Comments on: For Oakland school employees, a possible 2 percent raise

By: Troy Flint

Troy Flint — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:31:12 +0000

@Craig Gordon – This thread is dying out, but I want to respond to Craig’s questions about school site allocations.

Essentially, what you’re hearing is correct. Some schools could see their allocations reduced in the range of 17 percent due to a number of variables. Those schools are outliers, but they definitely exist.

The budget cut numbers cited in the advisory to principals were basically global estimates designed to illustrate what an “average” school might be facing, but with our funding methodology, there really is no average school.

Schools with higher reductions to their funding are usually affected by three variables:

1. Changes in projected enrollment
2. Change in per pupil allocations
3. Additional district support in 10-11 that will not be present in 11-12

Lower enrollment projections would result in lower allocations and if the District stops filling the gap centrally or reduces its contribution, that further reduces the allocation to an individual site.

The middle variable is more complex, but per-pupil allocations are expected to decline by 11 percent. There are several resources based on per-pupil funding such as GP, Lottery, Measure G, K-3 Class Size Reduction and TIIG, I think, (need to double-check). Schools that depend more heavily on these resources are disproportionately impacted by the reductions in per-pupil allocations and take a bigger budget hit overall.

By: Cranky Teacher

Cranky Teacher — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:29:27 +0000

Just a little reality check: In OUSD, the lowest performing schools generally have SMALL class sizes because of declining enrollment, truancy and, sometimes, extra funds such as Title 1.

I am not saying class size is not important, but it is hardly the only issue or the most important one in terms of what doesn’t work in Oakland.

By: Oakland Teacher

Oakland Teacher — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:39:17 +0000

#36 makes some very persuasive arguments, even for those of us who are so disgusted with the whole system, fearful of cuts to the classrooms, or shamed into embarrassment that we accept being the lowest paid teachers in the county.

Thank you for reminding me that they will always find money for whatever they consider a priority, regardless of what they pay school staff. I shudder when I think of all the curriculum adaptations, programs, and bad trainings & feel good workshops over the years. I have refused to do any workshop that takes place overnight, but most of the small schools have done those, sometimes yearly at a great cost to the school/district.

By: On the Fence

On the Fence — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:00:38 +0000

Well, unpopular though this may be, I wholeheartedly say that the 2% raises should go through. Not only is this money sorely overdue, but I do not believe that forgoing this money will make a lick of difference in the outcome of what OUSD will eventually do to the teachers, classroom sizes, or layoffs. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, is my view.

OUSD will continue to spend money according to its perceived interest at the moment – new administrative positions to examine how to get parents on board with their latest asinine project, consultants to tell them what teachers are doing wrong now, trainings for all, the latest greatest curriculm developed recently and publicized widely (but later dropped), or maybe dropping big bucks into the creation schools that are large social service, medical, mental heatlh, employment and housing conglomerates, that also hire a few teachers.

For the record, I am not a teacher or spouse of teacher. I am a taxpayer and parent of 2 OUSD students. I absolutely support more money towards teachers and classrooms, but nary a cent elsewhere. And as others on this blog, my first priority is to the students of OUSD.

By: Turanga_teach

Turanga_teach — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:33:48 +0000

One effective teacher with 40 students might happen for 1 day. The remaining 179 days would involve one ineffective teacher hating herself and her students for things outside of everyone’s control.

I taught kindergarten for four years with increasing class sizes. If your whole class needs their shoes tied, there goes the instructional day.

By: Ms. J.

Ms. J. — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:52:15 +0000

I read that Michelle Rhee’s interim replacement in DCPS believes one effective teacher with forty students can do a better job than two less effective teachers with twenty teachers each. Forty students. Can you imagine? I’m not even clear on what kind of classroom she is thinking of. 24 in first grade is pretty much straining it.

By: Public School Teacher

Public School Teacher — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:53:30 +0000

I get it. Lay off teachers, increase class size and give the existing teachers a raise to compensate for the ever increasing class size they will experience. This is the real story. Thanks OUSD…try to be more honest with the public and your personnel.

By: Craig Gordon

Craig Gordon — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 07:32:57 +0000

Here’s a question for Troy Flint, since he’s providing responses here:
I’m hearing that cuts to site budgets will range up to 17% in some cases. Is that accurate?

By: Turanga_teach

Turanga_teach — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:26:47 +0000

If this measly 2% is the reason that my school is looking at making a 7-15% budget cut (which might cost us a teaching position and turn multiple single-grade classrooms into combos in order to disperse the students to absorb the loss)…then I for one don’t want it.

It’s an insultingly small band-aid on too big a wound, and the adults aren’t the only ones bleeding right now.

By: J.R.

J.R. — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:03:29 +0000

Thanks Troy,
That sounds great, and I would love to know where we stand financially.