APS budget is unacceptable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

Figure out how to get to the root cause, but that’s again putting the onus on schools to fill in for bad parents. In the meantime these semi-feral kids are disrupting school for everyone else.

I sound hard hearted because I’m so tired of hearing about the fights, the outbursts and the abhorrent behavior in my kids’ classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Outdoor Lab is costing over 800,000. Let's cut it.

This seems worth considering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

And while you’re trying to figure out “root causes” none of the kids who are there to learn actually are. Kind of defeats the purpose of a school to adopt the position that if the most disruptive students don’t learn, no one else does either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Outdoor Lab is costing over 800,000. Let's cut it.

At least the Outdoor lab adds something meaningful to the curriculum. Just cut $800k from the non school based DEI budget instead, they have 7.5 FTEs that all have the same job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

And while you’re trying to figure out “root causes” none of the kids who are there to learn actually are. Kind of defeats the purpose of a school to adopt the position that if the most disruptive students don’t learn, no one else does either.

Ok so how do you think suspending them is going to help? They just land back in class 2 days later without any change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Outdoor Lab is costing over 800,000. Let's cut it.

At least the Outdoor lab adds something meaningful to the curriculum. Just cut $800k from the non school based DEI budget instead, they have 7.5 FTEs that all have the same job.

It's not an either or. Cut both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

Figure out how to get to the root cause, but that’s again putting the onus on schools to fill in for bad parents. In the meantime these semi-feral kids are disrupting school for everyone else.

I sound hard hearted because I’m so tired of hearing about the fights, the outbursts and the abhorrent behavior in my kids’ classrooms.

Two were talking about children with behavioral problems whose parents don’t have the skills or capacity to support them. Who *but* the schools is going to help them? Suspension will just alienate them from school/authority and probably does lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Maybe that helps your kid in ninth grade but not sure how it helps society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

Figure out how to get to the root cause, but that’s again putting the onus on schools to fill in for bad parents. In the meantime these semi-feral kids are disrupting school for everyone else.

I sound hard hearted because I’m so tired of hearing about the fights, the outbursts and the abhorrent behavior in my kids’ classrooms.

Two were talking about children with behavioral problems whose parents don’t have the skills or capacity to support them. Who *but* the schools is going to help them? Suspension will just alienate them from school/authority and probably does lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Maybe that helps your kid in ninth grade but not sure how it helps society.

the solution for a lot of more serious cases is to have alternative school programs, with teachers and staff who have the physical capacity and ample training to use restraint and seclusion. But simple suspension is surprisingly effective. More often than not, parents care but aren’t sufficiently aware of the seriousness of the issue until a kid is suspended. Plus, just knowing that they can be suspended is often a good incentive for students to avoid egregious behavior.

There is a ton of research on this and good arguments on both sides, but more and more data is coming out that overall strict inclusion policies have terrible outcomes. It’s bad for teacher retention, student academic success, and the general environment of the school. We need to find a better middle ground between extremely strict policies either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

Figure out how to get to the root cause, but that’s again putting the onus on schools to fill in for bad parents. In the meantime these semi-feral kids are disrupting school for everyone else.

I sound hard hearted because I’m so tired of hearing about the fights, the outbursts and the abhorrent behavior in my kids’ classrooms.

Two were talking about children with behavioral problems whose parents don’t have the skills or capacity to support them. Who *but* the schools is going to help them? Suspension will just alienate them from school/authority and probably does lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Maybe that helps your kid in ninth grade but not sure how it helps society.

the solution for a lot of more serious cases is to have alternative school programs, with teachers and staff who have the physical capacity and ample training to use restraint and seclusion. But simple suspension is surprisingly effective. More often than not, parents care but aren’t sufficiently aware of the seriousness of the issue until a kid is suspended. Plus, just knowing that they can be suspended is often a good incentive for students to avoid egregious behavior.

There is a ton of research on this and good arguments on both sides, but more and more data is coming out that overall strict inclusion policies have terrible outcomes. It’s bad for teacher retention, student academic success, and the general environment of the school. We need to find a better middle ground between extremely strict policies either way.

can you provide the data please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

What is the correct way to deal with major behavioral issues if the root cause is trauma, poverty, a parent who is on drugs, and apathy about education? We often know the root cause but that doesn’t give us solutions. Instead of providing realistic solutions for teachers, schools just keep telling them “build relationships ” and “behavior communicates needs” and “do a social justice circle.” And then they’re getting a 1% COL increase? This is unsustainable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

sure let's just keep suspending them without making any effort to get to the root cause. that'll be great.

Figure out how to get to the root cause, but that’s again putting the onus on schools to fill in for bad parents. In the meantime these semi-feral kids are disrupting school for everyone else.

I sound hard hearted because I’m so tired of hearing about the fights, the outbursts and the abhorrent behavior in my kids’ classrooms.

Two were talking about children with behavioral problems whose parents don’t have the skills or capacity to support them. Who *but* the schools is going to help them? Suspension will just alienate them from school/authority and probably does lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. Maybe that helps your kid in ninth grade but not sure how it helps society.

the solution for a lot of more serious cases is to have alternative school programs, with teachers and staff who have the physical capacity and ample training to use restraint and seclusion. But simple suspension is surprisingly effective. More often than not, parents care but aren’t sufficiently aware of the seriousness of the issue until a kid is suspended. Plus, just knowing that they can be suspended is often a good incentive for students to avoid egregious behavior.

There is a ton of research on this and good arguments on both sides, but more and more data is coming out that overall strict inclusion policies have terrible outcomes. It’s bad for teacher retention, student academic success, and the general environment of the school. We need to find a better middle ground between extremely strict policies either way.

can you provide the data please?

Sadly I have to go hang out with my husband (jk it’ll be fun) but I did a deep dive on this recently and I’ll provide links when I can. In the meantime you can look at what’s going on now in Scotland, just to get you started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet that if these weren't the first two goals in APS's strategic plan, teachers would be slightly less likely to mind the COL increase:

~ Disproportionally in suspension rates by race/ethnicity, students identified with a disability, and English Learners will be annually reduced and overall suspensions will not increase. (PO-SWB-1)

~ By 2024, at least 80% of students with disabilities will spend 80% or more of their school day in a general education setting. (PO-SWB-2)

Teachers are not only underpaid, but general ed teachers also are responsible for meeting the needs of many special education kids. They have limited recourse for poor behavior since APS wants low suspension numbers. APS's retention strategy seems to be hoping teachers will keep going out of the goodness of their hearts.

A student can be 100% in a general Ed setting and still receive support and services from special Ed teachers. And I sincerely hope the people educating our children aren’t aiming for MORE suspensions of children with disabilities and minorities.

I would like to see more suspensions of minorities. Also kids with disabilities. Also whites. And girls. A little restoration of regular order is… in order.

I’d also like them to light every single iPad in the county on fire.

Textbooks, chalkboards, kids in detention. That’s how you save money AND raise kids proper.

Do you really think suspensions are going to fix the behavior problems? They don't.

DP. Maybe not fix but at least get those problems out of the classrooms where they are disruptive and sometimes dangerous to teachers and students who actually want to learn.

You must be kidding. They remove the kid for 1 maybe 2 days, then they are right back. Same problem. Suspensions don't fix a thing.

Suspend them again.
Seriously, if behavior can’t meet minimum standards of decency they shouldn’t be there.

Ultimately it's public school. Something has to be sorted so they can get an education. Teachers shouldn't be left to deal with it on their own, but you can't just keep suspending the kid without addressing the issue.

--Parent whose 4 yo was sent to the principal's office every day for the first three weeks of kindergarten. My kid had no idea what that meant or why she was there, so it had no impact except getting her out of the classroom. Things improved a lot once another adult observed and coached my kid and the teacher.

Your 4 yo was not ready for kindergarten and should have waited a year.

[Anonymous]

Thinking about this more. Getting rid of outdoor lab and moving the employees to Arlington might make a ton of sense. You could sell the property and make a lot of cash. There’s nothing they teach there that couldn’t be done at an Arlington nature center. And since the overnights are now in jeopardy anyway due to the Oakridge thing. Why not get rid of it?

[Anonymous]

Why does APS need to pay staff? The nature centers are already staffed. APS can just go there for field trips. Easy. Cheap. Done.