1/18/2009

Countless teachers have lost their jobs in my child's middle school. Currently, there is no money to pay for substitutes,so now all classes that have no teacher for the day will have to go to the auditorium for class assignments, etc. Thisis ridiculous. Sports have been cut, but they still want to weigh the kids and send home slips that say your child is overweight. School violence and bullying is a problem, but there is no outlet at school to get rid of pent up energy. To minimize cuts to education, I would like to see them lead by example. Many people have NO job now. Try cutting legislative salaries across the board since less revenue is coming in. It may be a "drop in the bucket" but to a thirsty student, every drop counts. As a native Floridian, I consider conservation important, but not as important as people and education for our children. The legislature needs to actually be creative, not simply warm their seats and cross out spending for education. I've worked for the State of Florida. There is so much waste - try streamlining - be accountable for the money we pay in taxes. Books cost the same no matter where they go in Florida. A district that receives less money technically uses more of their budget on these supplies than other districts. Try a more equitable system. Give the school boards more authority to say how the money is spent. Above all, they need not to pay lip service to the importance of education. Every child in Florida has to compete for college placement against the rest of the country - the legistlature is not properly responding to the fiscal crisis by making schools and students sacrificial lambs. Maybe they ought to be legally liable for their choices, because what they are allowing to happen is criminal.