School Board Meeting 9/23

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So did anything else happen in this school board meeting?

Yes—they moved an action item up to a motion item. (Bus driver pay.) For the first time (ever?), TDK said something I finally agreed with having to do with (paraphrasing) the absurdity that bus drivers are getting paid more than many special ed staff. In the end she voted for the motion, but there has got to be other solutions out there. Bus drivers making $22.91-36/hour, while the direct staff make a fraction of that. No one had numbers or knew anything (Platenburg/HR guy), so consider this was just my take on it.

A first year teacher gets paid $35.05 per hour (based on the contract - $51,000 for 194 days). I know teachers are not paid well enough and work beyond contract hours as well. However, based on what you wrote, the most senior bus driver makes $36.00 per hour. However, the FCPS website (https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/bus-driver-employment-opportunities) states the top pay is $31.00 per hour (not sure how that changed with the raise voted on last night). I imagine any bus driver making $31 an hour has worked well over 20 years and even with the raise, I doubt the pay went up more than $4.00 per hour. Without making a judgment on the pay overall, it seems the most senior bus driver making close but not as much as a brand new teacher is not unfair to a teacher.

SpEd teachers and bus drivers are both critical needs (and there are others) for sure. SpEd teachers get the same pay as GenEd teachers. I do not know if they are giving bonuses for teachers hired in critical needs areas (SpEd, math, science, others). And I do not know the solution to getting more people to accept these jobs, but it seems the relationship of teacher pay to bus driver pay is not unfair. A 55 year old bus driver with 30 years of experience might well actually feel they should be paid on par with at least a first year teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until FCPS gets rid of principals who they know don’t have the best interest of the kids, I know school system isn’t right and the powers that be don’t care as long as their check is still coming

This may be true. But, at least principals see students. Cleaning house should start with Gatehouse. And, every "professional educator" in Gatehouse or any other administrative position should be required to teach at least one half day of the month. That should include principals. Help the sub problem.

You don’t think principals are covering classes? At my elementary, both the principal and AP cover classes at some point every week. They’re not in a classroom all day, but they’re in there at all grade levels.

Ours too. We had an AP covering a class on our grade level last week. We also had someone sent from Willow Oaks to sub for a special education teacher.

[Anonymous]

I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So did anything else happen in this school board meeting?

Yes—they moved an action item up to a motion item. (Bus driver pay.) For the first time (ever?), TDK said something I finally agreed with having to do with (paraphrasing) the absurdity that bus drivers are getting paid more than many special ed staff. In the end she voted for the motion, but there has got to be other solutions out there. Bus drivers making $22.91-36/hour, while the direct staff make a fraction of that. No one had numbers or knew anything (Platenburg/HR guy), so consider this was just my take on it.

This is not true, unless you are referencing IAs.

ES Teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

DP, but it disgusts me when the usual crowd defends graphic filth that’s unnecessary been brought into our schools on the grounds that it’s only for 13-year-olds, not 11-year-olds. The only reason books like this get purchased for school libraries is that you have people trying to curry favor with local activists rather than teach kids any sense of moral or personal responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

DP. Start by assuming that parents do care about their children. That their actions are not purely political or performative.

It'll help you to understand them and will lower your blood pressure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Until FCPS gets rid of principals who they know don’t have the best interest of the kids, I know school system isn’t right and the powers that be don’t care as long as their check is still coming

This may be true. But, at least principals see students. Cleaning house should start with Gatehouse. And, every "professional educator" in Gatehouse or any other administrative position should be required to teach at least one half day of the month. That should include principals. Help the sub problem.

You don’t think principals are covering classes? At my elementary, both the principal and AP cover classes at some point every week. They’re not in a classroom all day, but they’re in there at all grade levels.

Ours too. We had an AP covering a class on our grade level last week. We also had someone sent from Willow Oaks to sub for a special education teacher.

I do not think they have made it a requirement, but I know of many people in the Instructional Services Department at Willow Oaks have been in to sub. I am not sure about Special Services, but I assume (especially if covering a SpEd classroom) they may be as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

Robinson has one library for the entire school, so middle school students have access to it also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

DP. Start by assuming that parents do care about their children. That their actions are not purely political or performative.

It'll help you to understand them and will lower your blood pressure.

+1

Clearly, the School Board was offended by the language. Some are saying there were no young children there last night. It doesn't matter. I was listening and I was offended. And, to those discussing "book banning" this is not the same.

It's up to the publisher whether or not to purchase the book. Choosing not to purchase a book that is in the library of minors is not "book banning." It is using good judgment.

[Anonymous]

It's up to the publisher whether or not to purchase the book. Choosing not to purchase a book that is in the library of minors is not "book banning." It is using good judgment.

PP edit: publish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gender Queer is a graphic novel that contains a very graphic sex scene involving a strap on dildo and a blow job. Lawn Boy is a novel that includes a scene involving a 4th grader having sex with an older man. both are available at FCPS high school libraries. Yes, you can opt out but that still begs the question is there anything that is inappropriate to have in a school library? If there is a line and I think there is, these two books seem to cross it. I would also say that its easy to say opt your kid out or watch what they check out but if you have a teen you know that is hard to do and many parents aren't that involved.

This is not censorship....its just common sense to say that a high school library is not the place for any media containing graphic sex scenes.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So did anything else happen in this school board meeting?

Yes—they moved an action item up to a motion item. (Bus driver pay.) For the first time (ever?), TDK said something I finally agreed with having to do with (paraphrasing) the absurdity that bus drivers are getting paid more than many special ed staff. In the end she voted for the motion, but there has got to be other solutions out there. Bus drivers making $22.91-36/hour, while the direct staff make a fraction of that. No one had numbers or knew anything (Platenburg/HR guy), so consider this was just my take on it.

This is not true, unless you are referencing IAs.

ES Teacher

Yes, I should’ve specified I was referring to the IAs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So did anything else happen in this school board meeting?

Yes—they moved an action item up to a motion item. (Bus driver pay.) For the first time (ever?), TDK said something I finally agreed with having to do with (paraphrasing) the absurdity that bus drivers are getting paid more than many special ed staff. In the end she voted for the motion, but there has got to be other solutions out there. Bus drivers making $22.91-36/hour, while the direct staff make a fraction of that. No one had numbers or knew anything (Platenburg/HR guy), so consider this was just my take on it.

This is not true, unless you are referencing IAs.

ES Teacher

That is true. Starting pay for an IA is $17.90 per hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

DP. Start by assuming that parents do care about their children. That their actions are not purely political or performative.

It'll help you to understand them and will lower your blood pressure.

What are you even talking about?

Of course the board members, especially the childless ones here to get their careers in politics moving, care more about children than the parents sending their own into the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel terrible that school librarians are now going to be targets of this insane witch hunt. It is all for politics and all for show and yet it is going to create enormous stress, interfere with the important work that they do, and cause real harm to people.

It is so clear that these people don’t actually believe anything that they say and they don’t care what harm they cause. They know children are in the audience and yet read passages that they know are intended for a young adult audience. Elementary schoolers are not highschoolers. Those passages are not in any books in an elementary school library. But they don’t care, because it’s all just a big stunt. Conflating high school readers with kindergarten readers is precisely what they do. And they don’t care that I kindergarten or is actually listening, because actually caring about children is not the point. Ginning up political outrage is the point. They disgust me.

DP. Start by assuming that parents do care about their children. That their actions are not purely political or performative.

It'll help you to understand them and will lower your blood pressure.

+1

Clearly, the School Board was offended by the language. Some are saying there were no young children there last night. It doesn't matter. I was listening and I was offended. And, to those discussing "book banning" this is not the same.

It's up to the publisher whether or not to purchase the book. Choosing not to purchase a book that is in the library of minors is not "book banning." It is using good judgment.

It seems not everyone on the School Board was offended by the language. At least one Board member seems to think it's not only appropriate, but necessary, reading.