Wednesday, May 22, 2013

FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA

99 CENTS

School furlough days not restored

By Letter to the Editor
From page A8 | January 19, 2013 | 3 Comments

Parents and other community members, are you aware that the five furlough days that the classified staff took to save jobs have not been restored as student days?

This means that our students will have five fewer school days. I have been told that parents do not want these days restored, so families can go on vacation. Community members, this means that, as a teacher, I have five fewer days to get your child ready for the state test. High school teachers have five fewer days to get students ready for AP tests and SATs, for example.

I worked hard to get Proposition 30 passed to bring money to public schools. Voters, you supported Proposition 30, and I thank you, but the Fairfield-Suisun school board members are not helping students when these furlough days are not restored as student days.

Please contact the board members and school district administration, write letters to this paper, and come to a school board meeting to express your dismay at this decision to waste five school days of school. No one is listening to the teachers who want to teach the students. Parents and community members, your help is needed.

Monica Brown

Green Valley Middle School

Fairfield

Letter to the Editor

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Discussion | 3 comments

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TheBossmanJanuary 20, 2013 - 8:13 am
In addition to the five furlough days, the union negotiated that elementary teachers will be taking five more days off, prep days. The students will be in class with a substitute teacher while the teachers choose what they wish to "prepare." Doing the math, that's 10 days without the classroom teacher. Good job citizens for passing Prop.30, once again, wasted education money.
Reply | Report abusive comment
TweetsJanuary 20, 2013 - 4:24 pm
Well this makes no sense to me. The teachers will be at work, the secretary's will be at work,the school bus drivers will be at work, yet a few parents want a vacation! Its all about students going to school, getting an education. Wake up
Reply | Report abusive comment
Concerned parentJanuary 24, 2013 - 1:16 pm
I am a parent of two children in this district and I attend the parent leader meetings with the superintendent. This issue was discussed at length with a room full of parents who represented all of the schools in the district at a parent leader meeting. The majority did want to keep the days off especially if the days were going to be used as staff development for the teachers and classified employees. Some parents expressed concerns about parents having already made travel plans for those days. Some for vacation and some to visit college campuses with high school students. Personally, I feel children spending time with their families can be just as valuable as time spent in a classroom. Learning experience don't just happen on a teachers watch. In the scheme of things 5 days are not going to make that big of a difference for most students. 5 days of staff development however can make a huge difference for those students if it is being used by their teachers to better their teaching practices. It's my understanding that one of the days will allow the teachers some much needed time to work in their classrooms which is a rare luxury these days. I would like to thank the school board and superintendent for listening to the wishes of the parents in this matter and not causing a disruption to a calendar that was already set. I for one will be enjoying a much needed break with my children who work hard at school all year and deserve these days off.
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