Sunday, March 6, 2011

School Budgets

In our state, the local schools are looking at reductions from the state in funding. The schools are advocating that we complain to our state reps so that they won't have to make cuts. Of course the first cuts they propose are those things which the community most enjoys.
I don't plan to complain that these cuts shouldn't be made. Rather - I think the schools do need to cut their budgets. Their communities are full of people who have had to cut their budgets by 25 -90%. That the school will have a 4% reduction is something they will HAVE to do. There is no more money. There is not going to be more money. They have programs that the students see as worthless. The fact that school districts need an HR department because the unions have taken so much power away from administrations to negotiate is just ridiculous. There are real places to cut besides just athletics and art programs. The admin offices should look to cut staff there first. It just seems like a lot of money goes to fund office staff. How about cutting coaching pay? Or is that in the union contract too? It just seems pointless to talk to anyone because they all think they should not have to give up something. Most people in the community have had to, so why do schools get to be the exception?


Random Thoughts

Hi
It's been a while and I have been thinking of several different topics lately. I'll try to keep this a little organized. I went grocery shopping this past Friday and was heart sick when I got done. I am VERY blessed to not have to buy too much on a regular basis. We like to have corned beef for St. Patrick's Day so we thought we would pick up a good cut of beef not too expensive and pickle it. I haven't looked at meat prices in a very long time. I was shocked - I know I shouldn't be as we keep up on rising costs of feed and other "commodities". It was still hard to see that the cheapest cut of roast that my mom used to buy was now 2.99 a pound. The beef brisket which is the cut that typically gets corned/pickled was 5.99 a pound. The store had a six pound unpickled beef brisket - it was $40!
When I look at this I don't understand how people in similar situations to ours are surviving. It makes what Bernanke says to Congress even more disgusting. Of course, we don't have price inflation due to printing money like nobody's business so that my banker buddies can continue to make a profit and pay out big bonuses. Of course the rise in oil prices won't harm the economy. Right! The fact that butter rose $.35 in one week is not a result of any of this! How stupid are we?? How can you walk into the store and look at the prices and NOT see any change?
So this is an outrage that just hurts my heart. If you can be generous to food banks please do so.

Take care and be safe!

Kate