California’s schools are getting ready for the new school year, and are having to make do with vastly reduced resources. Class sizes have soared, even though it’s widely accepted as fact among educators that smaller class sizes are one of the most effective ways to improve student learning. This article from the San Diego Union-Tribune shows the struggles that teachers are facing as they try to deliver quality education to students in an era where governments have decided education is no longer important.
Thankfully, the US Senate has decided that mass teacher layoffs aren’t a good way to run a school system or help our children prepare for the future, and passed a bill last week delivering $26 billion in aid to schools, potentially helping save the jobs of 16,500 teachers in California. Unfortunately the Senate chose to cut the food stamps program for it, but that cut doesn’t take effect until 2014, so hopefully that particularly cruel cut can be reversed.
Barbara Boxer voted for the bill to save these teachers’ jobs. And so Carly Fiorina has come out against saving these jobs – by misstating the way the bill works:
Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina said Friday that a federal bill designed to provide emergency aid to states will not give schools the immediate financial boost they hope will prevent thousands of teachers from being laid off.
The former Hewlett-Packard CEO said the legislation working its way through Congress is full of accounting tricks that will delay payments for teachers until 2012. She said it also will continue the government’s deficit spending.
In fact, as the California Department of Education explained, the funds will actually be sped to schools:
Maria Lopez, a spokesman for the department, said the law requires U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to make grants within 45 days of the law’s enactment, so the state expects the money for the coming school year.
That’s Carly Fiorina in a nutshell: refusing to support a federal bill to save jobs because, in her misleading claims, it’s “deficit spending.” Fiorina wants California’s teachers to be laid off and wants our children to suffer because, god forbid, the federal government might spend money.
In this case, the funding is fully paid for, although in a rather indefensible way. But even if it wasn’t paid for – even if it was funded through deficit spending, it’d be worth doing (and not only because the US government can borrow at record-low rates right now).
Carly Fiorina should explain to Californians why she believes 16,500 teachers should lose their jobs and why kids should be taught in overcrowded classrooms. I’m sure parents across the state will be quite interested to hear her rationalize that crazy stance.
Carly is a case in point for every time someone whines about a public employee making more than minimum wage. It’s OK in the private sector. Ripping off HP shareholders is ok, but taxpayers not, I guess.
Before Fiorina was fired (2005) as the CEO of H-P, she laid off 28,000 Americans and sent the jobs abroad. With the “savings”, Fiorina bought 2 jets for her personal use. Fiorina enjoyed laying off people so when she thinks of teachers being given a pink slip, she smiles. Fiorina is even against repealing tax cuts for corporations that send jobs overseas. Fiorina was cruel at H-P and she is cruel as a Republican Senate candidate. Bob Mulholland
I think she likes teachers just fine. That is, teachers that work for private schools, not public schools; teachers that espouse her twisted logic and point of view, not fact; teachers that teach religion instead of science; teachers that are true blue…er…red…wingnuts. That’s the teachers she likes. Any other teachers are not “real” teachers (just like anyone outside small wingnut town America are not “real” Americans) and deserve to be kicked onto the streets. Boy, democracy must be a real nasty inconvenience to these yahoos (unless, of course, it happens to suppress the rights of minority groups).
changed their cheap ass(Lame) Power Supply policy since 2006, that run at almost 100% capacity from the word go, Then their PCs still hurl big time as I had to replace an HP power supply with a non HP power supply(a 900w OCZ replaced the lame 300w HP power supply) and HP objected, Even without a warranty HP objected.
to be paid for the 2010-2011 school year in 2012. That’s how the cash normally flows. Surprise, Carly!
What school districts need now is a guarantee of how much money there will be for their specific pocketbook and that it will arrive.
But, for that matter, school districts ALSO DESPERATELY NEED to know what the state will be sending them for 2010-2011, and now. Because the uncertainty in amount that may or may not be cut from schools by the state when the budget is finally, eventually passed is actually larger than California’s share of this money.