It seems as though every day I feel the effects of the guv's budget, if only in numbers of meetings I have to attend. Wednesday was BOCES; Thursday was the Dem Committee, at which representatives from federal, state, county, city, and town governments decried the cuts and prophesied glumly about the effects on us all.
Thursday also, O attended a hastily-called protest meeting at Dryden High at which students railed against the plan to cut block scheduling (the 80-minute every-other-day plan that took years to pass and implement over a decade ago). The superintendent told them it was a done deal--done to save money by cutting teachers. She also informed them that most extracurricular activities would be gone next year.
Today I heard from TCAction, which wants a powwow next week on how to face down the 50 percent cut to the block grants that fund many of their critical programs. And Saturday is the annual legislative breakfast, where most superintendents will set fire to their heads while our assemblywoman and two state senators hold them back with chairs and whips.
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I'm surprised the kids protested against cutting block schedules. The local schools here implemented it long ago, found it led to dramatic declines in test scores, and got rid of it, much to the delight of students, who hated those long classes and forgot what they'd learned in the days between them.
It's been a boon here--allowing for decent-length science labs, etc., plus the kids know that they only have homework every other day for each class, which they find pleasing. But it seems that scheduling blocks leads to more free time for certain teachers and is therefore cost-ineffective. I'm just glad the kids are feeling strongly about something, even if they can't effect change. Heck, when I was their age, we fought for (and won) a smoking area on school grounds. At least these kids are fighting for academics.
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