Broward Co, FL: Art, music, and PE teachers told to take half pay, librarians get 20 hr week.

[madfloridian]

This is a heartbreaking comment from educator Susan Ohanian:

Broward arts, PE teachers are asked to take half pay. Cuts to programs including libraries mean jobs will be only 20 hours a week

Ohanian Comment: I admit it: This article made me cry. I just wonder what they think teachers are supposed to do. Look at what they're doing to the school library. Five years ago there were four employees. Now they are cutting the one person left to half-time.

Reader Comment: Yesterday, when I picked up my son from high school I saw my son's freshman P.E teacher. Mr. S stood in front of my car until my son gave him a thumbs up. Mr. S always has a smile on his face. I have watched this man for four years always speaking to the students after school never rushing to get into his car after a long day. This man is a role model. It is a crying shame how the state of Florida treats its teachers!

She then refers to an article in the Sun Sentinel:

FORT LAUDERDALE

Principals at dozens of Broward County public schools have given librarians and teachers of art, music and physical education a choice: Take a pay cut of almost 50 percent, or take your chances waiting for a job to open up at another school.

"I've been teaching for over a decade, and now I'm supposed to be living for under 20 grand a year," said Jason Hammett, a physical education teacher at Plantation Elementary School. "I have a newborn son."

Hammett said his principal called him into her office last week and said the PE program was being cut in half for next school year and so was his $42,450 annual salary. He could work four hours a day, 20 hours a week, and maintain his benefits. Should Hammett decide not to take the cut, he'll go on the district's surplus list, a pool of teachers vying for full-time positions based on job availability and seniority.

The district could not say exactly how many teachers were given the same choice as Hammett, but according to the Broward Teachers Union, it was offered at more than two dozen schools, including Stirling Elementary in Hollywood and Sawgrass Elementary in Sunrise. The district started laying off employees last week, as it battles a budget shortfall of up to $130 million. The School Board announced 461 non-instructional employees — secretaries, custodians, project managers and curriculum specialists — will get pink slips.

Art, music, libraries....can't afford such things anymore. First step to dumbing down everything.

As part of the budget-cutting process, individual school budgets must be cut by 6 percent — about $273,425 per elementary school, $492,371 per middle school and $808,932 per high school. What was cut was left up to the principal's discretion. Still, district administrators gave schools a list of guidelines on what to cut that included eliminating art, music, physical education and school librarians — a move that outraged parents, teachers and some board members.

And the state just voted to send more kids to private schools with vouchers which will take even more money from public education.

And the state is giving public money to 8 religious schools which turned charter to survive financially with taxpayer money. 8 Catholic schools and one evangelical school....getting public money now.

And in at least one county those who teach the arts are having salaries cut in half or being laid off...and libraries are barely going to survive.