Oopsies: School superintendent now says she should have disciplined wife-punching headmaster

Then can you explain how a few years ago the mayor added like 100 more custodians to the school system year over year when the money was "available" and when the economy hit the skids we paid millions to lay them off - and now the money saved goes to fund raises and rising benefit costs for the remaining employees.

We've spent the past 4 years cutting the fat off the city employment rolls - there are still probably a few corners that need trimming - but unfortunately we've probably shed a little muscle along the way as well (the parks department budget has barely budged in 10 years for example which is why everything is now a "public/private partnership" and they want to sell off the Boston Common in pieces to the highest bidders).

One other year they had some extra money so they basically came up with a new job for about 25-50 people to be "community liaisons". I think those are all or mostly gone now too. They make these jobs as placeholders when they can no longer justify bigger raises in flush times and that's how they afford continued raises in lean times - lay off the placeholders and use the savings for the remaining employees.

It's why the budget has gone up far greater than the rate of inflation while we've laid off 1000 people (about 6% of the workforce)- then they blame the whole thing on health insurance which is a drop in the bucket - but people believe it because it's in the headlines.

I have no issue with public sector jobs as long as they are adding value to something beyond buying a politician a vote or a favor. Larding up the payroll with do nothing administrators while good teachers can't get MERIT pay raises and crumbling schools have no surplus money for renovations MAKES NO SENSE! Cronyism is bankrupting the country and depriving citizens of services that they have already handsomely paid for.