will go to bat for you as necessary).

Finally, I have many teacher friends, and I DO appreciate what you do. You’ve shared stories of things in your classrooms, vented about the goings-on within this county, and showed me posts (such as this one) that clearly show a county that doesn’t have 100% support of their teachers, yet pride themselves for having a top-notch education system. To those of you in the county who are teachers, THANK YOU for a job well done! Best wishes in the start of a new school year! Semper Fi!

I don’t understand why the teachers are upset with Loudoun taxpayers/parents? The budget is created/modified by Dr Hatrick and school board. They made the decision to furlough all Loudoun county Public School employees, not the parents. Just like in everyone’s monthly budget, there are certain items you have to pay for, like housing, gas for car, groceries….. and there certain items that you’d love to have/buy(like a vacation home, boat, larger family) and of course there are the unexpected things like car breaking down, surgery, computer hard disk crash…. In the end, Dr Hatrick and school board need to cut out projects, combine high up positions, out source some work, think outside the box and stop with the egos and pitting the teachers vs parents. I would give you a grade of D(for both Hatrick and School Board). There are a few on board that want to cut but they’re in the minority so maybe it’s time to get a whole new school board and replace Dr Hatrick(and his huge salary/benefits). What the teachers don’t realize is they probably could have gotten a raise and not had the furlough days if it weren’t for the high spending budget Dr Hatrick and the school board passed.

I’d like to tell Dr Hatrick and the School Board where they can stick their fees. Just wait all you parents with kids in elementary and Middle school, before you know it, it will cost money to sit at a desk, use the computer, use the bathroom, ride the bus, Oh and they’ll just up the parking fees to $1000, play sports or any extra activity $500/activity and $250 to take AP tests.

This was a very unprofessional way for Dr Hatrick and School board to get more money since they couldn’t get it by more taxes. Do you know that the groups that use the Loudoun county auditorium/school rooms are only charge $30-$75/hour? why not raise those fees to say $250-500/hour? Yeah, I’m glad my daughter graduated last year because it cost me an extra $750 in fees last year. Dr Hatrick and the School Board cry wolf every year, meanwhile there are many projects that could be cut, outsource more, cut back on some of those dictator…I mean director positions(each one has an admin assistant). I’d like to see the School Board and Dr Hatrick take some responsibility in this year’s budget and stop blaming others. The teachers should be upset with them, not the BOS or Loudoun Taxpayers that have said enough on high taxes. Especially in this economy.

Wow, isaidit:  do you have to act like such a pig and a rude bully?

Now, Speaking my Mind:  it wasn’t nice to call him a stupid fool.

You both set a very poor example for our children in terms of dealing with conflict.  Now say you are sorry.  Come on.  Repeat after me, “I’m sorry.” 

Listen to yourselves.

@ Speaking my Mind…..your comment “isaidit”...You are an ignorant fool. First off…you clearly need to go back to school. There IS a difference between ARE and OUR. Hopefully you are not a product of LCPS. Next…if you don’t want to pay for parking try having little Johnny ride that big yellow thing called a school bus”  YOU ARE a perfect example of why this county is in the shape is in…you are a pig and rude bully…I don’t have a little Johnny but it sounds like you have one!  You are the stupid fool….we have all paid for parking with your taxes the last 10 years and now you want to keep paying and let the Administrators and teachers keep passing it to the children….typical Pig!  Are you legal in this country?  I don’t think you know how it works here.

Sorry bigph, the last comment was intended for Parking.

bigph:  Buses are not required by law.  If you don’t believe me, ask your school board member.  Buses just make it easier to enforce mandatory attendence laws.  It’s one less excuse not to attend school.

You’re right that the parking fee was $25, which was reasonable, but now it is $200.  These student fee increases have backfired on the school board by creating a lot of very angry parents who are reluctant to also support higher taxes for out of control school spending.

Thank GOD my kd graduated last year!

I have been a LONG time resident of Loudoun County….

And I am really looking forward to moving away.

I used to love this county, but honestly, it makes me sick to my stomach anymore…..

I hardly think parking fees amount to anything more than a few dollars in relation to the overall budget, however, small fees here and there are annoying.  Just like the banking industry and airlines are doing to bleed more pennies from the economicly struggling public.  It sucks!

People, parking fees have always been there, but are inflated now.  Parking lots are provided, and buses are required by law in a public school system. The buses have to come thru the neighborhood regardless of whether or not your kid wants to ride it.  Taxes are paying for the bus, gas, and bus driver.  That is why they are charged to park at the schools

Speaking my mind - geez, it was a typo. Really irks me when someone jumps on another person like that for a little typo.

This thread is a prime example of why our gov’t is so screwed up - most of the people here aren’t willing to even listen to the other side let alone think they may have a point. Guess what, both sides have valid points.

“isaidit”...You are an ignorant fool. First off…you clearly need to go back to school. There IS a difference between ARE and OUR. Hopefully you are not a product of LCPS. Next…if you don’t want to pay for parking try having little Johnny ride that big yellow thing called a school bus.

This is the worst part of the article:
*****
Miller said he had originally thought of voting against the motion.
“My initial reaction was ‘too bad, so sad,’” Miller said.
But after talking to the school board, Miller said he made the decision to vote in favor of returning the funding.
*****
What a great idea, lets talk…
Loudoun/NOVA is much better off than the rest of VA, no worries here, until our schools look like those of southern Va. (Yes, I’m from there and experienced those 1950’s built schools with min funding)

First of all, can someone explain why LCPS had this $4.5 million surplus? I think the whole school board & superintendent should be replaced. How can you have a surplus and then complain that you are in a budget crisis?  Someone needs to investigate LCPS, Hatrick and the BOS.  To live in one of the wealthiest, fastest growing counties in America and have these incompetent individuals running our schools and government is mind boggling.

@BUSSES…...you are missing the point! your comment “but driving / parking a vehicle is a priviledge, one that can come with a fee”  WE ALREADY PAID FOR THOSE PARKING LOTS IN OUR TAXES!!!!!!  NOW ARE KIDS ARE PAYING again!  Every employee that works for LCPS should pay a fee to park on the lots if the kids have to!  These adults are cowards and self absorbed…the kids and parents pay the fees so you all can have your cake and eat it to!  Everyone is getting their pay cut, health insurance cut, bonuses taken away, hours cut, except employees of LCPS….feel the burn with dignity like the rest of us!

busses: Public schools are not required to provide transportation to/from school. 

BlahBlah: There was actually a decrease of 18 appropriated teaching positions this year.  The 350 new teachers that had to be hired were because of normal attrition.  If LCPS pay is so uncompetitive, how could they have hired that many teachers?

There is an activity bus - ours runs once a week. It’s pretty much useless if your kid is in sports, drama or something else that meets more than once a week.

The extra money is supposed to be from the School Board’s budget…it should go back to the School Board, not into the general fund.  If not for this year, then next.

Except for kids within the designated walking range of their school, all students are provided tax-payer funded transportation (busses) already. I don’t know for sure, but would think there are activity busses for after school extra-curriculars - someone with knowledge, please comment.  Thus, children (and their parents) driving to school and parking their vehicles are making a CHOICE to do so, and a fee to park is justified. Half-full busses are inefficiently being used, yet, those busses have to run those routes every day, regardless, because it’s expected that they do so. Riding the bus is the right of every student (it’s part of their right to an education as directed by the state), but driving / parking a vehicle is a priviledge, one that can come with a fee. Employees do not have transportation to school provided them, therefore, their parking is free and part of the package of benefits that come with the job. If the LCPS wants to require teachers to live w/in the school boundaries, and ride the busses same as the students, I’d be fine with that, and then teachers too could pay to park if they chose to not take the bus.

BlahBlah you crack me up because you missed my point entirely. My point is jobs are hard to come by and any teacher that wants to quit, there are many who will take that job in a second. That why Loudoun could fill those teacher positions without a problem.

350 New Teacher Positions - Hello, LCPS opened 3 new schools this year! Free Vacations, Free Gas, Free Cars - Why not educate yourself on the truth before posting your idiotic comments. Good grief. Send your kids to private school, that will shut you up.

LeesburgParent - I believe this is the list of the “reductions” for the 2010-2011 school year.

http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/50990419143725/lib/50990419143725/FY11_Option_1_Reduction_List.pdf

If the board mismanaged their own money as badly as they mismanage the taxpayer dollars they would all be living together under a bridge on Rt 7 and eating road kill.

Does Hatrick (and the other asst. supts) still drive county cars, get free gas, have inflated tax-free annunities, bonus $$, upgraded medical and life insurance, free vacations????  Can a reporter look into this and report back?  I’d love to know what has been cut over in the Ashburn Palace. My bet is, NOTHING.

and i will add the Loudoun school system had no problem filling almost 350 teachers positions at a drop of the hat.

So there are a lot of out of work people looking to to these teachers jobs. that is the real reality check

“LCPS employees will be forced to take two mandatory furlough days this year, on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23.”  I can not believe that they are whinning about this!....do you want this or your job gone?? Ok..I got it!  If EVERY LCPS employee and supervisor paid $200 to park their cars….would that help? Why don’t the employees pay, heck the kids pay for parking, sports, activities..  Why just the students????  I got it why don’t we just charge the kids $20 a day to go to school???  Reading all these posts looks like a bunch of babies!  Atlas said it best “I’d encourage the whiners in the school system read these statistics.  If you don’t like the job, move on….”  The economy and cuts are gonna get worse…HOLD ON its coming….....

The money could be there if the school system would cut back on the number of employees (both administrative and classified) who drive county cars to lunch each day and then take them home every day including the weekends.  The worst is that most go to WV and as far as Front Royal on our taxpayers money.  Does anyone ever look at this? Also, how about cutting all the end of the year banquets that costs in the thousands of dollars and cut travel expenses for conferences.  Many times departments send numerous employess just to “get away.”  There are many other areas that could be cut such as Spanish in the elementary schools that we added additional minutes to the school day (additional cost) just to allow the time for this subject.  What a waste of financial resources and time as elementary children need to spend time learning to read and write in our own language to provide a strong foundation for their future.  Maybe it is time for an outside firm to take a look at the waste in the current school system.  How shocked they would be at what they would find!!!

You have to realize we payt thtem that much yes, but with 5 yhears of college and they by most of their material.  When it is all said and done they don’t really se emuch of their pay,  Like me after taxes, sale tax, fees, etc…. that they tac on anywhere and everywhere.  I am lucky to see 30%.

If any lessons can be learned from all this are..

Sort of like the military lessons learned from Vietnam.  Back then some of the public trashed are soldiers when they came home.  Today we all love our soldiers and direct our anger to the people that put them in the situation that we might disagree with. Iraq or Afghanistan.

Teachers are in the same position in a funny kind of way in this economy. WE all love our teachers and our anger should be directed to the school board and Hatrick who really use the teachers and kids as pawns in this chess game with the BOS. They are the ones that think their is a endless supply of money in Loudoun. Well there is not. And they better find better ways to control this school budget or this will get real ugly come next budget season. Taxpayers are real fed up with the tax rate going up every year. We saw by the BOS vote where this is going next budget season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9WiuJPnNA&feature=related

PaddleH2O, you are going to get so much grief from this crowd.  As for me, I do want to pay our teachers well.  I do want to encourage teachers.  I am extremely grateful for all that our teachers do for a precious resource that we entrust to them. . .

and, we are in the worst economic climate since the great depression.  Cuts have to be made.  Sacrifices are necessary. 

I simply cannot be convinced that two furlough days means that Loudoun is going to become any less of a quality learning center. 

And just like I defended teachers, I will defend pay for the BOS.  You have no idea how much time these people spend serving in this capacity.  They give up countless nights.  They give up work income to be Supervisors.  They listen to rabid citizens over and over and over.  They deserve every penny of what they are getting and more.  There is not enough money to pay me to do their job.

Between the money spent on campaigns and salaries, the supervisors could have funded the school shortfalls twice over.  Get real, since when are local politicians supposed to get paid decent salaries for ‘volunteering’ to serve the community in leadership positions.  As for the schools, Loudoun has over 5% more students than last year. More students means more resources. Why should the same philosophy for other professional salaries not apply to teachers? Same for quality.  Would you be willing to open your mouth for a mediocre dentist or would you pay more to get a better one?  So why risk education by not making Loudoun a competitive place to come teach kids.  Free education means there’s no tuition to attend, it doesn’t preclude special fees and costs that are required to improve and sustain a quality education environment. Time to stop applying double and triple standards and focus on keeping Loudoun schools quality learning centers.

oops, meant: Drawing is good too.

Waxtrax, my income is not the issue. I feel I get paid what the market demands. Degrees are for the elite and don’t prove anything. I sell for a living, and my employer values it highly.  It brings in income to pay for the staff (overhead).

Just happy for you that you learned how to write, Joe leej!  Drawing be good to.

green day your ignorance is showing.
If you can’t attack the message then attack how the message was delivered.

When you can draw as well as me then you are welcomed to attack my grammar and spelling and I make a hell of a lot of money drawing without being paid by the government and it’s huge package of benefits. That most in private industry can dream of..

I am not being mean here, just realistic. ;-)

$60,467?????
#$%^&*()#$%^
We REALLY pay out THAT much for a teacher!!!!!!!!
I do hope that was your household earnings and not just yours!!!
I managed the complete Database system for all of Navy Medicine for $80K….

“lookingforward” - That simple thank you goes a VERY long way. It is nice to know that some still do appreciate all that educators do. It is not always about the money…but sometimes just about simple recognition of our work.  Again…thank you.

Disclaimers:

1.  I am not a teacher
2.  I don’t have children
3.  My spouse is not a teacher

I am a Loudoun County taxpayer.  I absolutely know that our school system budget has become bloated.  I do believe that the budget has been padded over the years and that the schools have gotten everything they wanted until this year.  I have no problem with the BOS standing firm on this issue. 

That said, I cannot believe the disdain for teachers and education displayed in the comments that have preceeded this one.  Teachers work hard.  Their days never end at 3:00 pm as they have lesson plans to do and homework to grade and all of the extra things that they do for the youth that they teach all day. They give and give and give.  I am grateful to them for their work on behalf of the children and youth of Loudoun.

You can disagree with the School Board and the School Board Budget without belittling educators and the profession as a whole.

Or, as a lot of these comments demonstrate, you can be the same angry jerks who are only happy when you are talking trash about other people.  It is teachers this week.  Board of Supervisors members next week and God knows who else the next week.  It is just your nature.

Educators, we may disagree about the vote today, but I believe in you. I am grateful to you.  I know that most others appreciate you as well. Please keep up the wonderful work that you do for our kids.

Yeah, the BOS stood firm against the greedy LCS Board! Hatrick and the school board could easily find the $4 million in the existing budget to pay the teachers instead of furloughing them.  But Hatrick and the school board want it all.
There’s so much excess spending in the school system that $4 million would be easy to find.
Cut all travel
Cut all excess purchases in the central office
Put a citizen committee together to review how the school board spends
Lower the thermostats in all buildings
Do any and all things to cut the budget before cutting teachers salaries or furloughs.
Fire Hatrick, that would save several hundred dollars right off the top.

Feeble minded excuse by Waters. Maybe this woman can now take some of tax money she is not giving teachers and buy herself a makeover. In my opinion she looks like a dog faced gremlin

I hope Burk, Burton and Waters enjoy their last term in office because the LEA will make a point to make sure you NEVER win reelection.

Wow!  leej - Mr. Joe Six Pack - congratulations!  Your education has so dramatically improved. Your command of the written word here is light years ahead of your writing on the Green Business Challenge comment section last week. 

You got something to hide?  Where do you live?  Loudoun?

You’re wrong, wax. It’s not the community who is failing to support the schools - it’s the gov’t. I’ve never heard a fellow parent say that a *teacher* is overpaid. Place the blame at the correct door - be it the dems or the pubs or the teas - whatever - doesn’t matter they all play the same game in the long run.

Hey if you don’t like your job as a teacher go into the public sector.

As I said before there are more then enough people out there to replace you.

Or is it the fact that you all have a cushy to the extreme you all would never give up being a teacher. Great retirement and benignity far beyond the private sector.

Nobody is stopping any of you from quitting.

Stop using the children as your excuse, just find another job as you will be much happier with your paycheck, because we don’t buy you love the children. You love yourself first. end of story.

I’ll have what ever wax man is drinking. Dude you could easily afford to live in Loudoun. Now whether you were willing to save along the way and not buy expensive toys???? I hope you don’t teach business or economics class? Heck, my families income wasn’t over 60K for the first 10 years of living in Loudoun, and we’ve been here almost 20 years now. You have to do better than that….

This is my last post:

I choose Loudoun County as the place I wanted to teach. A county that at one time truly supported public education. I did choose to be a teacher and I do teach some difficult students. However, many of the most difficult students come back the next year and tell me that I was their favorite teacher????? I know I make an impact. I know I make sacrifices to teach. I loose heart in teaching not because of the students but because the community that doesn’t fully support the education of the next generation…

-Taxpayers didn’t want their taxes to go up and more money taken out of their pockets.

-Taxpayers complain to BOS.

-BOS sets lower tax rate.

-Supervisors do not fund school budget.

-Teachers get furloughed.

-Teachers complain about money being taken out of their pockets.

-Parents complain about teachers only doing what they are paid to be doing between their contracted hours. 

It has finally trickled down to the kids because SOME teachers are not going to continue going above and beyond what they are contracted and paid to do. (and I cannot blame them)

If we really value education as much as we claim to, then we must value the educators who are teaching our children.

Wax, you could easily afford a house in Loudoun at that salary. So, don’t complain about the commute or the size of your current residence. My wife and I would have loved to have a bigger family but sacrificed, just like many Loudoun taxpayers are today due to the economy. I don’t have a problem with the teachers getting back their two days, but I’d like to see Dr Hatrick cut some of his directors and pet projects.

Wax, I have several degrees of my own and zero kids - no home schooling here.

Loudoun Insider exactly how many degrees does any teacher need?

Firstly, I am a career switcher, and I did indeed choose to teach. Only one of my degrees deals with education. I am sure the wealth of real world knowledge means little to someone who home schools. So I suppose, if you home school, you don’t need a college degree….

Waxtraxs –
Cute tea reference doesn’t really help your cause. With so many degrees you must be fairly smart – didn’t you know when you decided to become a teacher you’d be overworked and underpaid? Didn’t you know that as a High School teacher of all things – Science – you end up working with some real brats? Perhaps with the hope that a few bright students would come through your class and you might get the chance to help them along? Seriously – you had to have known.

Is the budget fair to teachers? In my opinion it isn’t. It’s not fair to the students, either. For that matter, the extra “fees” and increase in breakfast/lunch aren’t that fair on parents. And, let’s not forget the “extra” people who were let go because the budget couldn’t support them. If anything, they could use the money to hire those people back.

LCPS Teacher –
most of us know most of the teachers aren’t like Teacher 2. Loudoun has one of the best school systems not because of the money infused into it, but because of teachers.

I wasn’t sure what “four” meant.  Thank you for also displaying “(4)” so that I knew how many degrees you have.  I really appreciate your thorough post.

Wax, you didn’t need that many degrees to teach - don’t blame us for your excesses.  You chose to teach, deal with the cards you’ve dealt yourself.  Be happy you have a job with benefits in the New American Economy.

Atlas Shrugged: please enlighten me as to how much exactly did you make in 2009?

My Adjusted gross income in 2009 was $60,467. I live in a 1078 ft^2 ranch and I must drive 45 minutes to Loudoun County because I simply cannot afford to live in the community in which I teach.

I have four (4) degrees two (2) BS degrees and (2) MA degrees (William and Mary & UVA)

I am speculate I cannot afford the tea you have been drinking….

Dear Waxtracs, you work for the taxpayer.  Your sense of entitlement in infuriating.  I’d encourage the whiners in the school system read these statistics.  If you don’t like the job, move on…..  http://www.loudountaxpayer.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12:lcps-spends-too-much-on-salaries-and-benefits&catid=3:loudoun&Itemid=4

AT, first of all I think graduate degrees are not really necessary to teach basic subjects, but that’s my own opinion, one obviously not shared by the educratic system currently ruling US education.  I think teachers do work hard and deserve good compensation and appreciation, which they get.  Again, frustrated taxpayers like me with no kids are not expecting you to go further than anyone in the private sector, just scarifice like the rest of us.  I haven’t had any real increases in wages and have had to pay more for healthcare as well.  Not everyone in the private sector in Loudoun County is making CEO (or Hatrick) style wages and benefits.  I am getting pretty sick of too many teachers bitching and moaning privately about Hatrick and his underlings, yet not being brave enough to band together and do something about it.  This current controversy is not the fault of the BOS, it belongs at Hatrick’s feet.  Direct your ire there, instead of demanding more of my tax dollars to fund restoring the furlough days while keeping Hatrick’s fluff.

@Waxtraxs - not sure who your bonus comment was aimed at, but it wasn’t my family. You know, not everyone who has posted replies on here are over the top rich or even moderately wealthy. What about our kids?

I think Jim Burton is the only sane person on this Board. 

Disgruntled teachers should move to the NE states.  Where I grew up in Upstate NY, teachers made the same amount they make here, with houses costing a fraction of the price.  $200k up there buy you a single family with 3-4 bedrooms.  Not to mention a teacher’s union that has half the state government in it’s pocket.

I teach science at a LCPS High School. Because of budget constraints Loudoun County Public Schools is headed towards an average class size of 30 students. I have classes above 30 as I write this. Consequently, I have any given child every other day for 90 minutes. So lets examine individualized instruction. At best, each child is eligible for 3 minutes of my time every other day.

To help make ends meet, again because of budget cuts, I do tutoring after school and my current rate is $45/hour. Some of the folks in Loudoun County may think this unreasonable, but I think your bonus last years, which was more than I made in an entire year, was criminal.

“Loudoun Insider”...if you blame Hatrick…which I think if VERY fair…then why so nasty to the teachers.  Do you REALLY believe we are compensated for what we do?  Does your job require you to continue to get further education (per state lic. requirements) and not pay for it?  Does your job require you to spend money out of your own pocket on a daily basis and not get reimbursed for it?  I don’t want to seem like I am complaining…but people need to stop acting like they know what it is like to be a teacher until you do it.  I have worked on both side, private sector and in the schools.  Teachers do this job because it is our passion and we really want to help your kids.  Maybe a little appreciate once in a while would go a long way.

And all of you teachers know in your heart of hearts that these furloughs were not really necessary, but were put in place by Herr Hatrick to ensure a showdown like this at a later date.  This is all posturing and grandstanding by hatrick, who is miffed that he didn’t get his way fully, as usual.  I have plenty of complaints about this BOS, but they have stood up to Hatrick finally, and they deserve much credit.  Hatrick is the real person to blame here, along with his supplicant School Board.

Long Time Resident it IS a furlough because you WILL NOT be working those days.  Teachers continue to prove that too many of them are whiners of the first degree.  You make plenty of money for what you do and the number of hours worked.  The private sector is dealing with all of these same downward wage pressures.  Wake up and smell the coffee.

thought number whatever.

If this county is so rich then send your kids to private school.

Then the kids and parents that can’t afford it can get a decent education.

Again if Loudoun is so rich then get the rich kids out of the school system and again let the normal kids get a decent education.

oops perhaps Loudoun is not as rich as the teachers and school board think. ;-)

I feel embarressed that I have a co-worker like “LCPS Teacher 2”.  Yes we are frustrated…but I can assure parents that any teacher with that type of attitude is on the outside.  As a teacher, despite my frustration, I work on average at least 10 - 12 hours a day…if not more.  And to say that we only work 10 months…yes we are contracted 10 months…but to be an effective teacher the summer usually consists of planning, conferences, graduate classes, and other things to benefit the students.  I can not count how many extra clubs I sponsor, committees I am a part of, students I tutor, etc. with no additonal compensation.  I think all we are asking is for our salaries to be fair compared to the work we do, the experience we have, and the education we possess.  I have no expectation that I will make what the “private sector” makes, I am just tired of teachers carrying the burden of cut backs.

Dear Sam, I went to school in the 70’s, didn’t have a computer, had a class size of 30, and have done quite well for myself.  Just because this county has the highest median income doesn’t mean we need to keep pumping money into the system.  We keep building bricks and mortar schools.  I’ve never heard of anyone looking at year-round schooling to save capital?

Can we stop calling it a furlough…and call it what it is…a pay cut for school employees.  Furloughs are meant as a last resort if the money is not there to keep the operations going.  If you install it in the FY budget with no chance of removing it than it is a pay cut.  I guarantee if the School Board had temporarily cut a sports program and waited for the annual “additional funds” to be found…parents would have demanded that the BOS give the money to the schools.  This is an absolute joke and a slap in the face to the hard working school employees.

Not taking sides, but I know that in the “private” world not only would you not get paid for those two days, many would end up working them anyway. In general, I think teachers are very much underpaid for what they have to deal with. That said, I have 3 children in the LCPS system and I hope “LCPS Teacher 2” doesn’t teach my kids. I sincerly hope you posted in frustration and won’t go down that road - a teacher that no longer gives a damn about the kids he or she teaches should be fired.

I am also wondering where they “found” the money; more importantly how the hell did they manage to “lose” it in the first place.

Dear “I Pay Your Salary,” How insensitive of you.  LOL!.  The little rug rats are gone by 3:00pm so Teacher #2 day’s done.  The LCPS teacher logic is flawed.  First, just because the median house income is higher, doesn’t mean theirs should be as well.  Second, Teacher #2 isn’t comparing appples-to-apples ($90k/yr with 10 weeks vacation versus the “median” income of $107 with probably 3 weeks, AND a defined benefit pension plan).  If #2 doesn’t like the salary for the position, move to another field.  I’ve done it in my career.  Now those are the facts.  I haven’t even discussed the bloated school administration, wasted spending, and union dues that goes 98% to Democratic candidates.  The Govt is getting too large and we in the private sector and tired of it.  BTW, I have two children in LCPS and my wife volunteers in the school.  We work at home with our kids, so #2 can keep feel better about not doing anything extra.

Is anyone else surprised that the teachers aren’t making what can be made in the private sector?  Hello, that is a given when you choose this profession and now, to seemed shocked by it, is ludicrous.  It is a 10 month a year job with 10 months of pay.  Cutting out 2 days of pay is a hardship in any job, but it is not as bad as the cuts other teachers in the state and the nation have taken.

singlemom, the Loudoun public school system is bloated with many directors/managers being paid more then 100K. In addition, there are many areas where they could cut back, outsource or think outside the box, unfortunately, Dr Hatrick wants a blank check to pay for everything. Last year I paid an addition $500 in fees for my high school student, some paid more and some less, but I didn’t see any additional services for that money and it all went into a general fund(slush fund as far as I’m concerned).

Think about this for a moment.  With most other counties cutting back, why can’t the richest county in the country just maintain or incrementally increase our investment in schools?  If we were to do that we’d be YEARS ahead in attracting top-notch talent and our kids would have a world-class education after the recession is over.

Seriously, I don’t see a lot of evidence of hardship in this county.  Why not put us up to #1 in the nation by just not declining.  I work for the county and there are schools where they are taking out computers to make room for desks for the increased class sizes.  There are teachers with 30 kids and that is WAY to many to keep control and have any kind of meaningful time for individualized help to students. 

Bottom line, in 5-6 years we’ll be seeing declining test scores and student achievement.

It seems that two major points are being overlooked in the posted comments. First, how is it that the County of Loudoun found a surplus of $4.5 million in their budget? What are the BOS plans for this surplus money? Mr. Burton’s comment, “They (LCPS) don’t need this $4.5 million from us,” screams of a lack of value for the public school system and of selfish opportunism.
Secondly, the school system is made up of more than just teachers. Teachers and schools are supported by support staff. Parents and the general public may only see one side of the picture, teachers and school administrators. Behind the scenes are hard-working people who are also being affected by the furloughs. Not all of these employees make the same pay as teachers, some make considerably less, and some make more.
No matter what your paycheck is, employees of LCPS are hired with a common goal of educating the children of Loudoun. It pains me to see comments posted by teachers who say that they will no longer go above and beyond in the classroom and threatening that keeping the furlough days will directly affect the children by how they are taught and treated. May I suggest that you no longer teach until your pride is reigned in. Your students did not vote to institute furlough days, yet you are suggesting they should be punished by your poor attitude and opinions.
We should be grateful for the public school system that we are provided in this County and for those who work in it every day. The BOS should be there to support those efforts as well.

Ok…some of you need a reality check yourself.  I started my career in the private sector and did very well for myself.  I choose to leave the private sector and enter public education because I have a strong desire to impact the development of young people.  Since becoming a teacher I have bettered myself by acquiring two Masters degrees in areas that will allow me to better serve the children I teach.  The cost of those two Maters cost me over $20,000.  I will never be fully compensated financially for those degrees as the pay increase I received will still take over 15 years of employment to equal what came out of my pocket.  Unlike the private sector, I have no say as to what my compensation is other than to quit teaching???  What other job out there can you not negotiate your pay, have two Masters degrees, and rely on people in the county to decide your worth.  I make approximately $49,000 a year…how much do you make?  I too rely on my wife’s income to get by.  And, before you can assume we have the summer to earn additional pay…please tell me where they were hiring.  I applied for almost 40 jobs this summer…many of which were very remedial jobs.  Unfortunately, I was “over qualified” to get a job bagging groceries.  So again…please tell me where I could have worked. 
By the way KLB…I am a resident of the county.  I too have seen my taxes increase.  If you want to only pay taxes for the benefits YOU personally receive, than I think you might need to start looking for a residence outside this country…I hear Antarctica is nice this time of year.

I am a certainly a supporter of teachers and personally would be willing to pay more in taxes to keep the level of education up, but the teachers coming on this site complaining, sound like 1st graders.  The same problems you are experiencing are common for almost all families in the county - the fact that you try to compare a teachers salary (one person) to the average household income is laughable - many many many families need both spouses to work and they don’t get the summers off to earn extra money - not to mention you actually get healthcare and retirement that is WAY above the norm (my sister is a LCPS teacher and I’ve seen the benefits).  The attitude that I’m not going to work hard because I don’t get what I want is certainly not the attitude our children should be exposed to.  Granted you’re not going to get rich being a teacher, but you knew that going into the profession - we’ve all had to tighten our belts, no quit whining and go be a professional.

Here is another thought the teachers should charge the parents of these struggling kids, since these parents make so much money they can afford it.

Is anyone else troubled by LCPS teachers posting comments here during school hours?

First of all I want to state that I am both a LCPS teacher and tax paying Loudoun Resident.  It is true we havn’t had our usual step raises in 4 years, 2 years ago they doubled our health care premiums, which has not changed, now they are taking 2 days of pay away from us too.

I understand that the economy sucks and most people are suffering in some way.  Me for one is probably losing my house due to shady, bailed out mortgage compaies and decreased home value that is preventing refinancing.  But unlike most jobs in this area/county, we don’t make very much in the 1st place.  And unlike most residents in this county, our salaries will max out in the low $90k range when we are at the end of our careers.  Compared to the current median houshold income in LOCO of $107,207, we are clearly getting the short end of the stick. 

For those of you who don’t have kids, this is not directed at you, but for every person reading this who has kids, it is going to directly affect your kids because I am done doing anything extra.  No more staying after and helping struggling kids past my contract hours, no more coming in early to meet with parents and struggling students, no more extra curricular clubs and sports. 

Until I and my fellow teachers start feeling appreciated and paid appropriately for what we do, I am going to do the bare minimum requirements of my job. Pay me $45k, and you are getting only $45k worth of effort for your kids.  Enjoy paying for daycare, because they are not staying after with me until you get off of work.

Here’s a thought - why don’t teachers work 12 months a year for the same salary and forgo the opportunity to pick up extra money during the summer?  Oh, I forgot - LCPS teachers are already paid quite handsomely and don’t need to work part-time jobs like in other parts of the country.

LCPS Teacher,
You have just proved my point; most public sector employees are out of touch with reality. The company I work for employs over 6000 people and we too have not seen a raise in 4 years and our bonus programs have been cut back and our company vehicles taken back. Through all of this I am thankful that the company is doing what is needed to survive and keep us all working, they are doing the right thing by making cuts during hard times. But the public sector doesn’t want to hear any of this because their money comes from people like me and all the other taxpayers, most public sector employees have no idea what it’s like to work for a profit driven business, they are accountable to almost no one and don’t much care about how it hurts the taxpayers as long as they get a great deal. And by the way you don’t teach my children anything; I do not now and never did have children in the LCPS school system.

Well Loudoun hired about 350 new teachers this year.

So there is no shortage of people wanting to teach.

Be happy you even have a job in this economy.

And this bad economy which may go on for another ten years or more pray you don’t lose your job.

And if you people complaining think you can do better in the private sector then go for it, as it looks like no shortage of people that will take your teacher job in a second.

Thank you, BOS!  It was the only fair thing to do.  This request was just more gamesmanship from the SB.

KLB—
I have gone four years without a pay increase, and now two days of pay taken away, and I have had my Loudoun taxed increased.  Yes I feel entitled to some compensation as I do more every day I work for YOUR children.

Thank you, Board of Supervisors, for proving how disconnected you are to education. Your teachers are the reason your schools do so well, and, in turn, why families and companies move into our county.  By voting to not reinstitute the funding, you are essentially telling us that we are not valued.  I love teaching, and I love my students, but I hate this county and its views of those who serve it.

My employer has put all employees on two furlough days per MONTH for the next six months to prevent a layoff, and these employees are bellyaching about two days in one year?  Some people need a reality check!

Not surprised that again LCPS teachers take the brunt of the BOS and School Board’s mismanagement of funds.  I love teaching, however, I am really getting frustrated that teachers are bearing the burden of keeping useless programs in place that are the brain child of ill-informed school administrators and elected officials.  It is sad that that we teachers pay the price of political jockeying.  It would be nice if the county officials recognized the tremendous job teachers are doing in the school (a fact that increases home values and attracts businesses to the county to fund their pet projects and bloated salaries) with something more than a pay cut.

Two days off without pay? That’s it? And they are making a big deal out of this? The entire population of the country has had to make hard decisions during this economic downturn, families are cutting back, municipalities are doing without but the teachers think they are entitled to different treatment. Absurd.