A story from a reader you could hear thousands of times across the city.
I also teach in Duval County, we have interactive text book our students are not allowed to write in.
We are told we have to purchase our own copy paper and printer ink for the classroom.
We are allowed a small number of copies from the office , I would use my allotment in 3 days.
I use 140 copies a day because we are using alternative resource due to the lack of rigor with the current curriculum.
We are a title 1 school. Where is the funding going?
I also teach in Duval County, we have interactive text book our students are not allowed to write in.
We are told we have to purchase our own copy paper and printer ink for the classroom.
We are allowed a small number of copies from the office , I would use my allotment in 3 days.
I use 140 copies a day because we are using alternative resource due to the lack of rigor with the current curriculum.
We are a title 1 school. Where is the funding going?
That's a good question.
I will say this. I am at a Title I high school, and I have never had to pay for my own copies (I average about 300 a week or so, depending) and I have never paid for my ink (my cartridge lasted over 4 years and I just got a new one). Now, my principals have all realized that we need those things, so they worked around the other financial issues, but I am more frustrated by my pay not changing for over 1 1/2 years. I am frustrated that I have 2 computers with an average of 28 students in each class. I am frustrated that I have not had access to the media center for 2 years. I am frustrated that Vitti is willing to pay for programs like Achieve3000 and Write to Learn, but I am making only 3000 more than I started at 9 years ago, and that is with a Master's Degree.
ReplyDeleteHoo boy, where to start? My current principal is all over the paper issue, complaining about why teachers use so much. She only reacts to what the District questions, so I'm guessing they went over her budget and asked about it. Personally, I have always refused to buy what the District should supply and when I need something, I go to the principal and ask for it. I explain my sound educational reasons and have never been turned down.
ReplyDeleteNow for the big one: I have always suspected that Vitti holds a lot of money back from the schools. I am now persuaded this is the case. He cries about the millions going to charters as his justification for cutting personnel from school. Remember the security guards? He can't afford them, yet when the number of fights is excessive at my school he can find the money to give us a third security guard. He has no money for more teachers, so class sizes exceed the number of seats and square footage of our classrooms--if only the Fire Marshal would do a real inspection--but when he decides mid-year that he needs to buy another instruction program for Middle School (i-Ready), he has the cool mil he needs for it.
Where is the funding going? It sits in Vitti's desk drawer so he can pull it out for his next pet project whenever the whim strikes him.
Your salary hasn't changed because your union, rather than bargaining hard to make the District force concessions, readily gives away what belongs to you. The salary supplement? They handed that over without a whimper. It has to go into the new schedule, they say. Meanwhile we watch zone reps pal around with regional superintendents while they will not meet with the membership.
ReplyDeleteDTU is a joke. They're probably bought and paid for by Vitti.
ReplyDeleteMy zone rep dishes with my principal like they're BFFs and throws me under the bus. Zone reps also go to principal meetings. Why? I'll bet it's to suck up to power, not represent members. DTU is totally in bed with administrators, who don't pay dues and make the lives of the members hell.
ReplyDeleteUnion should change its name to DAU (Duval Administrators United). President for Life Terrie Brady's sister, a principal, received a 93.3 eval score from her superiors, which is VERY HIGH. Another non-member benefits from a relationship with DTU, I mean DAU.
ReplyDeleteOne of my coworkers was assaulted by two students in her classroom. They pushed her to the ground and broke her ankle. She left in an ambulance and had to have surgery. She couldn't walk and was out of work for three months. The union did absolutely nothing for her neither did the administration. The students were not even arrested for basically ruining this teacher's life after our principal had put 60 students in a creative writing class. Now the teacher would have broken the student's bones she would be all over the news. That's our district.
ReplyDeletePlease put them in touch with me, cpgbnjovi@gmail.com
ReplyDelete