But...but...but...it's for the children!

So we were budgeting for $6m more? I am confused.

But.. but.. it's for the Union!

"it's for the children!"

No, its for the streetcars the children can ride instead of going to school. Believe me, they'll find moeny for the streetcars and the PERS contribution increase before they find it for the kids.

PERS is needed to augment the very small wages that the over-worked teachers get paid... And don't forget that they are busy at Bi-Mart buying school supplies (with their own meager money) for their students, and will be up past midnight next week grading papers during their 80+ hour work weeks.

Pity the poor teachers, who are the only folks who work so hard "...for the children".

Maybe Doonesbury will be back this school year, shilling for the poor teachers. Who is more pathetic, the union bosses or Garry Trudeau?

Too bad Sam & Randy gave away $11 million of school money (in just one year of many) to the developers of the Pearl & the SoWhat. (Fire, social services and police money too.)
See: http://www.portlandfacts.com/ur/priceofur.htm

Thanks
JK

Actually, last year Portland urban renewal diverted $32.6 million from education.

Seems like a lot of child abuse is going on with these monkeymen & monkeywomen officials.

And get this:

We only have a limited set of choices we can use to close our budget gap at this point in the year. In the coming days, I will be talking with school board members and employee association leaders about these options....(signed) Carol

And the taxpaying public -- you know, the 2nd "P" in "PPS Community"?

*You'll just have to wait to find out. Somehow. Someday. Maybe. If I don't change my mind (or have it changed for me by you-know-whos). Again. Meanwhile, enjoy all of the crazy, mean, stupid, scary rumors. (signed) SuperDuperCarol*

Maybe we could raise income taxes retroactively on the wealthy? And by "wealthy" I mean anybody who makes more than I do.

Maybe 'super duper Carol" can donate her salary to the cause?
Maybe PDC will refund the $32.6 million dollars in TIF funds they stole last year?
Maybe the SamRand twins will resign?
I also believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa, the Easter Bunny and pigs with wings.

Mister Tee, I find your ideas interesting and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

-Mayor Sam and the Unions

"And so because our share of the federal funds is already spoken for, today’s news means a $6 million gap has re-opened in our budget.""

Dear PPS,
The answer is simple.
Call TriMet and get their budgeting approach.
They have found a way to defer a billion in fringe benefit liabilities while at the same time spend the same future operating revenue multiple ways and proceed on a massive capital project without a genuine funding package.
But above all make sure you keep your grip on all things K-12.

So glad my kids are on the 12 end of the K-12 spectrum. What a long strange trip it has been.

From the bottom of Carole's letterhead: "At Portland Public Schools, this is our goal: By the end of elementary, middle, and high school, every student by name will meet or exceed academic standards and will be fully prepared to make productive life decisions."

First, this is a poorly-written statement. But second, what if the schools poured their resources into the academic part rather than the "productive life decisions" part? I know, I know, there are lots of parents out there who aren't taking responsibility for teaching their kids how to make productive life decisions.

But I'm wondering. If you give a kid a safe environment in which to learn, and then really truly teach them, won't a lot of those productive life decisions take care of themselves?

I asked my just-graduated daughter about this, and her thought was that if, once you teach kids how to read, you give them lots of good books to read, in which the characters are dealing with moral decisions, and you spend time discussing the books, the kids won't be able to help but absorb what they need to learn about life and choices.

I fully admit that I've lived a fairly sheltered life, and perhaps kids out there are dealing with things that I have no concept of. So maybe this is a naive point of view.

Michelle, you aren't so naive. How many kids really care about making Carol's "productive life decisions" along these milestones? It's okay, it's been that way forever. Sure, there are some that do make these decisions, but it's a hit and miss thing.

I don't care to make our education system a decision making machine. Decisions come from knowledge and not having it formularily given out. And the givers around here have a much different perspective than many of us. Just teach, not pontificate.

Michelle...you are not naive. You're smarter than the people making the decisions at PPS. Because of you, your daughter will do well in life.

Michele, I too was puzzled by that PPS goal.

Besides being grammatically challenged, it seems to imply that students should be capable of making "productive life decisions" after elementary school. If that's true, why stick around costing taxpayers $13,000 or more every additional year?

That is truly a horrible mush of pap and blather ("student by name will meet or exceed . . . " --- what was the other choice, by flavor? By color? Sect?). I'd say this was an embarrassment to them but I've done way too much work with educators to think that they would be embarrassed by it.

However, it does not say or imply that students will be able to make "productive life decisions" after each stage.

For all that it reveals in its horrendous Edspeak way, it simply doesn't say or imply that they will be prepared to make those decisions at any particular point. It's a run-on sentence that practically begs for that misinterpretation, but if it is read with care, you see that the two goals (academic standards and preparedness for "productive life choices") are separate things.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=137987736234810

portland native: Maybe 'super duper Carol" can donate her salary to the cause?
Maybe PDC will refund the $32.6 million dollars in TIF funds they stole last year?
Maybe the SamRand twins will resign?
I also believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa, the Easter Bunny and pigs with wings.

Could there even be an outside chance as more shenanigans unfold that by December, after the elections, that Santa might bring us a huge present, SamRand resignation? Sometimes those responsible for creating a mess, run when the spotlight is turned on them.

For years some have been concerned about the URA and money being diverted from basic needs and schools, etc. But, those in decision making arenas have carried on as if a pot of gold will always be there somehow for the taking. If there were any objections, those folks were sidelined. You can be sure that those who were selected to serve on these committees always outnumbered any who questioned their plan.

Look where all this has come home to roost!